Scaling UP! H2O

63 Transcript

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0:08.0

0:12.7

welcome to Scaling UP! H2O the podcast
where we’re Scaling UP! on knowledge so

0:12.7

0:18.4

we don’t Scaling UP! our systems everybody
Trace Blackmore here your host for

0:18.4

0:23.7

Scaling UP! Nation I gotta tell you I
love seeing new certified water

0:23.7

0:30.8

technologist at the AWT convention I met
so many people at the AWT convention

0:30.8

0:35.1

thank you for coming up to me thank you
for letting me know how much this show

0:35.1

0:39.9

means to you but I want to give that
back to you I want you to know how much

0:39.9

0:46.8

it means to me that you find folks in
the nation are using this show to make

0:46.8

0:53.1

our industry better that’s the whole
reason that I started this show I had no

0:53.1

0:59.8

idea how well it would be embraced you
find folks are doing the heavy lifting

0:59.8

1:05.3

on that you’re listening to the show and
you are doing things differently because

1:05.3

1:09.7

you are inspired to do them differently
and one of the things that so many

1:09.7

1:15.5

people came up to me and said hey I’m
gonna get my CWT because you made me

1:15.5

1:20.8

realize how important getting the
certified water technologist is so I

1:20.8

1:26.5

know this show services all over the
water treatment industry but if you are

1:26.5

1:33.0

in industrial water treatment the
certified water technologist designation

1:33.0

1:38.3

for cooling towers boilers closed loops
and systems like that that is the

1:38.3

1:43.8

highest designation that you can get of
course we talk to other people that do

1:43.8

1:49.0

other types of water treatment that one
might not be for you but I guarantee you

1:49.0

1:54.7

there is a designation out there that
will let everybody know that you are

1:54.7

1:59.7

serious about being in the water
treatment industry and nobody’s making

1:59.7

2:05.8

you do it you are choosing to be among
the best by getting a professional

2:05.8

2:11.9

designation and that’s what we’re going
to talk about today today I am going to

2:11.9

2:19.6

take you back in time to the AWT 2018
Convention and

2:19.6

2:24.6

Expo and I gotta tell you it was one of
my proudest moments when I shook the

2:24.6

2:31.2

hand of all of the CW T’s you’re getting
ready to hear from when they accepted

2:31.2

2:35.5

their plaque on stage they immediately
walked offstage and I was there to shake

2:35.5

2:40.9

their hand and of course give them the
coveted Scaling UP! t-shirt that I know

2:40.9

2:44.9

they all proudly wear
hey guys send me a picture of you and

2:44.9

2:51.0

your t-shirt I would love to post that
on this episode anyway I just enjoyed

2:51.0

2:57.7

meeting them and sitting down with them
and interviewing them about this CWT now

2:57.7

3:01.6

some of the people you’re going to hear
from you’ve already heard from and then

3:01.6

3:08.4

others you’re going to hear other
interviews from so enjoy my interviews

3:08.4

3:14.4

with the new CW TS and by the way this
and all the CW T’s that got their

3:14.4

3:19.3

designations this year these are the
ones that were at the convention so I

3:19.3

3:27.9

hope you enjoy my interviews with the
new CW T’s of 2018 I’m here with new CW

3:27.9

3:34.4

T and E McGill just walked up on stage
got your CW t certification how do you

3:34.4

3:41.5

feel I feel really good I’m excited
about it it means a lot to become a CW T

3:41.5

3:47.1

within the industry in the market and
it’s a reflection of my career really

3:47.1

3:53.7

being active in the water treatment
industry learning every chance I get

3:53.7

3:59.3

about systems whether clean water
treatment systems so I’m excited so I’ve

3:59.3

4:03.1

got to ask I know you have water
treatment experience with previous water

4:03.1

4:08.0

treatment companies and now you’re a
supplier so why did you feel it was

4:08.0

4:13.1

important to get the certified water
technologist designation as a supplier

4:13.1

4:18.6

you need to understand your customer
base absolutely you want to know what

4:18.6

4:21.7

they do on a day to day basis and how we
can make their life easier

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4:27.3

so ease of doing business is a focus
understanding and being a part of what

4:27.3

4:31.8

they go through is important as a
supplier so and obviously you supply

4:31.8

4:35.8

aqua Phoenix Scientific
testing supplies test kits all the stuff

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4:39.2

that you guys do that you supply to the
water treatment industry so let me ask

4:39.2

4:46.6

as a CWT what is the biggest tip you can
think of that people in the Scaling UP!

4:46.6

4:51.4

Nation need to know about their test
kits make sure you’re using all the

4:51.4

4:55.3

tools in the test kit okay if you want
to make sure that you look at your

4:55.3

4:59.1

system and you identify the tools in
your test kit

4:59.1

5:02.6

whether it’s aqua phoenix equipment it
could be equipment that helps you

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5:08.7

monitor control or it could be specific
testing routine but understand what you

5:08.7

5:13.3

have available as tools keep an open
mind and use those tools from Rocko

5:13.3

5:16.9

Phoenix to make your customer
information and to make their systems

5:16.9

5:21.9

the best they can be awesome advice Andy
congratulations and joining the ranks of

5:21.9

5:27.7

a CWT thank you tres I appreciate it
good talk Aliyah I’m here with Chandler

5:27.7

5:35.9

Mancuso recent CWT graduate just walked
up just got his certificate to say he

5:35.9

5:41.0

was a CWT congratulations Chandler Thank
You tres I appreciate it

5:41.0

5:45.4

so a couple questions for you first off
really want to congratulate you you know

5:45.4

5:50.1

this is the highest designation in the
industry this says that you are in the

5:50.1

5:54.6

water treatment industry you are serious
about being here and everybody that sees

5:54.6

5:58.5

those initials after your name knows
that fact what do you think about that

5:58.5

6:02.2

oh it’s just great to be you know not
only to get the certification it really

6:02.2

6:05.5

does mean a lot to me I’m sure it means
a lot to our customers as well but at

6:05.5

6:09.4

the same time I just feel really good to
be involved in the community you know

6:09.4

6:12.3

there are a lot of really really smart
people that I feel like I now have

6:12.3

6:15.9

connections to been introduced to and so
I feel like that’s the most important

6:15.9

6:19.5

thing for me it’s just that I’m now
immersed in a community that I can learn

6:19.5

6:25.1

a lot from and really get a lot out of
which endler really impressive feat a

6:25.1

6:31.7

lot of people are trying to do this they
also want to get what you now have what

6:31.7

6:35.7

are some of the things that you did that
prepared you to pass this examination

6:35.7

6:39.9

you know one of the biggest things is
really just not to underestimate it you

6:39.9

6:43.3

know it is a difficult exam it is doable
but it is difficult and so you

6:43.3

6:47.4

definitely have to appreciate his
difficulty and definitely to

6:47.4

6:51.9

the time to understand all the material
the technical references training manual

6:51.9

6:57.1

there is no substitute to using that
manual as the means of studying for this

6:57.1

7:02.0

exam and finally what I was kind of
doing is you know because I have limited

7:02.0

7:05.3

experience in the field only a few years
under my belt what I’d like to do is

7:05.3

7:08.8

every single time that I learned a new
piece of material or every time that I

7:08.8

7:13.0

found something new when I went out into
the field I tried to apply and I tried

7:13.0

7:18.2

to associate all that information that I
took from that training manual and apply

7:18.2

7:21.1

it to the systems that we work with
every single day and I think that

7:21.1

7:25.3

putting those two together really helps
lock it in and really help me understand

7:25.3

7:29.7

the material in a way that allows you to
pass the exam great advice now for

7:29.7

7:35.4

somebody who’s on the fence do I go and
start studying for this examination what

7:35.4

7:39.0

advice do you have for me you know
absolutely go and study for it if

7:39.0

7:42.3

nothing else you learn a bunch of
information that you didn’t know before

7:42.3

7:46.3

you meet a bunch of people that you
didn’t know before and so there is

7:46.3

7:52.7

definitely multitudinous to going after
this exam and trying to go the distance

7:52.7

7:57.5

what has getting the CWT designation
done for your confidence level you know

7:57.5

8:01.0

really has done a lot for the confidence
level and the biggest thing is that for

8:01.0

8:05.1

younger professionals it’s a huge thing
to have behind you whenever you walk

8:05.1

8:10.1

into a new account or a customer because
what you can do is say look what I have

8:10.1

8:14.7

I’ve gone the distance I’m dedicated to
providing you guys with the most

8:14.7

8:18.4

professional experience and the best
services and so I think that a lot of

8:18.4

8:21.0

people are going to look at me
differently now that I’ve got those

8:21.0

8:24.8

letters behind my name and I think that
can mean just as much to a lot of

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8:29.6

younger people in the field well you
have proven to everybody here everybody

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8:34.5

in the water treatment community that
you are in the water treatment industry

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8:37.6

and you are here to make it better and
you proved it by getting your CWT

8:37.6

8:42.4

congratulations Chandler thanks tres I
appreciate it I’m here with recent

8:42.4

8:46.9

recipient of the certified water
technologist designation Connor parish

8:46.9

8:52.6

also former guest of Scaling UP! how are
you Connor Parish I’m doing well a

8:52.6

8:57.7

little hot here in Florida compared to
Colorado but not sure whose decision it

8:57.7

9:02.2

was to have this reception outside
but you know can’t complain yes the

9:02.2

9:05.9

microphone is sweating now it is so hot
so a couple of questions for you

9:05.9

9:10.0

obviously you are committed to this
industry because of the ribbon that you

9:10.0

9:16.3

have on that says CWT you’ve proven that
you are the elite in this industry what

9:16.3

9:19.8

happened to make you want to go after
that designation

9:19.8

9:24.2

you know truthfully and this may sound
cliche because here I am at the AWT but

9:24.2

9:29.1

it really was the investment that I was
able to receive and coming to AWT

9:29.1

9:32.6

training’s AWT convention and then
building relationships with people like

9:32.6

9:37.7

you Bruce J. farmer recall and fraying
all kind of the trainers in the classes

9:37.7

9:40.8

that I was able to attend and and
looking up to those guys and saying you

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9:44.9

know what that’s something that I can
see myself doing and I want to get on

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9:49.0

that track and to me the most obvious
way to kind of validate that I was

9:49.0

9:53.7

headed in that direction was to to get
the CWT certification now you took

9:53.7

9:58.6

advantage of the fact that you have a
degree that applies towards the water

9:58.6

10:02.6

treatment industry can you tell the
nation how you applied that so you

10:02.6

10:07.2

didn’t have to wait the entire 5 years
so I have a degree in environmental

10:07.2

10:13.3

science and based off the rules won a
degree a technical degree gives you 12

10:13.3

10:18.3

months experience so I immediately
started with 12 months but if it’s in a

10:18.3

10:22.8

relevant field like environmental
science chemistry biology I may be I’m

10:22.8

10:26.8

miss speaking here but something along
those Angela will correct you Angela

10:26.8

10:31.0

correct me I’ll get in trouble here but
that gives you an additional six months

10:31.0

10:36.5

so the day I started I officially had 18
months of experience according to the

10:36.5

10:41.9

the rule book for getting a CWT so then
after that I just paid attention to when

10:41.9

10:45.1

I would be eligible so if the exam a
couple months before I hit my time frame

10:45.1

10:48.5

and then got everything in so the day I
had my three and a half months

10:48.5

10:52.7

everything was there and I could be
approved so three and a half years you

10:52.7

10:56.8

got your certified water technologist
designation that’s amazing

10:56.8

11:02.0

what are some of the things that you did
to study for that examination again I

11:02.0

11:05.9

hate to keep coming back to this but
again I was able to come to the

11:05.9

11:11.2

training’s that the AWT does a lot I did
read the technical reference and

11:11.2

11:16.6

training manual from cover to cover the
the week before the exam and that was

11:16.6

11:19.9

just kind of to kind of pick up on some
of the details and understand the

11:19.9

11:24.4

specifics of you know what the
organization’s looking for but really

11:24.4

11:28.5

it’s just talking to people like you
going out there and working everyday

11:28.5

11:33.3

being curious gassing questions
it made the studying relatively easy

11:33.3

11:36.2

because I was prepared through
everything that I’ve done all right so I

11:36.2

11:40.2

appreciate the plug for me and how
awesome I am how awesome the AWT is but

11:40.2

11:44.2

you had to buckle down and study because
you got this done in three and a half

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11:47.5

years so I want to know what was your
study routine for that

11:47.5

11:51.8

well basically like I said just at the
end of the day when I was sitting around

11:51.8

11:55.1

instead of watching TV I’d read the
manual

11:55.1

11:59.7

nerdy as that might sound kind of just
crank through that and the nice thing is

11:59.7

12:03.5

now I know kind of how its laid out what
information is in there and I’ve used it

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12:07.6

a lot more as an actual reference manual
because I understand what I can go back

12:07.6

12:12.3

to it and get so there is the benefit of
that but you know just did that and then

12:12.3

12:16.4

there’s the practice test that you can
find that Angela sends out you can go to

12:16.4

12:21.0

the old analysts and get questions so
just practice as much as I could and

12:21.0

12:24.8

really I felt pretty confident going in
but hoped for the best

12:24.8

12:29.1

what a CWT done for your confidence
level and what I mean by that is what

12:29.1

12:33.5

customers are you calling on now that
you maybe didn’t before you had this

12:33.5

12:38.2

designation you know from a from a
customer standpoint it’s nice to go in

12:38.2

12:43.3

and and kind of tell the story of what a
CWT is so I’m not sure I’m calling on on

12:43.3

12:47.5

different customers that I I don’t know
that I ever saw a customer that I was

12:47.5

12:51.7

like I better not go in there but now I
can go in there and really I have the

12:51.7

12:55.3

validation so I can say hey you know
what there is this organization the

12:55.3

12:58.5

Association of Water Technologies and
they put together this program that

12:58.5

13:03.3

basically validates and lets you mr.
customer know that I I do know what I’m

13:03.3

13:07.3

talking about so that that’s helped
quite a bit but as far as going into new

13:07.3

13:11.9

customers I wouldn’t say that that’s
really changed but again it’s just a

13:11.9

13:15.2

great tool and a great story to be able
to tell Connor I got to tell you I met

13:15.2

13:19.5

you a little more than three and a half
years ago at an AWT training and you

13:19.5

13:23.2

came up to me and you said hey I want to
get to know you I actually want you to

13:23.2

13:26.6

mentor me not really in those kind of
words but I think that’s pretty much the

13:26.6

13:29.7

relations
we’ve had since that time I gotta tell

13:29.7

13:35.4

you you are extremely impressive it has
been amazing to watch you develop as a

13:35.4

13:39.0

water treat and I got to tell you I
could not be more proud to watch watch

13:39.0

13:43.1

you walk up on stage and get that
certificate congratulations man yeah

13:43.1

13:45.8

thank you
obviously I couldn’t have really done it

13:45.8

13:50.5

without you and all the phone calls and
time spent talking so appreciate

13:50.5

13:53.6

everything you’ve done and everyone else
here at the organization so it’s it’s

13:53.6

13:57.7

it’s really an honor
folks I’m walking around the CWT

13:57.7

14:03.2

reception trying to find all the new CW
T’s this year and I not only found a new

14:03.2

14:09.1

CWT I found an old family friend of
mine I’m here with Jeff Burton how are

14:09.1

14:13.2

you Jeff I’m good trace how you doing
I’m doing great now Jeff you and I go

14:13.2

14:17.8

way back and you know my dad you
consider my dad your dad oh yeah

14:17.8

14:22.7

absolutely he was a great friend of mine
and wish he was still here he’s uh super

14:22.7

14:27.9

cool I was a super cool guy so Jeff I’m
walking around I’m asking people why

14:27.9

14:33.2

they decided to get the certified water
technologist designation well it it

14:33.2

14:37.1

means something a lot of certifications
within industries are but they don’t

14:37.1

14:42.3

they’re not really traceable anything
and and ours is and in our business that

14:42.3

14:47.5

we do it means something and it’s it’s
something that’s very special to me and

14:47.5

14:53.2

that I’ve wanted to do for a long time
and anybody that has a CWT to me it

14:53.2

14:57.3

means that they took an extra step like
just like getting a college degree they

14:57.3

15:01.9

made an extra effort to aspire and to
obtain something that I mean other

15:01.9

15:05.8

people don’t Jeff there are a lot of
people listening that are thinking about

15:05.8

15:11.2

getting their CWT or they’re in the
process of getting their CWT what advice

15:11.2

15:16.4

do you have for them something that
helped you get yours I’ll just say go

15:16.4

15:21.4

through as many resources that AWT
offers there’s a plethora and just a

15:21.4

15:26.0

multitude of different resources that
the organization has posted as well as

15:26.0

15:29.4

talk to people that are already CWT so
find out what their experiences have

15:29.4

15:34.3

been and if what they had to do my
suggestion would be to study a lot but

15:34.3

15:38.9

study long-term don’t try to cram you’re
not going to do well cramming my

15:38.9

15:43.8

suggestion would be to help me as I
a lot on my own and then I took the AWT

15:43.8

15:49.2

training class just prior to the CWT
test administration and that probably

15:49.2

15:54.5

helped me more along with tips that I
learned in that three-day training right

15:54.5

15:57.0

before my written test
I hear the math guide there’s pretty

15:57.0

16:01.6

good he’s awesome Jeff congratulations
buddy thank you very much I appreciate

16:01.6

16:07.3

that I’m here with Kevin Thurston who
just received his certificate as a

16:07.3

16:11.2

certified water technologist
congratulations Kevin thank you very

16:11.2

16:16.5

much so I want to know why you decided
to get your certified water technologist

16:16.5

16:22.8

designation well as you know as your
listeners know it is the pinnacle of

16:22.8

16:28.8

what we do I mean there’s no higher
designation in our business so what are

16:28.8

16:32.7

some of the things that you did to
prepare to take the examination yeah

16:32.7

16:36.5

so I took the test twice Angela’s gonna
get mad at you if you call it a test so

16:36.5

16:38.6

you got to call it an examination you’re
right

16:38.6

16:44.8

yeah I took the examination twice what
did I do to prepare it was a lot of

16:44.8

16:48.5

flashcards
honestly it was flashcards while I’m

16:48.5

16:53.4

drunk God only won’t say this on the air
while I’m driving I’m going over the

16:53.4

16:59.3

flashcards reading the questions okay
where do you live it’s not Atlanta is it

16:59.3

17:03.0

no no from the Northeast okay good we’re
not on the road together so I’m okay

17:03.0

17:07.3

with that
I probably had I don’t know 400 to 600

17:07.3

17:12.0

flashcards and I’d go through them as
I’m driving because you know all of us

17:12.0

17:16.4

water treaters we all have a lot of
stick time and I’d read the question I’m

17:16.4

17:20.7

like okay what’s the answer okay you
know how many greens in a water softener

17:20.7

17:24.1

like oh I know this one I know it and
flip it over on the back and there’s the

17:24.1

17:28.8

answer and I would just do them over and
over and over again until like I knew

17:28.8

17:32.8

all the answers you know it took maybe a
couple years to get them off

17:32.8

17:36.6

well Kevin highest designation in the
industry congratulations

17:36.6

17:42.3

thank you very much trace Andy McGill,
Chandler Mancuso, Connor Perish, Jeff

17:42.3

17:51.3

Burton, and Kevin Thurston I am proud to
call you a brother in CWT’s I’d call you

17:51.3

17:53.9

sisters but there were no females that
were present

17:53.9

17:58.8

that got there CWT’s there were some
females that receive them in 2018 but

17:58.8

18:07.7

not present at the 2018 convention guys
you have taken it upon yourself to make

18:07.7

18:14.1

sure the world knows that you have
achieved the highest designation and the

18:14.1

18:21.6

part of water treatment that we practice
now I hope that you hear how proud these

18:21.6

18:26.6

people are and how proud I am of them
and how proud I know the whole

18:26.6

18:31.4

Scaling UP! Nation is of these
individuals because they went out there

18:31.4

18:36.6

and they obtained this professional
designation so if the water treatment

18:36.6

18:42.4

that you practice isn’t in the same
field that the CWT covers go out there

18:42.4

18:47.3

and find that and it’s going to be my
job to start finding what those

18:47.3

18:51.9

designations are and bringing those
different designations to you so stay

18:51.9

18:57.2

tuned for that but I also want to make
sure that the people that practice the

18:57.2

19:03.5

same type of water treatment that I do
know where they can go in order to find

19:03.5

19:09.7

the best tips for passing the CWT
examination so if you go to https://scalinguph2o.com/cwt

19:09.7

19:18.4

you will get the five
tips that I’ve boiled down pun intended

19:18.4

19:24.4

of all of the people that I have spoken
with that they have said this has been

19:24.4

19:30.6

very helpful in order for me to study
properly and pass the examination so

19:30.6

19:35.4

that is totally free to you you need to
sign up on our website and we will send

19:35.4

19:40.7

that document to you and hopefully that
will get you started a little bit

19:40.7

19:45.1

quicker
of course don’t do that alone reach out

19:45.1

19:50.2

reach out to one of the people you just
heard from and ask them what they wish

19:50.2

19:56.2

they would know back then that they know
now that you can learn from folks don’t

19:56.2

20:02.0

do anything in water treatment alone
people before you have blazed the path

20:02.0

20:06.3

now nobody can take the examination for
you but if there’s a study tip or

20:06.3

20:09.8

technique that were
there’s no reason for you to figure that

20:09.8

20:15.8

out from scratch guys I gotta tell you
it is amazing when I see people making

20:15.8

20:21.9

this industry better so it is my hope
that today after listening to this show

20:21.9

20:27.3

you’re going to think what can I do as a
water treatment professional to make the

20:27.3

20:35.6

industry better because I am in it have
a great week folks

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