April 5, 2001 9:00am eastern standard time
Aquatic Cellulose And Cecco Trading, Inc./Timber Holdings Ltd. Launch
Environmental Partnership And Multimillion Dollar Exclusive Supply
Agreement, Via Phase One Of Asbury Park, NJ Boardwalk Reconstruction.
VERNON, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA April 5th, 2001
Aquatic Cellulose International Corp. (OTCBB: AQCI)
Aquatic Cellulose (AQCI) today announced it has entered into an
environmental partnership and multimillion-dollar exclusive supply agreement
with Cecco Trading, Inc./Timber Holdings Ltd. of Milwaukee, WI. The two
companies will launch this unique environmental partnership via the first
phase of boardwalk reconstruction at Asbury Park, NJ. Cecco Trading/Timber
Holdings, which has secured Aquatic Cellulose as a "green" material supplier
for Asbury Park, will place into the project as much production of Aquatic's
reclaimed material as it is capable of delivering, given time constraints
for completion.
Aquatic Cellulose, a leader in the emerging aquatic timber harvesting
industry, and Cecco Trading/Timber Holdings, the largest supplier of
boardwalk decking in the United States, have entered into a multimillion
dollar exclusive supply agreement aimed at broadening markets in the U.S.
for Aquatic's reclaimed lumber products. Under the exclusive supply
agreement, Cecco Trading/Timber Holdings will purchase total production of
underwater harvested Ipe (pronounced "EE-pay) hardwood from Aquatic
Cellulose. To secure the agreement, Cecco Trading/Timber Holdings has placed
a series of decking orders totalling over $1,500,000. The Company
spokesperson stated it has begun processing these orders for shipment to the
customer via port of Belem in Brazil.
In speaking about Asbury Park and the environmental partnership with Aquatic
Cellulose, Brian Lotz, President of Cecco Trading/Timber Holdings, stated,
"It was clear that preserving the natural character of the boardwalk was
important to Asbury Park residents, as well as preserving the boardwalk's
history and tradition of being constructed from natural wood. At the same
time, we wanted to reduce any environmental impact of that preservation
objective with responsible decisions about the material used to rebuild the
boardwalk.
"Our voluntary decision to enter into a supply agreement with Aquatic for
Asbury Park represents a 'win-win' for all parties involved - the city, the
contractor, Aquatic Cellulose, our company, and the environment. We see this
agreement as an exciting evolution in our long history of environmental
partnerships - efforts that have become synonymous with the Iron Woods Brand
name."
The Asbury Park project, which is being funded in part by state grants from
the Green Acres organization, is unique in illustrating how such agreements
benefit the environment and serve the needs of the local community. Tim
Keating, Director of Rainforest Relief, an environmental group opposed to
irresponsible forestry, agrees. "We're very pleased that wood reclaimed from
submerged rainforests is being used for the Asbury boardwalk project. Given
that tropical woods were specified, this is the best solution in the short
term. We look forward to the day when, if wood is used for boardwalks, piers
and decking, it's entirely from reclaimed and/or independently certified
sources. We're happy to see Cecco Trading/Timber Holdings shifting their
supply to more environmentally preferable sources."
"We are both pleased and honoured to be a 'green' material supplier for this
historic reconstruction project at Asbury Park," stated Gary Ackles, Aquatic
CEO. "The agreement with Cecco Trading/Timber Holdings represents another
step in our successful transition to value added products and is further
testament to the inherent environmental nature and quality of our underwater
source. Aligning our lumber products with companies that are well positioned
in key markets is a long-term strategy we feel confident will lead to
greater sales, distribution, and awareness. We are looking forward to
supplying Asbury Park, as well as other boardwalks along the East Coast and
throughout the United States, with quality reclaimed Aquatic decking."
About Aquatic Cellulose
Aquatic Cellulose International is a leading supplier of environmentally
friendly lumber made from submerged standing timbers. These timbers were
inundated many years ago as a result of dam construction. Aquatic currently
harvests in the Amazon at Tucurui Lake utilizing patented ATH (Aquatic
Timber Harvester) technology. The ATH, operated exclusively by Aquatic, is a
robotic based harvesting system that performs underwater cutting and
retrieving tasks with greater efficiency and safety than conventional diver
based methods. Aquatic specializes in the reclaiming and processing of this
lost resource to provide quality wood products without negatively impacting
living forests. To learn more about Aquatic Cellulose and Aquatic hardwoods,
visit www.AquaticCellulose.com and join the company's growing e-mail list.
About Cecco Trading, Inc.
As members of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Cecco Trading, Inc./Timber
Holdings Ltd. is dedicated to achieving forest sustainability through the
responsible use of forest products. Cecco Trading/Timber Holdings has
demonstrated a commitment to transforming markets towards ecologically
sensitive models through adoption of Certified Forest Products Council
(CFPC) purchasing policy guidelines and ongoing participation in the FSC
Chain of Custody Certification Program. Based in Milwaukee, WI, Cecco
Trading, Inc./Timber Holdings Ltd. is the largest importer of Brazilian Ipe
lumber and decking products in the United States.
This press release contains statements that constitute forward statements,
as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may cause or contribute to such differences
include, among other things, the Company's dependence on one customer,
seasonality of the Company's retrieval business and risk of future losses
from operations. Other risks and uncertainties include changes in business
conditions and the economy in general, changes in governmental regulations,
unforeseen litigation and other risk factors identified. The Company
undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements for
revisions or changes after the date of this press release.
The NASD OTC has neither approved nor disapproved of the information
contained herein.
CONTACT: Aquatic Cellulose International Corp.
Mr. Gary Ackles, 250/558-5410
Website: www.AquaticCellulose.com