Scaling UP! H2O

Last week, we heard from Tower Water's Russell Baskin. He talked about the letter he received from FedEx with the Legionella Legislation from the Commissioner of New York City that forever changed how he does business. He set the scene for what he is about to tell us today: ways we can all start scaling up our Legionella knowledge BEFORE Legionella Legislation pushes us to make hasty adjustments to the ways we treat water in our local communities.

Russell is an expert in water treatment, waterborne diseases, and Legionella compliance. He holds a number of certifications including a NY and NJ Pesticide Applicator License, a Certified Water Technologies (CWT) accreditation from the Association of Water Technologies (AWT), and an OSHA 30 Certification.

If you haven't listened to episode 265 yet, I suggest you listen to that episode first before listening to this one. My hope is that you learn not only about Legionella but also what you can do as a Water Treater to spread awareness about this bacteria with your customers and team

Bottom line: Russell Baskin is going to give you the best advice on what to do before Legionella Legislation is passed in your area.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Upcoming Events and Thinking On Water With James [02:14]

Continuing the conversation about Legionella and a FedEx package with Russell Baskin [7:00]

Top things to start recording today before Legionella Legislation passes in your area [10:30]

What is it like to have an account in New York, NY right now? [12:55]

What do you wish Legislators knew about Legionella that Water Treaters already know? [15:22]

What is the ASSE-12080 Certification? Who needs it, and why do we have to be aware of it? [17:55]

NYC vs New York State's Legislation [21:00]

Writing a Legionella Plan for your clients [22:44]

Explaining Legionella to your clients and working with them to make things better [26:00]

Protecting your water treatment company without throwing your client under the bus [30:37]

Convincing a customer to act before it's too late [34:59]

The future of Legionella Legislations in New York City [38:24]

Lightning round questions [41:10]

Thinking On Water With James:

In this week's episode, we're thinking about choosing a Cycles of Concentration set point for cooling towers and boilers…or, as Trace likes to say, Concentration Ratio. Back in March, we thought about how to calculate the Cycles of Concentration in this series. Now, let's think about how we choose the set point. What will limit how high we can concentrate water in a cooling tower or boiler? What is the basis for these limits? How do you know what the limits are? What guidelines do you use? How does the chemistry you apply to a system impact what the upper limits may be? What water analysis should you run on a system in the future to ensure you are staying within your limits with no problems? Take this week to think about choosing the set point for Cycles of Concentration or Concentration Ratio.

Quotes:

"You need to get your resources in order. You need to start up things today so you are ready for an emergency tomorrow." - Russell Baskin

"Start recording: model numbers, serial numbers, number of cells, operational data, volume, recirculation rate, filtration vs. no filtration, how it backwashes, any kind of areas that would cause stagnation, what floors the cooling towers are on, and what floors the machinery and pumps are on because inevitably you'll need to a drawing of those systems before laws are passed in our area so you are prepared." - Russell Baskin

"It's (ASHRAE 188) forcing Water Treatment companies to go up and look at the cooling tower, fix alarms on Water Treatment equipment, and test that pumps and controls are working, Legionella testing every 90 days, a full inspection of the tower, and a twice-a-year cleaning." - Russell Baskin

"Water treatment is as much an art as it is a science, and what may work here might not work properly across the street." - Russell Baskin

"You should have an ASSE-12080 Certification in order to write water management plans. It puts a practical spin on Legionella management. I recommend it for any professional water treater." - Russell Baskin

"You want to be an expert in your field because if you are not going to be, one of the major companies out there is going to be."- Russell Baskin

"We need to prove to our clients that we're doing best practices all the time." - Russell Baskin

"The best advice I can give all water treaters: There could be talk about Legionella Legislation right now being worked on by your state legislator. You might not even be aware of it. If there is a draft- get a copy, take it to an attorney, and figure out what you should do about it." - Russell Baskin

"ASHRAE 188 is not just for cooling towers, it is for the entire building." - Russell Baskin

Connect with Russell M. Baskin:

Phone: (212) 518-6475

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.towerwater.com

LinkedIn: in/russell-baskin-77437216

Visit our Scaling UP! H2O Legionella Resources Page:

Legionella Resources

Links Mentioned:

Get your ASSE-12080 Certification

265 The One About Legionella and a FedEx package, Part 1

Bill Pearson

Events:

Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.

Books Mentioned:

The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Procrastinate on Purpose by Rory Vaden

Revenue Growth Engine by Darrell Amy

Nation, what would you do if your company was told they needed to service ALL of its cleaning towers within the next 14 calendar days? How would you do that and what would it look like? Today's interview is all about how a FedEx letter with Legionella legislation changed a New York water treater's company forever. Join me as I interview Russell Baskin, a Water Treatment, Waterborne Diseases, and Legionella-Compliance Expert who experienced first-hand how Legionella legislation can rock your business to the core if you're not ready for it.

Russell graduated from the College of New Jersey with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1988. After college, he went on to work as a Technical Sales and Territory Consultant at a top water treatment firm. After six years, Russell launched his own very own full-service water treatment company, Tower Water. With more than 30 years of involvement with designing, servicing, and testing automatic chemical water treatment injection and filtration systems used to protect commercial, industrial, and institutional water systems against scale, corrosion, biofilm, Legionella, and other waterborne diseases, Russell spearheaded the growth of Tower Water as one of the top water treatment companies in the Northeast and the New York Metro Area.

Today, Russell will talk about his 2018 AWT convention presentation, "How ASHRAE 188 Changed His Business" in Orlando, Florida. Russell's involvement in Legionella awareness spans years since he started writing Water Management Plans for the control of Legionella after ASHRAE 188 was released in 2015. He has worked with industry experts like Matt Freije of HCINFO, Janet Stout of Special Pathogens Laboratory, Bill Pearson of Arthur Freedman Associates, and Jay Farmerie of Cyrus Rice in developing Water Management Plans using ASHRAE 12-2000 procedures which he has modified to meet NY State and NY City regulations, including Local Law 77.

Bottom line: Russell Baskin is going to tell you why you need to pay attention to the Legionella legislation in the city where you treat water.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Continuing Legionella Awareness Month and upcoming events for water treaters [01:20]

Thinking On Water With James [06:10]

Introducing Russell Baskin, President, and Visionary at Tower Water [07:54]

Who is Russell Baskin, CWT? [12:57]

Getting the dreaded FedEx letter with Legionella Legislation from the Commissioner of New York City [26:27]

Why legislation happened and where the tasks and timelines came from [28:57]

Cleaning 300 Cooling Towers in 5 days [30:32]

Talking about "How ASHRAE 188 Changed His Business" at the AWT Conference [32:40]

Why you need to pay attention to ASHRAE 188 before legislation forces you to jump into action [35:47]

Thinking On Water With James:

In this week's episode, we're thinking about writing field service reports. What should you really be writing in a field service report? Should you write "All is good" while also listing the issues found? How might a badly written field service report haunt you later? How many overly general statements cause later problems? How much detail is too much? Who actually reads your field service reports? Do you ensure all the proper parties are fully aware of any issues or actions needed to be taken on top of just emailing the report out? Does your report actually provide value each visit or is it just a repeat of the last report that the customer finds no value in reading each time? If it's not written down, it didn't happen, and the field service report is high-profile proof of the value you bring when written, communicated, and shared properly. Take this week to think about your field service reports and how you can work to increase their value.

Quotes:

"When I received the letter, it was devastating to me, I needed to figure it out. I was gonna stay at work until I figure out what we're gonna do, how we're gonna handle this, what the clients are gonna think, and how we're gonna get this done." - Russell Baskin

"In 5 days, I needed to turn over all water treatment reports from the past year." - Russell Baskin

"The difference was that Quebec, Canada had about 90 cooling towers, and New York City had about 10,000 cooling towers. There were not enough people to get the job done." - Russell Baskin

"The ASHRAE 188 legislation was my defining moment at my company." - Russell Baskin

"I heard about ASHRAE 188 for 10 years before the legislation passed, and I always thought I had more time to work out the details." - Russell Baskin

Connect with Russell M. Baskin:

Phone: (212) 518-6475

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.towerwater.com

LinkedIn: in/russell-baskin-77437216

Visit our Scaling UP! H2O Legionella Resources Page:

Legionella Resources

Links Mentioned:

Bill Pearson

Submit a Show Idea

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Books Mentioned:

Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman

I Said This, You Heard That Workbook by Kathleen Edelman

I Said This, You Heard That (2nd Edition) by Kathleen Edelman

Nation, for the 2nd week of this year's Legionella Awareness Month, I am bringing back Dr. Janet Stout to talk about what we, as Water Treaters, need to know about Legionella, what's new in Legionella risk management, ASSE-12080 Certification Training, and many more. Buckle your seatbelts because this is going to be one groundbreaking conversation!

Dr. Janet E. Stout is the Executive Vice President and founder of Special Pathogens Laboratory, A Pace laboratory. She is also a research associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Stout is a globally-recognized infection disease microbiologist sought out for her seminal discoveries and pioneering research in Legionella. Her expertise includes prevention and control strategies for Legionnaires' Disease in building water systems.

In more than 30 years that Dr. Stout has been doing research, her research has been published in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals. She has also authored textbook chapters on Legionella and Legionnaires' Disease, one of which is the Legionella chapter in the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Text. Dr. Stout also assisted in developing the first Legionella prevention guideline in the United States (published in 1993). It has continued to serve as a framework for future national and global health agencies and organizations.

Dr. Stout currently serves on the ASHRAE Legionella Standard Committee Guideline 12 and the Committee for ANSI/ ASHRAE Standard 188-2015, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems, which was the first US standard for Legionella risk management. Special Pathogens Laboratory, together with the American Society of Sanitary Engineers (ASSE) and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) created the first certification for Legionella risk management, ASSE-12080, and Dr. Stout is the first certified instructor of the ASSE-12080 Legionella Water Safety and Management Specialist Certification Training.

Bottom line: Dr. Janet E. Stout will share with us what water treaters need to know about Legionella.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Continuing the celebration of Legionella Awareness Month and other events in Water Treatment [01:29]

Thinking On Water With James [06:02]

Welcoming back Legionella Expert, Dr. Janet E. Stout [07:40]

Integrating ASHRAE 188 with Public Health Law and how to stay on top of Legislation [11:27]

Helping Water Treaters know what they need to know about Legionella [17:03]

What is the ASSE-12080 Certification process and who should take the class? [24:12]

What is new in Legionella Testing? [27:43]

What do we need to know about Percent of Positivity and Legionnaires Disease? [32:05]]

Legionella sterilization vs. disinfection [34:00]

What did we learn when buildings reopened after the COVID shutdown? [39:15]

Helping Organizations through the Entrepreneurial Operating System, Masterminds, and by having an assistant [41:24]

Say "Hello" to Janet and her team at AWT! [50:30]

Lightning round questions [52:35]

Thinking On Water With James:

In this week's episode, we're thinking about corrosion coupons. Do you use corrosion coupons in all of your accounts? Why or why not? Do you use pretreated or pre-stressed coupons? Why or why not? Why should you avoid touching fresh, new coupons with your fingers when installing? Do you consider the orientation of the coupons when installing them? Do you install them so the flat side is vertical or horizontal or have you never thought of this? We've previously thought about the order of the coupons but now's another good time to think about that, too. How many days do you leave them in the system? What would be the impact of removing them sooner rather than later? What can be determined by visually observing the corrosion coupons upon removal? How do you communicate the results? Do you save the old ones for annual reviews, take a picture or scan, or dispose of them? Take this week to think about corrosion coupons and how to most effectively use them.

Quotes:

"Everyone needs to be aware that ASHRAE Standard 188-2018 and Guideline 12-2020 are in continuous maintenance." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"Standard 514P is a new proposed standard from ASHRAE." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"There is a real need for input from people in Water Treatment to comment on Legionella standards." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"If any facility should be testing for Legionella, it should be healthcare." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"When it comes to Legionella, any gaps in knowledge need to be filled, so I worked to make education standards for Legionella." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"We (Special Pathogens Lab) stepped into the role of one of the first instructors to deliver training so people could sit for the certification exam and get the credential as a Certified Legionella Water Safety and Management Specialist." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"When you are doing Water Management, you're using testing for Legionella to validate that the plan is working." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"Percent of Positivity: If more than 3 out of 10 faucets or showers are positive for Legionella (in a hospital), we would see a Legionnaires Disease Case." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"You can't completely eliminate Legionella, whether it's from a cooling tower or a potable water distribution system. You can knock it down, you can hold it down with water treatment, but you can't eliminate it." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"Sterilization is impossible when it comes to Legionella. Disinfection will be dependent on the type of system you are treating." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"We're not asking people to get to zero Legionella, we're asking people to get zero cases of Legionnaires Disease. - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"It's not happiness that brings gratitude, it's gratitude that brings happiness." - Unknown

Connect with Dr. Janet E. Stout:

Phone: 877-775-7284

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: company/special-pathogens-laboratory

in/janet-e-stout-ph-d-32607612

Website: specialpathogenslab.com

Become a Professional Certified Legionella Water Safety & Management Specialist

Puzzled by Legionella Webinars

Buy Special Pathogens Lab's ​​Puzzled by Legionella Guidebook

Visit our Scaling UP! H2O Legionella Resources Page:

Legionella Resources

Links Mentioned:

Bill Pearson

Sign up for ASHRAE Standards Actions

Seinfeld (American Sitcom)

Special Pathogens Lab - Legionella Water Safety & Management Specialist Certification

Special Pathogens Lab - Puzzled by Legionella Webinars

Submit a Show Idea

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Check out all future water events on our Scaling UP! Events Calendar

Go to scalinguph2o.com/events to see our 2022 water events calendar

Events Mentioned:

One Water Summit 2022 – September 12 to 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

AWT Business Owners Meeting - September 20, 2022, in Vancouver, Canada

2022 AWT's Annual Convention and Exposition – September 21 to 24 in Vancouver, Canada

International Desalination Association World Congress – October 9 to 13 in Sydney, Australia

Books Mentioned:

Puzzled by Legionella Guidebook by Janet E. Stout

The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval

In 1976, there was an outbreak of a mysterious disease that caused attendees of the American Legion Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to suffer from a pneumonia-like disease. It was discovered that this disease was caused by a bacteria later named Legionella; to commemorate the Legionnaires who suffered and lost their lives from this disease.

This month, we are celebrating Legionella Awareness Month by celebrating information about this bacteria. As Water Treaters, we can help educate the public that Legionella exists and that there are people out there that are more susceptible to it. If you own a building, it is your responsibility to make sure that you understand the water that's in your building and that there is potential for this bacteria to grow within that building's water system. The more we know, the better we can educate other people; the better we can do for ourselves and our companies.

In this episode, I am answering your questions about Legionella: How was Legionella discovered? What should you do if your water system tests positive for Legionella, or worse, if there is a Legionella outbreak in your community? What should the public know about Legionella? Can Legionella only be found in Cooling Towers? What's the difference between Pontiac Fever and Legionnaires Disease? Why is everyone asking water treaters to test ice machines for Legionella these days? Nation, these are just some listener questions I'll be answering today.

Thank you to all of the listeners who keep submitting excellent show ideas to our team! We couldn't do the show without you.

Bottom line: Let's celebrate Legionella Awareness Month by making sure we are armed with information about the Legionella Bacteria and Legionnaires Disease.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

We are celebrating Legionella Awareness Month by celebrating information [01:52]

How and when Legionella was first discovered? [04:06]

What fascinates me most about Legionella? [08:43]

How should the public react when they hear there is a Legionella outbreak? [11:39]

What resources can water treaters use to educate ourselves and clients about Legionella? [15:44]

What are the things to consider when making a Water Management Plan? [21:17]

What do we do if a Water System tests positive for Legionella? [28:19]

In what environment does Legionella Bacteria grow? [35:24]

What agencies should you be familiar with if we want to learn about Legionella? [40:14]

Thinking On Water With James [45:52]

Thinking On Water With James:

In this week's episode, we're thinking about jar testing. What kind of equipment do you use? How do you make down and dose coagulants and polymers? What is the math involved in making down and dosing? How long do you stir each test? At what speed should each step be stirred? Does your standard procedure match the actual conditions of the system? If not, how might you adjust your procedure? Do you use round jars or square? Are there guidelines on where to start with certain types of waters? How would you teach someone else how to do a jar test? Take this week to think about jar testing and what you may still need to learn.

Quotes:

"Legionella is the actual name of the bacteria. Legionnaires Disease is a type of pneumonia that you get when you get sick from Legionella Bacteria." - Trace Blackmore

"Serogroup 1 or Legionella Pneumophila is the most hazardous species of Legionella when it comes to a health concern." - Trace Blackmore

"Legionella Bacteria is out there, and if you own a building, it is your responsibility to make sure that you understand the water that's in your building and there is potential for Legionella Bacteria to grow within a building's water system." - Trace Blackmore

"We are never going to get rid of Legionella, it's always going to be here, but we do need to take care of people that might be susceptible to Legionella." - Trace Blackmore

"Water Treaters should educate the public that there is a bacteria out there called Legionella and that certain people are more susceptible to it than other people." - Trace Blackmore

"A Water Management Plan is the Water Treater and the Building Owner's friend." - Trace Blackmore

"If you don't know, document what you don't know. If you are making some assumptions, document what those assumptions are. " - Trace Blackmore

"Ignorantia juris non excusat" (Ignorance of the law excuses not)

"Ignorantia legis neminem excusat" (Ignorance of law excuses no one)

Connect with Scaling UP! H2O:

Email: [email protected] (podcast producer)

Submit a show idea: Submit a Show Idea

Trace Blackmore on LinkedIn: in/traceblackmore/

Scaling UP! H2O on Facebook: @H2OScalingUP

Scaling UP! H2O on YouTube: ScalingUpH2o.com/YouTube

Visit our Scaling UP! H2O Legionella Resources Page:

Legionella Resources

Links Mentioned:

Legionella Bacteria

Legionella Bacteria

The American Legion

212 The One About What To Do When Your System Tests Positive For Legionella

Alberto Comazzi on LinkedIn

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Submit a Show Idea

AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

Resources Mentioned:

Check out our Legionella Resources page for dozens of links to websites, articles, graphics, and episodes by clicking HERE

I'm your host Trace Blackmore and in today's episode, I answer your question in this Pinks and Blues episode that is all about PROFIT.

As many of you know, my favorite thing about this industry is solving my clients' problems. Early in my career I didn't want to take the time to look at my business' numbers, but once I understood how to look at the data, I could make better decisions, which increased my profits, and that increase in profit made my business better.

Everyone knows that profit is important. But how do you know what you're really making when you service that new account of yours?

In today's episode, I'm answering your questions and we're going to walkthrough:

• • What is Profit, Revenue, Gross Profit, Gross Margin, Operating Profit, Net Profit, and Labor Costs
  • How to know if you are making a profit
  • How to see the big picture so you can make better decisions for your company
  • The secret thing every business owner needs to share with their employees to increase the company's profit

Bottom line: When you unpack the real cost of what it is that you do, you can truly see where you should be spending your time.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Questions from the Nation: What do revenue, gross profit, and margin mean? How can we calculate that manually if our company doesn't have a reporting system? [3:58]

When you run your own business, you are responsible for every piece of that business [6:25]

Figuring out Gross Margin [9:30]

Looking at Operating Expenses and Net Profit [11:50]

CTA: Look at your data [14:09]

Challenge for business owners: share your financial data with your team [16:26]

Business lessons learned from my Mastermind and Business Coach [17:36]

James' Challenge: "Install or change out corrosion coupons." [23:38]

Quotes:

"If you understand the data, you'll be able to make better decisions." - Trace Blackmore

"When you run your own business, you have to be responsible for everything in that business." - Trace Blackmore

"Gross Margin: A company's net revenue minus the cost of goods." - Trace Blackmore

"Most people don't think about operating expenses." - Trace Blackmore

"Once you subtract Operating Expenses from the Gross Profit what you have left is the Net Profit."

"Many of us do not know what the actual profit is on an account we are service." -Trace Blackmore

"Profit is all that matters." - Trace Blackmore

"Many of us do not know what the actual profit is on an account we are servicing." - Trace Blackmore

"How much is your time worth and are you using it at its highest and best value." -Trace Blackmore

"When you unpack the real cost of what we do, you can truly see where you should be spending your time." - Trace Blackmore

"I think if you ask any CFO worth anything, they will tell you the only number that matters is profit." - Trace Blackmore

"Profit is all that matters." - Trace Blackmore

"Profit allows us to grow the company and make it better." - Trace Blackmore

Links Mentioned:

Submit a Show Idea

The Rising Tide Mastermind

AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

Books Mentioned:

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

Financial Intelligence, A Managers Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean by Berman and Knight

Accounting for Non-Accountants by Wayne A. Label

We've talked about what Legionella bacteria is and how to prevent Legionella from developing in your clients' systems on previous podcast episodes (see list of episodes below), but what do you do when your building does test positive for Legionella bacteria? Over the past few months, the Scaling Up Nation has submitted dozens of questions on this topic, so on today's episode, we're answering your questions covering everything from what options to consider when treating Legionella bacteria in your client's systems to what the drawbacks those three remediation techniques have; and many more listener-submitted questions during my interview with Dr. Alberto Comazzi.

For those of you who don't know Alberto Comazzi, let me introduce you: he is a member of the ASHRAE SSPC 188 committee, AWWA premise plumbing committee, and the AWT pre-treatment committee. Alberto is certified to ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI 12080 Legionella Water Safety and Management Personnel. The author and co-author of fifteen scientific papers, and the Technical Director at Sanipur US, based in Philadelphia PA, Alberto was the first person I thought to have on the show to answer questions about treating systems positive for Legionella.

Alberto Comazzi has a Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Milan, Italy. His research during his academic experience was focused on the study of the stability and the interaction among different chlorine-based water disinfectants. He has presented at over 20 conferences and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to him for coming on the show today!

Bottom line: Albert knows exactly what you should do when treating a system that tests positive for Legionella bacteria.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

James' Challenge: Explain to a non-technical person how an absorption chiller works. [2:20]

Introducing Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D. [8:13]

Frequent testing for Legionella [12:59]

The three Legionella remediation options and their drawbacks: Heat and Flush, Filters, Supplemental Disinfectant [14:52]

If a customer requests Supplemental Disinfectant, what should you consider and what questions should you ask so you can develop the right plan for them? [28:05]

Other harmful water pathogens and re-opening buildings after COVID [36:55]

Why should your company get involved with Water Hygiene? [46:47]

What are some unforeseen pitfalls to look out for and your best advice for our water treatment listeners? [50:07]

Lightning round questions [55:25]

Quotes:

"The awareness about Legionella is much higher than it was two years ago for two main reasons: buildings are reopening and public awareness of infections in general." -Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D.

"There isn't one silver bullet for water management." -Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D.

"You need to be proactive about testing for Legionella; that's the only way to know if your plan is working." -Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D.

"A water treatment provider needs to give their customer what they want and be able to do what's best for them." -Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D.

"We're coming out of COVID and as buildings are re-opening there is definitely an increased awareness about Legionella and other waterborne pathogens from the people outside of the healthcare industry." -Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D.

"When you do water hygiene, you are helping public health, buildings, and you are saving lives." -Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D.

"The most important reason to do water hygiene is to help public health." -Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D.

Connect with Alberto:

Phone: 267-326-2353

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.sanipur.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberto-comazzi-132637128/

Links Mentioned:

The Rising Tide Mastermind

AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

Dr. Richard Seligman invented the plate heat exchanger in 1923

Legionella Episodes:

203 The One With Our Across The Pond Legionella Expert, John Sandford

199 The One About Cooling Towers and Legionella Bacteria

153 The One Where We Answer Your Questions About Legionella

152 The One Where We Talk More About Legionella

151 The One Where We Talk About Legionella

150 The One Where We Talk Legionella Basics

When you know that you need to hire someone, what do you look for? How do you know if the person you are interviewing is a good fit? What does your hiring process look like? In today's market, do you still find it easy for you to find the right person for an open position?

If hiring the right person is something that you are struggling with, then this episode is for you. My lab partner today, Chris Bellizzi, is someone who has been coaching business owners for years on this topic, and this is something he is very passionate about.

Chris Bellizzi started his career in the Water Treatment industry fresh out of college. After graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1994 from the University of Washington, he went on to work at NALCO. He started as a Sales Representative, and was promoted to District Manager three times and eventually became the Regional Manager in the middle market business sector at NALCO. Currently, Chris is the General Manager at EAI Water and the Managing Partner at ApHinity. ApHinity from EAI is a brand of technologies based on the science of chemical affinity. The technologies ApHinity offers play a critical role in the challenging water conservation, reuse, and recycling environments of today. Chris is also a Certified Legionella Water Safety and Management Specialist and a Certified Water Treater.

Chris and his wife Elsa have four daughters - two of whom are now working in the water industry (not for Chris!), and he loves being able to "talk shop" with them.

If you are a Water Treatment company owner or a hiring manager, this episode is for you! Chris will share with us why building trust and delivering results are the foundations of finding the right people for your company, the 10 traits that he looks for when interviewing someone, why setting expectations is important, and how perpetuating the OKG (our kind-of-guy / our-kind-of-gal) mentality made him and his team better Water Treaters!

Bottom line: Chris Bellizzi will share with us his keys to hiring the best people for open positions at your company.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Why the water treatment industry is the best industry for people who love to learn [00:54]

Thinking On Water With James [06:55]

Promoting Legionella Awareness Month in August and other industry events [08:15]

Finding the right people is difficult [11:23]

Introducing Chris Bellizzi, the General Manager at EAI Water and the Managing Partner at ApHinity [14:02]

Why building trust and delivering results are the foundations of finding the right people [18:49]

Where to find candidates and the 10 traits to look for when interviewing candidates [22:00]

The art of hiring slowly [43:21]

Setting expectations [50:33]

Perpetuating the OKG (Our-Kind-of-Guy / Our-Kind-of-Gal) mentality [55:04]

Lightning round questions [1:03:57]

Thinking On Water With James:

In this week's episode, we're thinking about how to properly store pH probes. Why is pH probe storage important? What can happen if stored improperly? Can a pH probe be stored dry? Can it be stored in city water or distilled water? What about storing it in a pH 4, 7, or 10 buffer solution? Why would one be better than another? Is there a storage solution designed for pH probes? How might the storage solution be applied to the rubber cover often used to protect probes between uses? Take this week to think about your pH probe and what proper storage means to its accuracy and lifespan.

Quotes:

"I was able to become a District Manager at a very young age, and it forced me to learn how to run teams and grapple with the issue of hiring at a very early age." - Chris Bellizzi

"What are the core values that clients really buy from over the long term? Number 1, they buy trust, number 2, they buy results." - Chris Bellizzi

"Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy ÷ Self-Focus = Trust." - Chris Bellizzi

"The non-negotiable traits I look for in an interview are people with low self-ego, high-integrity, high emotional intelligence, someone who cares, and a passion for mechanical and chemical things. The negotiables are work ethic, someone that got your back, social leadership, competitive drive, an aptitude for mechanical and chemical things." - Chris Bellizzi

"There is no one solution in Water Treatment; there are a variety of ways to get from Point A to Point Z." - Chris Bellizzi

"In the Water Treatment Industry, people that are successful are those that are very comfortable initiating the relationship." - Chris Bellizzi

"The longer the interview process, the better. The art is in managing your expectations as the hiring manager and the interviewee's expectations, and not losing people along the way." - Chris Bellizzi

"Prioritize hiring the right values and behaviors over experience and booking business." - Chris Bellizzi

"The Water Treatment Industry should never be boring. It comes with its built-in alarm, and that alarm is if you ever feel bored, you are doing this job wrong." - Trace Blackmore

"Life is too short. Do something you love, you'll never work another day in your life." - Trace Blackmore

Connect with Chris Bellizzi:

Phone: (949) 939-7162

Email: [email protected]

Website: eaiwater.com

LinkedIn: in/chris-bellizzi-a08b6863

Links Mentioned:

The Demographic Drought - presentation by Author and Economist Ron Hetrick

173 The One With the Exit Plan

Coach Herb Brooks

Coach Chris Petersen

The EntreLeadership Podcast

The Every Man Ministries Podcast

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Submit a Show Idea

AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

Events:

August is Legionella Awareness Month

Smart Water Summit – August 29 to 31 in San Antonio, Texas

Water Infrastructure Conference – September 11 to 14 in Portland, Oregon

StormCon 2022 – September 26 to 28 in National Harbor, Maryland

Books Mentioned:

The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

Revenue Growth Engine by Darell Amy

Back in episode 256, I had Bruce Ketrick Sr. on the show and we talked about having a fulfilling and successful career In Water Treatment. In today's episode, I am bringing back my Blending Mentor to the Scaling UP! H2O Podcast, and this time, we are getting more technical. Buckle up as Bruce Ketrick Sr. teaches us all about Blending.

With his almost 50 years of experience, Bruce has had a colorful career. He started as a technical support for boiler water, cooling water, and wastewater treatment programs before becoming a manager for four Water Treatment companies before becoming the owner of his very own company, Guardian CSC, in 1988. Bruce has written and presented papers on various topics including Boiler Water Treatment, Objectives of Water Conditioning, and Neutralizing Amines and Field Determination of Deposits. A pioneer in his field, Bruce also created a Molybdate-based product for corrosion control for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1974, 14 years before Molybdate Chemistry became popular.

When it comes to Blending there is a lot to know, it's a little bit art and a little bit chemistry, and if make a mistake it can be quite dangerous and expensive. No matter where you are in your professional career in industrial water treatment I know you are going to learn something new when listening to Bruce's episode.

Bottom line: Bruce Ketrick Sr. is going to teach us how Product Blending is both an art form and chemistry.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Paying yourself first by taking advantage of your 401K and staying out of debt [01:32]

Introducing my blending mentor, Bruce Ketrick Sr. of Guardian CSC [09:00]

Blending: How should I start? [12:49]

Teaching others to Blend [18:26]

Understanding Serial Dilution [20:55]

Using your Product Application Guide [22:30]

Teaching Blending to new hires [24:30]

Learning from mistakes [26:05]

Thinking On Water With James [29:57]

Thinking On Water With James:

In this week's episode, we're thinking about the oxidation reduction potential or ORP. First, what is an ORP? What is it measuring? Why are you trying to control with it? Next, what can impact ORP? Can pH, temperature, and/or type of oxidant impact ORP readings? Can you pick an ORP number off a chart that will accurately maintain a target oxidant residual, or does the ORP setpoint have to be determined for each system based upon tested oxidant residual levels? How frequently does the ORP probe need to be calibrated? Take this week to think about Oxidation Reduction Potential or ORP.

Quotes:

"What are you trying to do with the system? Is it scale-control? Is it corrosion? Is it both?" - Bruce Ketrick Sr.

"There is no one place you can go to learn how to formulate. You have to look at a number of different places." - Bruce Ketrick Sr.

"We make different products for different applications." - Bruce Ketrick Sr.

"There's no one place to learn how to formulate. You have to look at a number of different places." - Bruce Ketrick Sr.

"When you are trying to teach people to formulate, you have to let them try and fail." - Bruce Ketrick Sr.

"I teach my people to a level that they understand what raw materials do, what their actions are in the system. And how can I teach them what the actions are if I don't tell them what's in the product? - Bruce Ketrick Sr.

"Bruce Ketrick Sr. told me when I started that Blending was as much as an art, as it was a science." - Trace Blackmore

"When Blending, the Order Of Addition is everything" - Trace Blackmore

"Think to yourself: Is that debt really worth it? Wait a week before buying the thing. Don't go into debt on an impulse." - Trace Blackmore

"Your employer is trying to help you save for the future by offering you a 401K. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of it." - Trace Blackmore

Connect with Bruce Ketrick Sr.:

Email: [email protected]

Website: guardiancsc.com

LinkedIn: company/guardiancsc

Links Mentioned:

Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University

Dave Ramsey The 7 Baby Steps

256 The One About Having A Fulfilling and Successful Career In Water Treatment

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Articles Mentioned:

Objectives of Water Conditioning by Bruce T. Ketrick

Boiler Water Treatment AWT Presentation by Bruce T. Ketrick

Events:

American Chemical Society Fall 2022 – August 21 to 25 in Chicago, Illinois

Water Quality Association's Aquatech Trade Show in Mexico – September 6 to 8 in Centro Banamex, Mexico City

Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies' 2022 Executive Management Conference – October 30 to November 2 in Savannah, Georgia

Industrial Water Week - October 3 to 7, 2022

My guest in this episode knows what entrepreneurs and small business owners need to do to make their businesses profitable. He knows the ins and outs of making businesses stay afloat through economic challenges. He is none other than Rocky Lalvani, Chief Profitability Adviser for Business Owners and certified Profit First Professional.

Rocky ensures that entrepreneurs and business owners get paid, and making a business profitable is his top priority. He implements Mike Michalowicz's Profit First system, where they change the accounting formula of Sales - Expenses = Profit to Sales - Profit = Expenses which ensures that Profit comes first.

Rocky immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was two years old. It was his parents' second time starting over in life as they moved here to experience the American Dream. Rocky loves to share his journey and inspire others to achieve their financial dreams even faster.

Whether you are a Business Owner struggling to understand the health of your business or an employee wondering how you can make more money, this episode is for you.

Bottom line: Rocky Lalvani is going to tell us why and how to put Profit First.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Events in Water Treatment [01:33]

Self-improvement is a journey [05:30]

Introducing "Profit First" Guru, Rocky Lalvani [08:29]

Building wealth with Profit First [11:18]

Knowing and understanding your Financials [14:26]

Creating the 5 Spending Buckets [20:10]

Using the Profit First System as an employee [28:06]

How to start building wealth [33:16]

Lightning round questions [38:48]

Thinking On Water With James [45:56]

Thinking On Water With James:

In this week's episode, we're thinking about the mass balance around a steam boiler system. By mass balance, I'm talking about how much water is going into a steam boiler system compared to how much is going out. The two should be equal. What should be included, though? It depends upon where you draw your circle around the system. A typical circle may only include makeup and condensate return going in with steam and blowdown going out. But what about the water demands of pretreatment equipment? Drawing the circle a little bigger may also include softener regeneration wastewater, reverse osmosis reject, raw makeup, lost condensate, steam leaks, leaking feedwater pumps, and more. Have you drawn a diagram of your steam boiler system with all the ins and outs shown? Take this week to think about the mass balance around your steam boiler system.

Quotes:

"CPAs and accountants tell business owners that your Sales - Expenses = Profit. With Profit First, we do Sales - Profit = Expenses." - Rocky Lalvani

"Build a business the way you want to live your life." - Rocky Lalvani

"Where is your money going?" - Rocky Lalvani

"The 12-month Balance Sheet is where your money is. It's the true picture of the health of your company." - Rocky Lalvani

"You can be profitable and growing, and go out of business because of bad cash flow" - Rocky Lalvani

"Start small. Build a habit. Profit is a habit, not an event." - Rocky Lalvani

"Control your costs. Create efficiencies." - Rocky Lalvani

"If you are not keeping up with your cost of goods going up, you are in trouble. Be proactive, not reactive when it comes to adjusting pricing to supplies, shipping, and fuel surcharges." - Rocky Lalvani

"You don't need more resources, you need to be more resourceful." - Rocky Lalvani

"The number one reason Profit First fails is because the person didn't start doing it." - Rocky Lalvani

"The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is a wonderful way to systematize your business." - Rocky Lalvani

Connect with Rocky:

Phone: (717) 469-5449

Email: [email protected]

Website: profitcomesfirst.com

LinkedIn:

in/rocky-lalvani

company/profit-comes-first

Podcasts:

Profit Answer Man Podcast

Richer Soul

Links Mentioned:

Profit First Overview

Profit First

Mike Michalowicz

Profit Answer Man Podcast

Richer Soul

The Savannah Bananas

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind

Inc Magazine

Submit a Show Idea

AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

Events:

PWX 2022: Ready and Resilient (Public Works Expo) – August 28 to 31 in Charlotte, North Carolina

AWT 2022 Business Owner's Meeting – September 20 in Vancouver, Canada

International Desalination Association World Congress – October 9 to 13 in Sydney, Australia

Books Mentioned:

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

The Christian Man: A Conversation about the 10 Issues Men Say Matter Most by Patrick Morley

The Ultimate Coach by Amy Hardison

Life Force: How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love by Tony Robbins

Long-time listeners of the podcast know that I enjoy learning about leadership and self-development. I have had many guests on the podcast that introduced me to tools and today's guest has a tool which I know will help your team and all of your relationships.

My lab partner is Tim Cooper. He is a Principal Consultant at The Table Group and the founder and president of Cooper Consulting. Tim has over 15 years of Team Leadership experience in his partnership with The Table Group. His clients include executives from Renaissance Learning, Chick-fil-A, Southern New Hampshire University, and Ørsted. Tim describes his approach to consulting as relational, particularly in tackling difficult interpersonal dynamics with the teams he serves. His specialties include building healthier relationships within executive teams that cascade throughout the organization.

In this episode, Tim will talk about The 6 Types of Working Genius. These are 6 different types of gifts that are required of any group of people trying to get something done: The Genius of Wonder, The Genius of Invention, The Genius of Discernment, The Genius of Galvanizing, The Genius of Enablement, and The Genius of Tenacity. If you don't know what the 6 Working Geniuses are, after this episode, you will learn what they are and how you can use this knowledge to lead, be part of a team successfully, and be a better version of yourself.

Tim loves talking about anything that has to do with Organization Health and the interplay between Smart and Healthy Organizations, and The 6 Types of Working Genius is the best tool he has come across that can help teams and individuals raise team morale, productivity, and organization health.

Bottom line: Tim will tell us what the 6 Types of Working Geniuses are and how knowing these Geniuses can create better organizational health.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Running a business, facilitating team meetings, and upcoming events [01:44]

Welcoming The Table Group's Tim Cooper [09:53]

Introducing The 6 Types of Working Genius [14:28]

Preventing burnout by knowing your Working Genius [20:49]

Working together as a Team to create success in the three stages of a project: Ideation, Activation, Implementation [28:14]

Assessments are about awareness, not permission [31:55]

Understanding the Pain Points on a team and inviting the right people to the right meetings [37:05]

Hiring the best people for a role using the Working Genius [45:56]

Thinking On Water With James [1:01:01]

Thinking On Water With James:

In this week's episode, we're thinking about a salt bridge in a water softener system. What is a salt bridge? How do you know if you have one? What impact can it have on a water softener? How do you remove a salt bridge? How can it be prevented in the future? Take this week to think about salt bridges in water softener systems.

Quotes:

"Two of the big components of a healthy organization are high morale and high productivity, and the Working Genius is the tool that is best at raising both of those." - Tim Cooper

"The Working Genius is 80% a production tool and 20% a personality tool." - Tim Cooper

"The Wonder Genius are the people that ponder the possibilities of greater potential and opportunity." - Tim Cooper

"The Invention Genius are the ones that create original and novel ideas and solutions." - Tim Cooper

"The Discernment Genius are the ones that are using their intuition and their gut-feel." - Tim Cooper

"The Galvanizing Genius are the people that get people moving." - Tim Cooper

"The Genius of Enablement is the most relational of all Geniuses. They are the ones that ask, 'How can I help?'" - Tim Cooper

"The Genius of Tenacity are the people that are all about execution." - Tim Cooper

"If you get to spend most of your time focusing on the things that bring you energy and fulfillment, it hardly feels like work." - Tim Cooper

"Burnout is not really too much work, it's too much of the wrong kind of work."- Tim Cooper

"The best leader is a self-aware leader." - Tim Cooper

"We need to be really kind when operating in people's competencies or frustrations. And we need to be really generous when giving people opportunities to lean into their geniuses." - Tim Cooper

"We are breaking projects down into three stages: Ideation, Activation, Implementation." - Tim Cooper

"When you skip over a project stage, you're not only skipping a stage of work, you're skipping over people who are trying to bring their best to the team." - Tim Cooper

"Assessments are about awareness, not about permission. It is not permission for me to just be more of who I am, this is about awareness so that I can become a better version of myself." - Tim Cooper

"The Working Genius is a production tool. It is the art of getting work done, both individually and on a team." - Tim Cooper

"An Assessment can't tell you what brings you the most joy and fulfillment, it's up to you to answer that." - Tim Cooper

"Work doesn't have to suck. Work can be fulfilling and bring you joy. Work does not have to be the thing that you dread." - Tim Cooper

Connect with Tim Cooper:

Phone: 678.327.7460

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.tablegroup.com

Facebook: @TableGroupInc

LinkedIn: in/tim-cooper-80bab0143

company/thetablegroup

Know your and your team's Working Genius! - Buy the Assessment Now!

Pre-order The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team by Patrick Lencioni

The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni

Links Mentioned:

Know your and your team's Working Genius! - Buy the Assessment Now!

The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni

Listen to ALL the Pairings... Finally from The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni

Ask Trace Blackmore to Facilitate your Meetings by going to scalinguph2o.com/coach

045 The One That Brings Your Team Together

The Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast | Business Podcast

117 The One With Temperament Expert, Kathleen Edelman

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Books Mentioned:

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business by Patrick Lencioni

Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick Lencioni

The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick Lencioni

Pre-order The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team by Patrick Lencioni

I Said This, You Heard That Workbook by Kathleen Edelman

I Said This, You Heard That (2nd Edition) by Kathleen Edelman