March 29, 2005
HEPACO INC. BUYS IMS ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, EXPANDS COVERAGE TO THE CAROLINAS, GEORGIA, TENNESSEE, ALABAMA, VIRGINIA

Charlotte, NC - HEPACO, Inc., an emergency response, environmental remediation, and homeland security services company headquartered in Charlotte, has purchased IMS Environmental Services of Norfolk, Virginia.

IMS Environmental, which has served the mid-Atlantic region for 46 years, is known for its industrial services, emergency response, remediation, training and consulting capabilities. It operates offices in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Richmond, and Fredericksburg, Virginia; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

HEPACO has about 250 employees. Another 130 employees will join from IMS Environmental, for a total of approximately 380 employees in 8 states.

HEPACO has provided emergency response services to disasters that received national attention. The company recently handled the clean-up of Graniteville, South Carolina, following a train disaster in which chlorine was released into the environment and the town was evacuated. HEPACO also oversaw clean-up following the recent explosion of a hazardous materials storage facility in El Dorado, Arkansas. HEPACO works with many well-known corporations in the transportation, communication, manufacturing, commercial and institutional industries.

HEPACO President Ron Horton Sr. says IMS Environmental was a desirable acquisition because of its geographic reach and strong reputation. “We see a lot of opportunity for expanding their existing business. They do more industrial maintenance than we have done previously. We’ll be able to take emergency response to their existing customers, and bring more industrial maintenance services to our customers.”

HEPACO, Inc has provided emergency response, environmental remediation, industrial services, abatement services and training services for more than twenty years. Founded in 1984, HEPACO has successfully completed more than 14,000 projects. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with regional facilities in Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia.; Memphis, Blountville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville, Tennessee; Durham and Asheville, North Carolina; Charleston and Greenville, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Birmingham, Alabama. For more information, call 800-888-7689 or 704/598-9782.

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