ECO₂ SuperOxygenation systems for water and wastewater treatment are designed and produced by ECO Oxygen Technologies, LLC, an independent company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The technology is the pioneering effort of Dr. Richard Speece, Centennial Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University, who invented the “Speece Cone.” Founded in 2002, ECO₂ has built their business on being an eco friendly alternative to traditional chemical treatments for water and wastewater. Focusing on odor and corrosion prevention, ECO₂ has helped cities across the country solve their needs in both municipal and industrial applications.

ECO₂ offers custom engineered solutions based on each client’s individual needs. After the ECO₂ engineer meets with a client to determine their system requirements, a design data checklist is filled out. Based upon the site-specific requirements, an ECO₂ system is custom designed for each client.

BOARD OF MANAGERS

Alex Oak, P.E., Co-Founder and Chairman

Mr. Oak is Chairman of Cripe Architects + Engineers, a 73-year old, 55-person regional architectural and engineering firm. He has been involved in the firm for over 35 years, and has served as the majority owner, President and CEO for 18 years. During Mr. Oak's tenure, the Company has grown an average of 15% per year and has received several awards and recognition for its growth potential, progressive management style, and design excellence in a green environment.

Mr. Oak holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, a Masters of Business degree in Real Estate from Indiana University and is a registered Professional Engineer. Mr. Oak is a proud member of the Native American community and is a descendant of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe in Michigan. He has held numerous leadership positions on both for profit and non for profit boards and has been recognized by the governor of the State of Indiana as a distinguished Hoosier.

Dr. William Haeberle, Vice Chairman

Dr. Haeberle is currently Professor Emeritus of Management and Senior Fellow at the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Dr. Haeberle is a venture capitalist and an entrepreneur in a wide range of business ventures, including sales (cars, trucks, farm machinery, aircraft); leasing (computers, railroad cars, helicopters, barges, tugboats, and cable television equipment); oil and gas drilling, exploration, and production; foundries; livestock; greeting cards; resort hotels; and more. He serves on the Board of Directors for global companies involved in manufacturing and/or distributing ultraviolet ink, hot and cold forgings, floral supplies, food services, venture capital, commercial jet aircraft owner/lessor, and a franchiser of nature stores.

Dr. Richard Speece, Co-Founder, Member and Technical Consultant

Dr. Speece is currently Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University specializing in the fields of anaerobic treatment of industrial wastewaters, gas transfer systems, supplemental oxygenation of rivers and reservoirs, GSAR modeling of chemicals in environmental processes, and response of hazardous chemicals to environmental biota. Dr. Speece invented the Speece Cone that is the basis for ECO2 SuperOxygenation technology. Dr. Speece holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Fenn University, a Masters of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Yale University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

John Harris, Member

Mr. Harris is currently Executive Vice President of Cripe Architects & Engineers. He was formerly the CEO of Olive, LLP, Indianapolis, Indiana from 1987 to 2001. As CEO of Olive, he was instrumental in developing and implementing Olive's strategic plan, state-of-the-art business management initiatives and people development programs. Under Mr. Harris' leadership, Olive merged with Baird, Kurtz and Dobson in 2001 to form BKD, LLP, the 8th largest CPA consulting firm in the United States. John is a Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and member and past Board Member of the Indiana CPA Society. Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Ball State University. He is a CPA in the State of Indiana and was named a Gold Medal Winner for the highest score achieved on the State of Indiana CPA exam.

Dr. George Tchobanoglous, Member

Dr. Tchabanoglous is currently Professor Emeritus of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California at Davis. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of the Pacific, a Master of Science degree in sanitary engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Stanford University. He is also a registered civil engineer in California. Dr. Tchobanoglous' principal research interests are in the areas of wastewater treatment, wastewater filtration, UV disinfection, aquatic wastewater management systems, solid waste management, and wastewater management for small systems. He has authored or coauthored over 350 technical publications, including 12 textbooks and two reference works, including collaboration on the industry standard, Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse, published by Metcalf & Eddy.

Russell Wurster, Member

Mr. Wurster is a member of KJS, LLC, which is the largest investor in Eco Oxygen Technologies. He has had a wide variety of owner/manager experiences in construction equipment companies and was a principal owner of Wurster Construction Company, a prominent commercial and industrial contractor in central Indiana. He has also developed some major commercial properties and owns a vast majority of the bowling centers in central Indiana. Mr. Wurster also has had many experiences in financing start-up ventures.

Thomas Dapp, Member

Tom Dapp is owner and Chairman & CEO of Gradex, Inc., an Indianapolis-based heavy-highway company he founded. Gradex, celebrating its 36th year, specializes in grading, excavating and utility construction in the public and private sectors and on residential, commercial and industrial sites. Tom is a graduate professional engineer from the University of Wisconsin where he also obtained his MBA. He is currently Chairman of the Indiana Construction Association and a current Board member of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and is Chairman of the Infrastructure and Environmental Committee as well as serving on the Economic Council and Transportation Committees. He is a Board member of the Carmel Chamber of Commerce and the Carmel Library Foundation where he served as past President. Tom also is a Director of the Western Golf Association, where he is active in promoting the Evans Scholars Program having been a recipient of that scholarship. Honors include being designated a Distinguished Hoosier by Governor Orr, selected to Who's Who in Construction, Design & Engineering by the Indiana Business Journal, as well as being chosen as one of the 30 most influential persons in construction in the last 30 years. Tom is a Blue Chip Award recipient and a past Board member. He was recognized as Contractor of the Year in 1999 and is a SIR Award winner.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Steve Hatchel - President

Mr. Hatchel joined ECO Oxygen Technologies, LLC as President in 2008 bringing 18 years of experience in sales, marketing and management. Most recently he served six years as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Arbor Homes, LLC an Indianapolis based home builder, where he lead a team of sales professionals with an annual corporate sales goal of $120 million in sales. Prior experience includes a Senior District Sales Management position with Schering Plough Pharmaceuticals, a worldwide leader in allergy and respiratory care. Other leadership positions include Sales Training, Printing and Multi-faceted Manufacturing. Mr. Hatchel holds a Bachelor of Arts in both Marketing and Management from Anderson University.

David Clidence - Vice President

Mr. Clidence has been a key member of the technical development team since 2000, when the company demonstrated its first force main prototype. His experience includes working with plant operators, consulting engineers, government agencies, component suppliers and construction subcontractors to design, produce and install ECO2 SuperOxygenation systems to meet owner performance expectations. In addition, David supports sales, marketing and promotional programs through presentations to prospects and professional conferences. He was recently elected by peers to the Air Quality Committee of the Water Environment Federation, the national trade organization for water quality professionals. Mr. Clidence holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil / Environmental Engineering from Purdue University.

Inken Mello - Director of Sales and Marketing

Ms. Mello has worked in the field of Biological Odor Control for the wastewater industry since 2000.
Throughout her career she has introduced a new line of passive biofilters from Germany to the US market. She has also served as a Regional Sales Manager for a major US and Canadian Biofilter Company.

Ms. Mello has worked closely with private and municipal clients, their consulting engineers and construction contractors to pin-point and solve various odor problems in the collection system and at the plant level in the most cost-effective way. Ms. Mello holds a Master’s Degree in Agricultural / Environmental Engineering from the University of Munich, Germany.

Kevin Jacobs - Design Engineer

Mr. Jacobs joined the ECO Oxygen Technologies, LLC team in December of 2008 bringing 10 years of experience in process improvement, project management, project fulfillment, and customer service. In his previous role, Mr. Jacobs served as an application engineer for NSK Precision America specifying and designing products to meet the customer's need. Other previous roles include project management in residential construction, business consulting in supply chain management/IT management, and financial management as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Jacobs received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy

Mindy Mohlenbrink - Client Services/Operations Coordinator

Ms. Mohlenbrink joined the ECO Oxygen Technologies team in 2009 bringing over 6 years of experience in contract administration. In her previous role, Ms. Mohlenbrink served as a contract and closing specialist for Arbor Homes, LLC an Indianapolis based home builder. Other previous roles include insurance claims and policy processing, and a role as a customer service representative within the finance industry. Ms. Mohlenbrink holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from Illinois State University.