WaterSurplus Strengthens Team with Experienced Water Industry Executive Ricardo Bernal

Key Takeaways 

• Ricardo Bernal brings over 25 years of experience in water treatment, desalination, and PFAS management to WaterSurplus.
• He has held executive roles at Heartland Water Technology, Abengoa, Jacobs/CH2M Hill, GE Water, and Ionics, Inc.
• Bernal will focus on commercializing ImpactRO™ and NanoStack™ technologies, expanding WaterSurplus's global footprint.
• His expertise will help scale innovative water solutions domestically and internationally, enhancing sustainability efforts.
• Bernal holds an MBA in Finance and a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, based in Austin, Texas.

WaterSurplus, a global leader in sustainable water treatment and advanced membrane technologies, announced the appointment of Ricardo Bernal as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Sales on August 25, 2025. With more than 25 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment, desalination, biosolids, and PFAS, Bernal brings extensive technical and commercial expertise to the company’s leadership team.

Bernal’s career includes executive roles at leading water technology firms. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Project Development & Strategy at Heartland Water Technology, where he oversaw all commercial aspects of projects under design-build, build-own-operate, and recurring revenue models. He also led business development for new markets and technologies. Earlier roles include Managing Director of Abengoa’s Industrial Water Division, O&M Sales Manager for Jacobs/CH2M Hill’s Water Business Group, and Senior Project Developer at GE Water, where he advanced multi-million-dollar desalination and water reuse projects. He began his career at Ionics, Inc., serving as Latin America Sales Manager and MBR Product Manager.

“We are excited to welcome Ricardo to the WaterSurplus team. His experience will provide a tremendous advantage with the ongoing commercialization of ImpactRO™ and NanoStack™ as well as our other product and service offerings,” said John Barelli, President and Founder of WaterSurplus.

“I am thrilled to join WaterSurplus, a team that pairs engineering rigor with a true commitment to implementing sustainable water solutions. I look forward to commercializing our RO and advanced membrane technologies, scaling innovations to deliver maximum value to customers domestically and internationally, while expanding our global impact and advancing performance and sustainability in the water industry.” said Bernal.

Bernal holds an MBA in Finance from Boston College and a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Xaveriana. He will be based in Austin, Texas.