Sabreliner Corp. was recognized as a statewide winner of the Seventh Annual Governor's Pollution Prevention Awards in recent presentation ceremonies in the office of Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan. The award recognized Sabreliner's dramatic reduction of wastewater generated at its Perryville, Mo. facility.

The awards program is sponsored jointly by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The award was presented to Ron Herman, general manager of Sabreliner's Perryville facility, who was joined by other company executives, including Sabreliner's Chief Operating Officer Jerry Leath.

"Sabreliner is honored to be recognized by the state of Missouri for our ongoing efforts to prevent pollution," Leath said. "We take seriously our commitment to maintaining the environment and protecting the communities where we do business. We strive to be good corporate citizens."

"Protecting this state's great natural resources for our children and their children is one of the most worthwhile endeavors in which anyone can participate," Gov. Carnahan said. "Because we take this responsibility seriously, we have established these awards to honor Missouri businesses, organizations and communities who have taken on the responsibility of protecting the environment by finding ways to prevent pollution."

Prior to implementing its new water recycling program, Sabreliner's Perryville facility disposed of 5,000 gallons of wastewater every three to four weeks by trucking it to out-of-state treatment, storage and disposal facilities. The wastewater accumulation resulted from paint stripping work performed on aircraft.

Sabreliner has converted to a process that uses less toxic chemicals and reuses the water to rinse aircraft. After multiple rinses, Sabreliner evaporates the water, leaving only a small amount of solid material to be removed and properly disposed.

In addition, Sabreliner instituted a recycling program to recover small glass and plastic beads used to prepare aircraft parts for painting. The recovered beads are later recycled for use by the manufacturer of the blast media.

"The awards are designed to recognize efforts by businesses and organizations to prevent pollution," said Daniel P. Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. "The awards provide a forum to highlight the positive ways in which business, industry and other groups can impact the state's environment."

Entries from businesses, trade associations, citizen organizations and schools are judged in the areas of pollution prevention; market development; technology innovation; management systems; recycling; technical assistance; land use; and outreach and education. Pollution prevention must be the projects' central theme.

Sabreliner Corp. is a diversified aviation service, maintenance and modification firm serving a wide variety of government and corporate aircraft, engines, systems and components, plus regional airlines. The company and its subsidiaries have annualized sales of $250 million and more than 1,500 employees at ten facilities in five states.

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