IDEX Acquires Nova Technologies
IDEX Corp. has acquired Nova Technologies Corp. for $158 million. NTC is a provider of metering technology and flow monitoring services for the water and wastewater industry, with annual revenues of approximately $70 million.
AlturnaMats Purchases Mobile Matts
AlturnaMats Inc. has purchased Mobile Matts of Green Bay, Wis. Phil Schounard will continue to head Mobile Matts and operate out of the Green Bay facility.
Putzmeister Launches New Web Site
Putzmeister Water Technology has launched its new web site, www.pmawatertech.com. The site features information on the division’s full line of equipment and accessories, as well as its free DVD, Powerful Water Jetting Solutions.
Keffer, Debris Dam Inventor, Killed in Car Crash
Business owner John Edmund Keffer, 61, inventor of the Debris Dam manhole safety device, and a member of the Coraopolis (Pa.) Water and Sewer Authority, died as the result of a car crash on Sunday, Dec. 2, in Eastern Pennsylvania. His wife, Jayne, sustained minor injuries.
Keffer was the owner of Northern Environmental Coatings and Consultants, a manhole chimney seal installation company. It was while seeking a product to prevent tools and sandblasting spoils from falling into manholes that Keffer came up with his concept for the Debris Dam, a lightweight, inverted umbrella-shaped product with folding mast. Designed to work at the top of the manhole, the device is held in place by extending arms or spines that pull tight against the side of the chimney cone. It can hold up to 34 pounds of debris.
Known for the expression, “Everyday’s a winner,” Keffer’s death came just days after he had begun semi-retirement.
“He really brought a lot to the table,” Thomas Cellante Jr., manager of both the borough and the water and sewer authority, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “John was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. He was well-versed in all matters concerning water and sewer issues, really a first-class asset to that board.”
John Schombert, authority president, said Keffer was a hands-on board member who visited pumping stations and treatment plants. “He didn’t like making decisions unless he saw what the facility was all about.”
In addition to his wife, Keffer is survived by his son Daniel, daughter Christina, mother Betty, sister Sandra Finley, and grandchildren Mackenzie and Ethan.
