Steribin Inc., a St. George developer of a UV disinfection device for airport security trays, and Vioguard Inc., a provider of hospital-grade UV disinfection solutions based in Bothell, Washington, have announced the merger of the two companies. The merger took effect ealier this month and the companies will work to combine business operations through the first half of 2022.

A release said the combined company will be privately held and operate under the name UV360 with joint technology resources, a range of UV disinfection solutions and a global customer base. Jon Cole, Steribin’s CEO, has been named the CEO of the combined company.  Imagen Capital Partners, the majority stockholder of Vioguard, will remain on the board of directors of UV360. Company operations will operate from Southern Utah.

“Prior to 2020, the UV disinfection market saw years of steady growth, but the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for effective disinfection solutions in every sector,” said Cole. “With a combined 16 years between Steribin and Vioguard, UV360 has the experience necessary to push the boundaries of UV innovation while continuing our tradition of exceptional customer service.”

Steribin was founded in 2018 as an incubator startup at the Atwood Innovation Plaza at Dixie State University to address the severe contamination problem of airport security bins. The company has also solutions for food processing, laboratories and other applications.