Founded in 1969, American Vanguard is a diversified specialty and agricultural products company that develops and markets crop protection and management, turf and ornamental products, and public and animal health products. The company specializes in the acquisition and licensing of niche product lines from larger companies that divest mature products to focus on newly discovered molecules. The company s subsidiaries include the agricultural and commercial chemical manufacturer AMVAC Chemical Corporation of Los Angeles; the national chemical distributor GemChem of Canton, Conn.; and the consulting business Environmental Mediation of Newport Beach, Calif. American Vanguard s headquarters are located in Newport Beach, Calif.