GG Pique
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 | This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (April 2008) |
Gonzalo "G.G." Pique is the President and CEO of Energy Recovery Inc., a company that specializes in pressure exchanger production. He was responsible for the company's increase in revenue of 100-fold.
Biography
An enthusiast and corporate professional who has a solid background in the desalination technology, GG was born in Havana, Cuba on May 16, 1947. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1969 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He started out as a Middle East regional sales manager at Combustion Engineering ABB while he pursued his masters degree at the University of Hartford. He was Country Manager of Dorr Oliver de Mexico, the Mexico City subsidiary of the largest water treatment company in the 1970's. Later, he was a VP of Sales at Fluor Corporation] mining and metal division.
GG worked for the reverse osmosis membrane companies in San Diego which developed seawater desalination technology for 10 years while helping raise two children.
In the spring of 1993, GG was approached by Dick Heckman, Chairman of US Filter to become Sr. Vice President and Corporate officer of US Filter Corp., a Fortune 500, NYSE water Company, where he drove a 25% division internal growth rate while simultaneously integrating an avalanche of multi-national acquisitions.
In 1999 Vivendi bought US Filter for $7.5 billion in cash. All of the USF stock options were cashed. GG spent 9 months after the acquisition “tucking his people in.” The parting feedback from colleague Andy Seidel was:
“GG, you have built the best water business in your segment, with creativity, risk taking and pure hard work. I have always respected your loyalty and good judgment.”
GG joined the ERI Energy Recovery, Inc. start-up on February 7, 2000 as a Marketing consultant. Energy Recovery manufactures the PX, a patented unique ceramic device that recycles 98% of the pressure energy of a desalination plant. This has cut desalination energy costs by more than half and is helping make seawater desalination affordable. See link to The Economist June 2008 article on desalination and energy below.
He was recruited as Executive Vice President in 2001 and became President CEO in 2002. ERI revenues have grown 100-fold as climate change increases water scarcity and the disruptive PX technology helps drive a global tsunami of affordable desalination plants being built in India, China, Africa, Israel, Spain and Australia.
In 2007 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Desalination Association.
In 2008 he was elected to the ERI board of Directors.
Company
Energy Recovery, Inc (ERI): global company in the water desalination industry. See link below.
References
http://ggpique.blogspot.com/
http://www.energyrecovery.com/company/GG_Pique.php
http://www.idadesal.org/t-board_063.aspx
http://www.economist.com/search/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11484059
http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2008/05/05/story2.html?b=1209960000^16300134
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1421517/000095013408010930/0000950134-08-010930-index.htm