Defense Soap moving to Vermilion

VERMILION — Crews cleaned up a lot on Liberty Avenue in preparation for Defense Soap moving its global headquarters to Vermilion.The company was founded in 2005 by Guy Sako, a Cleveland police officer, after he saw a need for among the athletes he coached at the Westshore Wrestling Club in Lakewood."I created the Defense Soap because my wrestlers kept getting skin infections and needed a soap to combat and prevent this," Sako said. "The ingredients we use separate our soap from the rest."It uses natural ingredients and has products that include antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties. The business has expanded to include body wash, sanitary wipes, salves, skin cleansers, essential oils and more. It sells products globally and has operations in Europe and Asia."We market it to combat athletes — wrestlers, MMA, etc. — but we've branched outside of that and now we sell to the military, dermatologist offices and the general public through Amazon," Sako said.When Sako retired from Cleveland police, he moved to Vermilion and decided to build an office and distribution center for the company after he spoke to Mayor Jim Forthofer and local businessman Cliff German.Crews clear the land on Liberty Avenue in Vermilion where Defense Soap will build its new Vermilion headquarters."It's where I live and it felt like the right place to move the world headquarters of Defense Soap," Sako said. "Working with city has been awesome."Sako plans to stay true to the company's roots by including a 3200-square-feet of wrestling mats at the new building, where he will host free clinics for kids.Mayor Forthofer believes Defense Soap is the type of business the city needs because Sako employs locally, supports the community, and runs a clean and environmentally conscientious company."The Defense Soap business model markets worldwide and is not dependent on Vermilion's seasonal ebbs and flow of population," Forthofer said. "They are an aggressive operation with growth plans which Vermilion will be happy to support."Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterDefense Soap, which specializes in antimicrobial and anti-fungal hygiene products, is moving its operations to Vermilion.