H2O Innovation: Professional Water Technologies holds first annual international distributor conference, adds two new distributors in South America

Professional Water Technologies products obtain REACH compliance, opening European market

TSX-V: HEO
Alternext: MNEMO: ALHEO

QUEBEC CITY, May 25, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - (TSXV: HEO) - H₂O Innovation Inc. ("H₂O Innovation" or the "Company") announces that its Professional Water Technologies' team ("Professional Water Technologies" or "PWT") successfully held last week in San Diego, California its first annual international distributor conference. Held over the course of three days, Professional Water Technologies' invitation-only event brought together distributors from all around the world for exclusive conferences and training sessions on membrane filtration specialty chemicals. The event was highly prized by all participating distributors, who appreciated networking and deepening their knowledge of Professional Water Technologies' products. In parallel, Professional Water Technologies has recently signed agreements with two new distributors in Brazil and Argentina, increasing its presence in South America. And shortly before the event, Professional Water Technologies' products line was qualified as REACH compliant, an important milestone enabling its sale in the European Community.

"This first international reunion of our Professional Water Technologies sales force will have a multiplier effect on our sales. Its holding is a clear and solid investment we are making in the growth of our Professional Water Technologies brand, which is very likely to have a direct contribution to improving our results in the next fiscal year. It is an investment we intend to repeat next year and in the years ahead. This conference and the enhanced support we are providing to our international distributors will undoubtedly enable us to attract new distributors in other regions of the world", said Frédéric Dugré, President & CEO of H₂O Innovation.  "And with the addition before our conference of two new distributors in South America and the confirmation of our products' compliance with the European REACH regulation, the future looks more promising than ever for our specialty chemicals and consumables business line", concluded Frédéric Dugré.

During the conference, Professional Water Technologies' team of membrane filtration specialists covered numerous topics in a series of presentations, trainings and round table discussions: reverse osmosis system design, use of specialty chemicals in MF/UF systems, marketing tactics and competitive positioning, as well as a review of new products recently launched and of PWT's extensive laboratory capabilities for membrane forensics. Distributors from Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, South Korea, the United States and Europe attended the conference.

"It was a great pleasure spending time with all participants, sharing strategy and market knowledge, but also allowing them to meet each other and share market insights and selling tactics. We have received numerous highly appreciative feedbacks from our distributors, many outlining how they have come out of the conference better tooled to grow their business with us. We are very confident that most - if not all - will increase their annual purchasing level while some have already plans underway to expand to new territories", said David Russell, Vice President of Professional Water Technologies.

New distributors in Brazil and Argentina
Professional Water Technologies' new distributors are LAX Logistica in Brazil and Aquarep in Argentina. In their respective national markets, these new distributors will represent Professional Water Technologies' line of patent-pending high performance reverse osmosis chemicals and membrane cleaners, including its flagship product SpectraGuard™, a super concentrated phosphate-free antiscalant for reverse osmosis water treatment systems.

REACH compliance opens European market for PWT products through its distributor Omya
Just a few weeks before the conference, Professional Water Technologies' products were confirmed REACH compliant. REACH compliance is a mandatory requirement under European Community Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006, a regulation concerning the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals. It regulates the sale of chemical substances in the 27 member states of the European Union. Omya International AG ("Omya"), a leading global producer of industrial minerals, worldwide distributor of chemical products, and PWT's representative in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, can now actively market Professional Water Technologies' products to European municipal and industrial customers. Having two senior representatives present at the conference, Omya is now fully prepared to promote the PWT product line in Europe and, in fact, is at present calling on some of their largest clients in Spain - one of the largest desalination markets in the world.

Prospective disclosures
Certain statements set forth in this press release regarding the operations and the activities of H₂O Innovation as well as other communications by the Company to the public that describe more generally management objectives, projections, estimates, expectations or forecasts may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation. Forward-looking statements concern analysis and other information based on forecast future results and the estimate of amounts that cannot yet be yet determined. Forward-looking statements include the use of words such as "anticipate", "if", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "could", "should", "will", and other similar expressions, as well as those usually used in the future and the conditional, notably regarding certain assumptions as to the success of a venture. Those forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, which may result in actual and future results of the Company to be materially different than those indicated. Information about the risk factors to which the Company is exposed is provided in the Annual Information Form dated September 28, 2011 available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Unless required to do so pursuant to applicable securities legislation, H₂O Innovation assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements contained in this press release or in other communications as a result of new information, future events and other changes.

About Professional Water Technologies
Professional Water Technologies, an H₂O Innovation brand, develops, manufactures and markets specialty chemicals for municipal and industrial nanofiltration ("NF") and reverse osmosis ("RO") membrane systems. Its environmentally friendly phosphate-free super-concentrated antiscalants are eleven times more concentrated than standard antiscalants, reducing shipping/handling by 90% and reduce drum disposal requirements. With a complete line of NF and RO pretreatment and maintenance products, comprehensive analytical and technical capabilities, and an innovative research and development group, Professional Water Technologies offers solutions to maximize the efficiency and economy of membrane systems operations.

About H₂O Innovation 
H₂O Innovation provides integrated technological water treatment solutions based on membrane filtration technology to municipal, energy & mining end-users. H₂O Innovation designs state-of-the-art custom-built water treatment systems for the production of drinking water and industrial process water, the reclamation and reuse of water, and the treatment of wastewater, while providing a complete line of specialty chemicals and consumables for membrane filtration and reverse osmosis systems. With more than 110 employees and seven locations in North America, H₂O Innovation is also a founding partner of H₂O Innovation India, a joint venture based in Mumbai, India. Shares of H₂O Innovation are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (HEO) and the NYSE Euronext Alternext Exchange (MNEMO: ALHEO). For more, visit www.h2oinnovation.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the Alternext Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Source: 
H₂O Innovation Inc.
www.h2oinnovation.com

Contact: 
Guillaume Ducharme
+1 418.928.0234
[email protected]