1. INVESTOR INFORMATION
ANNUAL MEETING SEC Compliance: The most recent RESEARCH COVERAGE
certifications by our Chief Executive
Ecolab’s annual meeting of stockholders Investors may contact the following firms
Officer and Chief Financial Officer made
will be held on Friday, May 2, 2008, at that have recently provided research
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-
10 a.m. in the McKnight Theatre of The coverage on Ecolab: Buckingham
Oxley Act of 2002 regarding the quality
Ordway Center for The Performing Arts, Research; Citigroup; Credit Suisse;
of our public disclosure can be found as
345 Washington St., St. Paul, MN 55102. Deutsche Bank; First Analysis; Goldman
Exhibit (31) to our Form 10-K for the year Sachs; Ingalls & Snyder; Jefferies &
COMMON STOCK ended December 31, 2007. Also, the latest Company; JPMorgan; Lehman Brothers,
Stock trading symbol ECL. Ecolab CEO/CFO certifications are available Longbow Research; Merrill Lynch;
common stock is listed and traded on the online at www.ecolab.com/investor/ Morningstar; Oppenheimer; RBC Dain
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Ecolab governance Rauscher; Soleil Securities; UBS Equities;
shares are also traded on an unlisted and William Blair & Company.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
basis on certain other exchanges. Options The reference to such firms does
are traded on the NYSE. PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM not imply any endorsement of the
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP information by Ecolab.
Ecolab common stock is included in the
225 South Sixth Street
Specialty Chemicals sub-industry under
TRANSFER AGENT, REGISTRAR
Minneapolis, MN 55402
the Materials sector of the Standard
AND DIVIDEND PAYING AGENT
& Poor’s Global Industry Classification
INVESTOR INQUIRIES Shareholders of record may contact the
Standard.
Securities analysts, portfolio managers transfer agent, Computershare Trust
As of January 31, 2008, Ecolab had 5,167 and representatives of financial Company, N.A., to request assistance with
shareholders of record. The closing stock institutions seeking information Ecolab a change of address, transfer of share
price on January 31, 2008, was $48.14 may contact: ownership, replacement of lost stock
per share. Michael J. Monahan certificates, dividend payment or tax
External Relations Vice President reporting issues. If your Ecolab shares
DIVIDEND POLICY Telephone: (651) 293-2809 are held in a bank or brokerage account,
Ecolab has paid common stock dividends E-mail: financial.info@ecolab.com please contact your bank or broker for
for 71 consecutive years. Quarterly cash
assistance.
INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE
dividends are typically paid on the 15th of
January, April, July and October. The following chart assumes investment Courier Address:
of $100 in Ecolab Common Stock, Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and 250 Royall Street
Shareholders of record may elect to the Standard & Poor’s 500 Specialty Canton, MA 02021
reinvest their dividends. Plan participants Chemicals Index on January 1, 2003, and
General Correspondence and Dividend
may also elect to purchase Ecolab daily reinvestment of all dividends.
Reinvestment Plan Correspondence:
common stock through this service.
250 Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
To enroll in the plan, shareholders
P.O. Box 43078
may contact the plan administrator, 200
Providence, RI 02940-3078
Computershare, for a brochure and
DOLLARS
150
enrollment form. Web site:
www.computershare.com/ecolab
100
GOVERNANCE/COMPLIANCE
52
Governance Information: Disclosures E-mail: web.queries@computershare.com,
50
2007 ECOLAB ANNUAL REPORT
concerning our Board of Directors’ or use the online form at
policies, governance principles and www.computershare.com/contactus
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
corporate ethics practices, including our
Telephone:
Ecolab Inc. S&P 500 Index S&P 500 Specialty Chemicals
Code of Conduct, are available online at
(312) 360-5203; or 1-800-322-8325
INVESTOR RESOURCES
www.ecolab.com/investor/governance Hearing Impaired: (312) 588-4110
SEC Filings: Copies of Ecolab’s Form
Computershare provides telephone
NYSE Compliance: Our Chief Executive 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports as filed
assistance to shareholders Monday
Officer’s most recent annual certification with the Securities and Exchange
through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Commission are available free of charge.
dated May 16, 2007, confirming he was
(Eastern Time). Around-the-clock service
These documents may be obtained on
not aware of any violations by Ecolab of
is also available online and to callers
our Web site at www.ecolab.com/investor
the NYSE’s Corporate Governance listing
using touch-tone telephones.
promptly after such reports are filed with,
standards was previously filed with
or furnished to, the SEC, or by contacting:
the NYSE. REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE
If you received multiple copies of
Ecolab Inc.
this report, you may have duplicate
Attn: Corporate Secretary
investment accounts. Help save
370 Wabasha Street North
resources. Please contact your broker or
St. Paul, MN 55102
the transfer agent to request assistance
E-mail: investor.info@ecolab.com
with consolidating any duplicate
Web site: Visit www.ecolab.com/investor accounts.
for investor information and news.