1、&C L E A N H A R B O R S 2 0 0 4 A N N U A L R E P O RTGrowthExcellenceCELEBRATING Dear Shareholders:It is with great pride and excitement that I write to you as we celebrateClean Harbors 25th year of business.This years Annual Report is a retrospective on our growth,evolution and success.It also se
2、rves as a tribute to everyone who has helped make Clean Harbors the leadingprovider of hazardous waste management services in North America.A Quarter Century of ServiceIn 1980,I founded a small tank-cleaning business,hired three employeesand set out to build a niche for Clean Harbors in the“waste ma
3、nage-ment”industry.As with any new company,the early years were challeng-ing.Eventually,however,heightened environmental awareness and newfederal hazardous waste regulations caused a surge in demand for ourservices.This launched an extended period of innovation and growth forClean Harbors and the in
4、dustry.In the mid-1980s,Clean Harbors added waste storage,treatment,anddisposal facilities in our state of origin,Massachusetts,and began serving customers in surrounding states.We also entered into new vertical markets,such as manufacturing,with the launch of ourChemical Management Services divisio
5、n.Following our initial publicoffering in 1987,Clean Harbors growth began accelerating even faster.Our acquisition of Chem Clear,Inc.,in 1989 was a good example ofextending our reach into the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic,and positioned us as one of the largest providers of industrial wastewatertreatment
6、 services.Clean Harbors entered the 1990s with almost 1,200 employees and con-siderable momentum.Continuing our geographic expansion,we thenbegan service to Puerto Rico.We expanded our hazardous waste dis-posal capabilities in 1995 by acquiring an incinerator in Kimball,Nebraska.Soon thereafter,we f