Water Industry Veterans Form Nutrient Management Company

A new company is becoming the leader in nutrient removal and energy efficiency for the wastewater sector. 

CEO Thomas M. Pokorsky and President Martin Hildebrand introduced Nexom, a new company created with an investment from XPV Water Partners to address some of the most pressing needs in wastewater management.

"Nexom's vision is to lead the increasingly important nutrient control segment of wastewater treatment," said Mr. Pokorsky, "delivering critical energy and operating efficiencies along with environmental compliance. We will be combining a number of experienced and growing companies offering innovative and reliable technologies to provide the highest level of customer responsiveness in the industry."

The US Environmental Protection Agency has identified nutrient pollution as "one of America's most widespread, costly, and challenging environmental problems." Excessive releases of phosphorus, nitrogen, and other nutrients are causing a rise in toxic algae blooms around the world. For example, a record harmful bloom in Lake Erie last year prompted the Governments of Canada and the US to announce a 40% phosphorus reduction target for the Great Lake, recognizing "the urgency and magnitude of the threat to Lake Erie water quality and ecosystem health," according to Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change earlier this year.

Nexom's formation began in January 2016 with the acquisition of Nelson Environmental. Nelson was led by Mr. Hildebrand since its formation in 1997, focusing on proprietary technology in nutrient removal as well as aeration and biological treatment, including its proprietary and differentiated SAGR® aeration system. XPV Water Partners, Mr. Hildebrand, and Mr. Pokorsky form Nexom's ownership group.

Mr. Pokorsky has run the water-sector businesses from start-up to $350 million in revenue, including ITT Industries' Advanced Water Treatment group, Sanitaire, now part of Xylem Inc. Most recently, he was Executive in Residence with XPV Water Partners. Over his 40 years in the industry, he has led or been actively involved in more than 15 mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Hildebrand has more than 20 years' experience in the water and wastewater industry, successfully leading a start-up company to becoming a profitable, leading technology firm in the wastewater sector.

"With Nexom, we will be able to rapidly scale to add additional technologies to our core platform," said Mr. Hildebrand. "Our priority is maintaining the trust our existing customers and corporate partners place in us, but expanding this to a broader range of markets."

Nexom is backed by XPV Water Partners, the leading growth equity investor focused exclusively on the water sector. "We see a compelling and timely opportunity to assemble a suite of complementary technologies addressing the key pain points of nutrient management and energy efficiency in wastewater treatment," said Mr. David Henderson, Partner. "XPV is excited to partner with an exceptional management team to execute on this strategy."

Nexom has already completed the acquisition of a proven, specialized cloth disk filtration technology with the ability to provide tertiary treatment as well as phosphorus removal meeting stringent wastewater discharge regulations. A number of additional acquisitions are currently in progress or being initiated. The new company will maintain operations in Canada and the US, through its offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Grafton, Wisconsin.

Source: Bezinga

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Taxonomy

• Aeration
• Nutrients Recovery
• Wastewater Treatment
• Water & Wastewater