Once hailed as a model of environmental responsibility and resilience within the high-stakes world of New York’s airports, Aqueous Solutions doing business under Cypress Kings Inc. has now become a cautionary tale. What began as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise specializing in emergency spill response and water reclamation at JFK Airport, ended in scandal, divorce, and the slow unraveling of a corporate Camelot.
A Clean Mission Built in Dirty Places
Aqueous Solutions carved out a niche at one of the grimiest and most politically fraught intersections of commerce: airport operations and environmental compliance. From the quarantine stables of JFK; where the company first gained a foothold by managing waste from imported horses, they expanded into power washing, water reclamation, and emergency environmental cleanup for major players like Delta, American Airlines, JLL, ISS, and The Ark.
Compliance with the Clean Water Act and full cooperation with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the EPA gave Aqueous a polished image. Their designation as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) added to their appeal in a regulatory landscape increasingly focused on diversity and accountability.
But beneath the surface, another story was unfolding.
A Marriage Fueled by Opportunity
The business was run by a husband and wife team. The man came from a background in waste management; experienced, connected, and familiar with the grey areas that often accompany large-scale operations. His wife, the official face of the WBE, became an integral part of both the company’s legitimacy and its later unraveling.
Together, they overcame what many couldn’t: the ingrained culture of bribery, favoritism, and corruption that often defines contracts and business practices at JFK and LaGuardia airports. Their success was not just financial; it was political, strategic, and deeply personal.
They didn’t just build a business; they embedded themselves in the community. They even founded Metropolitan Airport News, a publication that served as both a PR vehicle and a symbol of their integration into the elite airport ecosystem.
What the Port Authority Found
The cracks began to show when the Port Authority of NY & NJ’s Office of Inspector General (OIG)—tasked with rooting out corruption, launched investigations into various airport operations. Aqueous Solutions cooperated fully, but the scrutiny revealed deeper internal problems.
Behind closed doors, the partnership was falling apart. Divorce proceedings triggered a tidal wave of deception and financial exposure. Allegations of corruption weren’t just external; they were part of the company’s foundation. What had once been a united front against outside pressures became a battlefield of accusations and self-destruction.
The Destruction of Camelot
Like a modern-day fall from grace, the company, built on hard work, insider savvy, and just enough secrecy, was undone not by competitors or regulators, but by the two people who created it.
Divorce. Deception. Corruption. Greed. These weren’t just themes; they were headlines waiting to happen.
And now, the environmental company that once kept the runways clean is itself buried under the weight of its own toxic legacy.