Converted Organics Appoints Eastern and Western Pro-Turf Sales Managers to Service U.S. Professional Turf Market

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Converted Organics Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) announced today that it has appointed Frank L. Santos as Eastern Pro-Turf Regional Sales Manager and Roger “Skip” Lynch, Jr. as Western Pro-Turf Regional Sales Manager. Mr. Santos and Mr. Lynch will be responsible for securing distributor agreements for the sale of Converted Organics’ all-natural fertilizer and soil amendment products to approximately 15,000 U.S. golf courses, as well as landscape professionals, municipalities, athletic fields, and property developers.

“We are excited about the addition of Frank and Skip to our team of highly-qualified sales professionals, and are fortunate that Converted Organics’ reputation as a leading manufacturer of environmentally-friendly fertilizer products enables us to attract turf experts with such extensive industry backgrounds,” said Rich Aleo, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Converted Organics. “Both Frank and Skip are well known throughout the turf industry, and their numerous contacts will enable Converted Organics to move very quickly into this large market opportunity.”

Mr. Santos brings over 40 years of turf grass industry sales experience to Converted Organics, as well as comprehensive knowledge of plant physiology and competitive turf grass product lines. As the former Project Manager associated with D.H.T Golf Services, Mr. Santos recently renovated the sand bunkers and practice facility at the Cranberry Valley Golf Course in Harwich, MA. By creating custom soil business divisions for Massachusetts companies such as Lopes Companies, Accusoils, Inc., and Read Sand & Gravel, he developed an extensive network of turf grass professionals that includes golf course architects, golf course superintendents, and sport turf managers. Mr. Santos also coordinated and managed the construction of three New England golf courses, two of which were rated as “Top 100” courses in the United States. Mr. Santos performed the first golf course water quality study on Cape Cod, has been a turf management lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has appeared on Bob Villa’s “Home Again” television show. He is a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of New England, the Cape Cod Turf Managers Association, and the Editorial Quality Review Board of Grounds Maintenance Magazine. Mr. Santos has a degree in Turf Management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Mr. Lynch, age 44, is a seasoned management professional with 20 years of agronomic sales and marketing experience. Mr. Lynch garnered extensive experience working with the professional turf grass industry through his tenure at both TruGreen Landcare, one of the largest, most comprehensive providers of commercial landscape and lawn services in North America, and Pro-Turf Solutions, where he managed all golf course-related sales and established relationships with superintendents in 200 golf courses throughout Oregon and southwest Washington. In his capacity as Bentgrass Products Manager/Technical Agronomist for Seed Research of Oregon, Mr. Lynch spent 13 years managing the product lifecycles and sales of new turf grass varieties for the golf course industry. As a Design Coordinator for Jack Nicklaus Golf Services, he was responsible for in-field design, agronomic feasibility and specification compliance by contractors. Mr. Lynch has a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

About Converted Organics Inc.

Converted Organics (NASDAQ:COIN), based in Boston, MA, is dedicated to producing valuable all-natural, organic soil amendment or fertilizer products through food waste recycling. The company uses proven, state-of-the-art technologies to create a product that helps grow healthier food and improve environmental quality. Converted Organics plans to sell and distribute its environmentally-friendly fertilizer products in the retail, turf management, and agribusiness markets.

Converted Organics' fertilizer products will be produced in both a dry pellet and liquid concentrate. Converted Organics' products have been tested in numerous field trials for more than a dozen crops with the result that, on average, the net value of the farmer's crop increased 11-16%, depending on the particular crop and product application. This is due, in part, to the disease suppression characteristics of the product, which reduce or eliminate the need for other costly, often toxic, crop protection applications. Increased use of nitrogen in commercial agriculture and turf grass applications, such as golf courses, has reduced the soil's ability to absorb nitrogen and other nutrients. Using the products produced by Converted Organics helps restore the soil by replenishing these micronutrients. This reduces the amount of nitrogen required in a virtuous cycle that benefits from long-term use. As a result, use of the product will reduce chemical run-off to streams, ponds and rivers, an objective with significant long-term benefits to the environment.

The products have a long shelf life compared to many other organic fertilizers. In a number of lab and field trials, the liquid product has been shown to be effective in mitigating powdery mildew, a leaf fungus that effects most plants and grasses and restricts the flow of water and nutrients to the plant. The Company's fertilizer products can be used on a stand-alone basis or in combination with more traditional fertilizers and crop protection products. Converted Organics expects to benefit from increased regulatory focus on organic waste processing and on environmentally-friendly growing practices.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. In some cases, you may identify forward-looking statements by words such as "may," "should," "plan," "intend," "potential," "continue," "believe," "expect," "predict," "anticipate" and "estimate," the negative of these words or other comparable words. These statements are only predictions. One should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are qualified by their terms and/or important factors, many of which are outside the Company's control, involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from the statements made. The forward-looking statements are based on the Company's beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account information currently available to the Company. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, including those events and factors described in "Risk Factors" in the prospectus, not all of which are known to the Company. Neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of these statements. The Company will update the information in this press release only to the extent required under applicable securities laws. If a change occurs, the Company's business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in the aforementioned forward-looking statements.

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