Compass Minerals International, Inc. Schedules Fourth-Quarter and 2003 Year-End Conference Call

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--Jan. 2, 20043, 2004--Compass Minerals International, Inc. will release its fourth-quarter and 2003 year-end financial results before the market opens on Thursday, February 12, and will discuss its results on a conference call that morning at 10 a.m. EST.

To access the conference call, interested parties should visit the company's Web site at www.CompassMinerals.com or dial (877) 228-7138. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial (706) 643-0377. Slides for the presentation will be available on the Compass Minerals Web site immediately before the call.

Replays of the call will be available on the company's Web site for two weeks. The replay can also be accessed by phone for seven days at (800) 642-1687, Conference ID 5081653. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial (706) 645-9291.

About Compass Minerals

Compass is the largest producer of highway deicing salt in North America and the United Kingdom and operates the largest salt mines in these regions. The company is also North America's third largest producer and the U.K.'s second largest producer of general trade salt for water softening, food, agriculture and industry. Compass is the largest producer of sulfate of potash in North America, which is used in the production of specialty fertilizers.

Certain statements in this press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the Company's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. There can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause the Company's results to differ materially from current expectations include: general economic and business conditions, industry trends, weather, raw material costs and availability, changes in demand for the Company's products, actions of the Company's competitors and the additional factors and risks contained in the Company's registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 11, 2003.