Alison Adams, now Chief Technology Officer at INTERA, drove innovation at Tampa Bay Water when she helped pioneer Tampa Bay Water’s digital transformation. Alison provides firsthand knowledge about how to design a program for digital transformation, how to get employee buy in, and the benefits your utility will achieve along the way. Plus Reese Tisdale joins us for another Bluefield on Tap segment.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

Thank You!

Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!

Claudia Toussaint, General Counsel of Xylem, provides a terrific discussion of ESG issues from the perspective of a publicly traded corporation’s general counsel. In a nutshell, Claudia describes how little acorns of ESG can grow into mighty oaks when corporate boards use ESG to guide their business strategies.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Claudia’s unique background
• What ESG is from a publicly traded company’s perspective
• Why the water sector is so central to ESG issues
• How sustainability has morphed from primarily being an environmental concept to a business and social concept
• Why an entity’s business strategy needs to align with its sustainability strategy
• The ESG issues involved in the Exxon Mobil proxy fight
• Why ESG needs to be front and center for publicly traded companies (guess what – the logic applies to all businesses!)
• Why it is critical for corporate boards to have an ESG strategy
• How ESG supports a corporation’s access to capital and lowers the cost of capital
• How ESG supports a corporation’s workforce and the corporation’s strategic direction
• How businesses measure ESG
• Why Claudia thinks the water sector can lead on ESG

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Claudia’s LinkedIn Page
• Xylem’s website
• Smart sewer technology satisfies EPA consent decree, saves city $400 million

Tom Ferguson of Imagine H2O fame and now captaining Burnt Island Ventures joins The Water Values Podcast for an engaging discussion on early stage and venture capital investing in the water sector and a big picture discussion about what the water sector needs to achieve greatness.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Tom’s unique story for how he landed in the water sector
• Why Tom believes that deserving companies in water typically get funded, although their paths may be disparate
• Burnt Island Venture’s “broad at seed” strategy
• The due diligence Burnt Island Ventures undertakes looking for investment opportunities
• Finding the pain point to accelerate the investment horizon
• The investment lifecycle
• Why investment diversification is important
• Burnt Island Ventures’ current “Island” (you’ll need to listen to learn what this is)
• What Tom likes about water sector investing. And what he doesn’t
• Tom’s big picture thoughts on the water sector
• Why the water industry needs to start shouting from the rooftops

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Tom’s LinkedIn Page
• Burnt Island Venture’s website
• TWV #176: The Evolution of a Water Start-Up with Dana Haasz
• TWV #165: Private Equity in the Water Sector with Cimbria Capital’s Brian Iversen

Thank You!

Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!

Brent Fewell of the Water Finance Exchange shares the story of why the Water Finance Exchange was established and how it aims to serve the significant need for water infrastructure funding in the market.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• What the Water Finance Exchange is
• Why the Water Finance Exchange was founded
• How the Water Finance Exchange is funded
• Brent’s view on why communities have not been proactive in seeking water infrastructure funding
• Brent’s thoughts on how the Water Finance Exchange might fit into the infrastructure bill
• Criteria for Water Finance Exchange funding
• How Water Finance Exchange aims to help build utilities of the future
• Brent’s observations on “water cooperatives”
• Why communities need to be open to change from a water funding perspective
• Brent’s thoughts on regionalization

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Brent’s LinkedIn Page
• Water Finance Exchange’s website

Jeffrey Kightlinger provides an excellent interview offering profound thoughts on the water industry that was recorded during the waning days of his 15-year tenure as the General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Plus, Reese Tisdale of Bluefield Research comes on for Bluefield on Tap to discuss how population shifts might impact the water sector.

In this session, you’ll learn about: 

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include: 

Thank You!

Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!

Locus Technologies founder and CEO Neno Duplan provides a wealth of experience on water quality in the cloud. Neno began cloud-based data work before any of us knew what the cloud even was. He does a great job explaining the steps needed to undertake and the significant benefits of a cloud-based digital transformation, and much more!

In this session, you’ll learn about: 

• Neno’s background and start in the nuclear sector consulting on cooling water
• Neno’s perspective on water quality data and the cloud
• The digital transformation from spreadsheets to local data bases to the cloud
• The one advantage that utilities still keeping data on spreadsheets have
• Neno’s advice on getting started with data collection and validation
• The cross-functional benefits of using cloud-based data
• The benefits of cloud-based data in regulatory reporting and strategic decision making
• What utilities can be doing now from a data collection standpoint to prepare for future regulation
• Why cloud-based and validated data aids utilities in regulatory reporting
• Where Neno thinks the future of water lies
• How blockchain fits into the water quality regulation

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include: 

• Neno’s LinkedIn Page
• Locus Technologies’ website
• News Release: US EPA Establishes New Council on PFAS

Thank You!

James Perry of Utilis joins us to discuss Synthetic Aperture Radar and its many and varied applications in the water sector. James provides a wealth of information about how the technology developed to its cost-effective use and application in the water sector. Plus, Reese Tisdale of Bluefield Research provides more water industry insights on the California drought and how utilities are bringing climate adaptation experience learned in California to other regions of the United States.

In this session, you’ll learn about: 

• Jim’s background in big public companies and start-ups
• What synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is
• How SAR works
• How SAR can find the “underground signature” of water
• How SAR mapping can help identify where leaks occur in a water system
• The types of leaks SAR mapping can identify, from slow drips to large main breaks
• How SAR mapping allows system surveys to allow utilities to target problem leak areas
• Utilis’ experience as to where the infrastructure is leaking (mains, service lines, meters, hydrants, valves, etc. – the answer might surprise you)
• Additional uses for SAR like alternative supply locations, soil moisture monitoring, earthen dam monitoring, wastewater leakage, and much more
• How utilities using SAR experience a 6 month ROI

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include: 

• James’ LinkedIn Page
• Utilis’ website

Thank You!

Plutoshift CEO Prateek Joshi comes on to talk about digital transformation in the water sector. Prateek hits on a number of important and practical points in a wide-ranging discussion on data, AI, and machine learning in the water sector.

In this session, you’ll learn about: 

• Prateek’s background & how it influenced his arc into the water sector
• Water-intensive industries and using water data in those industries
• Prateek’s view on digital transformation
• How COVID influenced the digital transformation
• The limitations of human-based decision-making
• Common challenges for data-centric organizations
• How to drive organizational behavior change with respect to data usage
• The difference between AI and machine learning
• Data quality and verification issues
• The factors companies look for when selecting an AI system

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include: 

• Prateek’s LinkedIn Page
• Plutoshift’s website
• Prateek’s website

Thank You!