Insituform Appoints Burgess President & CEO

After a seven-month search, Insituform Technologies Inc. announced April 7 that its board of directors has appointed John J. (“Joe”) Burgess as president and CEO, effective April 14, according to an Insituform press release.

Burgess has also been appointed to the company’s board of directors and its strategic planning committee. Burgess succeeds Alfred L. Woods, who had been serving as interim CEO since Aug. 13, 2007. Woods, a director since 1997 and chairman of the board since 2003, will continue to serve as chairman of the board.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Joe Burgess to Insituform and are fortunate to have a leader of his caliber, vision and experience,” said Woods. “Over the past seven months, our board of directors has conducted an extensive search for a candidate with the right balance of industry knowledge and operational expertise to effectively capitalize on the growth opportunities in our markets. A respected leader, Joe’s impressive 20-year career has afforded him a strong base of experience in strategic planning, operations management and customer service. In particular, he brings considerable experience working with municipalities, the federal government and industrial clients that will strengthen Insituform’s customer relationships.”

“I am privileged to become the president and [CEO] of Insituform,” said Burgess. “This is an important time in the company’s history and the water service industry as a whole. The sewer and water rehabilitation businesses have become increasingly critical in maintaining vital infrastructure as cities across the country and around the world age and grow. Insituform is a unique company with strong
technologies, services and people.”

Burgess, 49, president and CEO of Veolia Water North America, a leading provider of water and wastewater
services to municipal, federal and industrial customers, has more than 20 years of experience in the water, energy and petrochemical industries. He joined Veolia Water in 2002 as the vice president and general manager for the Northeast business center and was promoted to COO in 2003 and to president and CEO in 2005.

Prior to that, Burgess served as executive vice president for water systems operations for Ogden Projects (later renamed Covanta Water), a subsidiary of Ogden Corp. that specialized in waste-to-energy projects for municipalities. At Ogden, Burgess led a joint venture with Yorkshire Water (U.K.). He began his career at Monsanto Co. in 1981. Burgess is a co-founder of the Water Partnership Council, a trade association for non-regulated U.S. water companies. The Water Partnership Council is committed to helping communities and companies meet water and wastewater needs in the safest, most environmentally sound and cost-effective manner possible.