Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, MN, posted record sales of $956 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2003, an 8% jump over the previous year. Ecolab executives said strong profit growth from European operations and improved U.S. cleaning and sanitizing profitability, along with favorable currency trends and a lower effective tax rate, spurred results as diluted net income a share rose 37% to $0.26 in the fourth quarter. Net income grew 32% to $67 million, another record for the company, execu...