Biomin International brings water purification to the world

Joseph P. Cool has been all around the world. His career at the U.S. Department of Defense took him to just about every corner imaginable, ranging from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria.

He is now putting all of those years of experience into helping Biomin International spread its product around the globe. The Oak Park-based firm makes a product, Organoclay, which helps take impurities like oil out of water.

"In some areas of the world people are running out of drinkable water," Cool says.

That may seem like a distant idea here in the heart of the Great Lakes, but it's a reality in places like the United Arab Emirates where Biomin hopes to start marketing its product. The United Arab Emirates is one of the Middle East's richest oil-producing countries. It’s also fresh-water poor, which is why Cool thinks its market is ripe for Biomin's products.

The firm is also aiming for other regions around the world that have similar situations, such as the Caribbean and Africa.

Biomin is 20 years old, has five employees and owns a factory in Oak Park. However, Cool expects their expansion to the far corners of the world will help create employment both there and back home in Metro Detroit. That could mean another 5-10 jobs here in the next few years.

Source: Joseph P. Cool, international business development/export director for Biomin International
Writer: Jon Zemke
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