ZENON Chief Technology Officer Wins Prestigious Ernest C. Manning Award For Zeeweed(R) Invention
10:03 EST Tuesday, November 07, 2000
OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--
Winner Pierre Cote splits 50% of $100,000 cash award with fellow team members, shares other half with ZENON employees
Dr. Andrew Benedek, Chairman and CEO of ZENON Environmental Inc. (TSE: ZEN and TSE: ZEN.A.) proudly announced today that Pierre Cote, Chief Technology Officer at ZENON, is this years recipient of the prestigious Ernest C. Manning Principal Award, in recognition of his invention of a water filtration system called ZeeWeed(R).
Several awards are given annually by the Ernest C. Manning Foundation to Canada's talented innovators and young people to assist in creating greater awareness of their accomplishments. The Foundation also makes substantial cash presentations to its winners, including its top award of $100,000, which Dr. Cote received on November 6, 2000 in Montreal at a gala Awards Dinner.
"We are honoured that Pierre has been chosen to receive this distinguished award," said Dr. Benedek. "He is a most deserving recipient and his selection underscores our commitment to not only the entrepreneurial spirit that exists at ZENON, but our pledge to make membrane filtration the best available technology for water treatment throughout the world."
ZeeWeed(R) is a membrane filtration technology that has already found a wide range of applications in addition to purifying drinking water. In the form of hollow fibres, ZeeWeed(R) membranes are capable of filtering out contaminants, including parasites, bacteria and most viruses.
"Traditional methods for drinking water production are based on sand filtration and chlorine disinfection, however, sand provides a rather coarse filtration and only removes larger, visible particles," explained Dr. Cote. "While chlorine effectively kills or inactivates most bacteria and viruses, it is not efficient against some parasites such as Cryptosporidium.
"We live in a world where all kinds of industrial chemicals are emitted into the environment, causing micro-organisms to evolve and become more resistant to common disinfectants, " he added. "Therefore, the bottom line is that removal is far superior to inactivation, and ZeeWeed(R) ensures this."
In a most magnanimous gesture, Dr. Cote has indicated that he plans on sharing 50% of his $100,000 cash award with the 10 members of his early development team. For the remainder of his award, he plans on asking ZENON employees for suggestions on how the money could best benefit everyone at ZENON.
"I want to turn this award into a motivator for all ZENON employees," he added. "We often go through weeks with our 'noses very close to the wheel,' so the Manning Award is an occasion for us to pause and realize that indeed, we are making a contribution to improve the world's water situation."
ZENON is a world leader in providing advanced membrane products and services for water purification, wastewater treatment and water reuse.
Chosen as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, the ZENON group of companies operates from seven locations in North America, six in Europe, and one in each of Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
ZENON's products and services are marketed for a variety of municipal and industrial applications through ZENON's offices and representatives located throughout the world.
Additional information is available at the Company's web site www.zenonenv.com. |
