Exhibit 99.1
[COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC. LOGO]

NEWS RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peggy Landon, 913-344-9315



                  COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC. APPOINTS
       VERNON G. BAKER II AND JOHN R. STEVENSON TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

         OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (May 10, 2005) - Vernon G. Baker II has been
appointed to the board of directors of Compass Minerals International, Inc.
(NYSE: CMP) effective immediately, taking the seat of Douglas A. Pertz who
stepped down from Compass's board to pursue other interests. Mr. Baker will
serve on the board's nominating/corporate governance committee and its
environment, health and safety committee.

         John R. Stevenson has also been named to the board of directors
effective May 16, 2005. He will serve on the nominating/corporate governance and
compensation committees and will replace Joshua J. Harris, who tendered his
resignation effective May 16 to reduce the number of boards on which he sits.

         Mr. Baker is senior vice president and general counsel for ArvinMeritor
(NYSE: ARM), a global supplier of motor vehicle systems and components. Before
joining ArvinMeritor in 1999, he served as vice president and general counsel to
the corporate research and technology division of Hoechst Celanese Corporation.
Mr. Baker is a graduate of Dartmouth College and received his juris doctorate
from American University's Washington College of Law.

         Mr. Stevenson is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of
McWhorter Technologies, a New York Stock Exchange-listed producer of resins and
dispersed pigments that was acquired by Eastman Chemical Company in 2000. He
previously served as a vice president of special products and administration for
Valspar Corporation, a global leader in the paint and coatings industry. Mr.
Stevenson is a graduate of Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis.


ABOUT COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL
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         Based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Compass is the
second-leading salt producer in North America and the largest in the United
Kingdom. The company operates nine production facilities, including the largest
rock salt mine in the world in Goderich, Ontario. The company's product lines
include salt for highway deicing, consumer deicing, water conditioning, consumer
and industrial food preparation, agriculture and industrial applications. In
addition, Compass is North America's leading producer of sulfate of potash,
which is used in the production of specialty fertilizers for high-value crops
and turf.

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