Heckmann Corporation Announces Key Management Appointments

PALM DESERT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Heckmann Corporation of Palm Desert, California (NYSE: HEK, HEK.U, HEK.WS) today announced two key appointments within its management team and Board of Directors.

Water industry veteran executive Charles R. Gordon will join Heckmann Corporation as President and Chief Operating Officer effective October 1, 2010. Most recently, Mr. Gordon has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Water Technologies, a global business unit of Siemens AG. Siemens Water Technologies is a world leader in products, systems and services for water and wastewater treatment for industrial, institutional and municipal customers. Previously, Mr. Gordon served as Executive Vice President of the Siemens Water & Wastewater Systems Group from 2005 to 2007 and as Executive Vice President of the USFilter Water & Wastewater Services and Products Group from 1999 to 2005. Siemens acquired the USFilter Water and Wastewater business from Veolia in 2004. Prior to 1999, Mr. Gordon’s experience included various executive positions with USFilter Corporation during the company’s high growth years.

Mr. Gordon received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Dakota and his MBA from the Babcock School of Wake Forest University. Mr. Gordon currently serves on the board of Insituform Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: INSU).

The company also announced the appointment of director Robert Simonds to the position of Vice Chairman of Heckmann Corporation. Mr. Simonds will continue to serve on the Heckmann Corporation board of directors. Mr. Simonds’ experience in the water industry includes his role as president of a family-owned water rights company and as a principal in Wasserstein Simonds. Wasserstein Simonds was formed by Mr. Simonds and the late Wall Street legend Bruce Wasserstein to make equity investments in middle-market companies that provided equipment and services to the water and wastewater industries. Mr. Simonds represented the city of Los Angeles on the board of the Metropolitan Water District from 2004 to 2006 and is currently chairman of the Metropolitan’s Blue Ribbon Committee that makes recommendations for new business models and strategies to meet the region’s water-related needs for the future. Mr. Simonds has also financed or produced over 40 major motion picture comedies that have generated over $3.5 billion in worldwide revenues. Titles include Waterboy, Cheaper by the Dozen, the Pink Panther franchise, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, the Wedding Singer and License to Wed. Mr. Simonds graduated Summa Cum Laude from Yale University and serves on the boards of the Yale School of Management and the RAND Corporation’s Center for Global Risk and Security.

Commenting on the appointments, Mr. Richard J. Heckmann, Chairman and CEO of Heckmann Corporation, stated, “Chuck Gordon and I worked closely together through the outstanding and fast-paced growth years of USFilter. After USFilter’s sale to Vivendi S.A., Chuck continued to lead a large part of the company and continued to do so after USFilter’s later acquisition by Siemens Corporation, staying deeply involved at the highest levels of our industry. We are excited to join forces again to build another dynamic water company. We have many opportunities underway and attracting a leader of Chuck’s caliber and expertise to our management team is a tremendous benefit at this critical growth stage of our company.

“Since joining our board, Bob Simonds and I have worked closely together evaluating the future of our business and the opportunities available in our industry. Bob has raised over $1.5 billion to produce his movies and understands the capital markets as well as the dynamics of the water business. Bob will be working closely with Chuck and our team to finance and build a long-term water powerhouse.”

About Heckmann Corporation

Heckmann Corporation (NYSE: HEK) was created to buy and build companies in the water sector. On January 30, 2010, the Company completed its 50-mile water disposal pipeline in the Haynesville Shale which can treat and dispose up to 100,000 barrels of water per day. The completion of the pipeline makes the Company one of the largest handlers of produced water in North America. On February 9, 2010, the Company announced its joint venture with Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP) to provide turnkey transportation and treatment solutions for complicated water flows in the Marcellus and Haynesville oil and natural gas fields. In October of 2008, the Company acquired China Water & Drinks, Inc., and now operates seven bottled water facilities in the Peoples Republic of China with Coca Cola as its largest customer. The Company also makes strategic minority interest investments, such as its investment in water infrastructure solutions and pipeline provider Underground Solutions, Inc. (OTC: UGSI).

Interested stockholders and investors can access additional information about Heckmann on the Company’s web site at www.heckmanncorp.com, and in documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov.

Forward-Looking Statements

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