The following transcript is provided by YouTube. Mistakes are present. To hear the podcast episode, click HERE.
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Today’s episode is proudly sponsored by Radical Polymers
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Nation running a water treatment business is hard dealing with your suppliers
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Shouldn’t be and when I deal with the fine folks over at radical polymers
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I have always felt like I have had a partner
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They test things in the environment that we are going to use their products
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They also make sure that if I have any questions that I get the answer that I am looking for
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Mike and the fine folks over at radical polymers answer the phone spokes
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When was the last time you actually talked with somebody when you had a technical support question?
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Well, they make your issues their issues and they get right down to the problem
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they offer best-in-class technologies with the
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First-class support that I just mentioned go to https://scalinguph2o.com/radical to find out more
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Welcome to Scaling UP! the podcast where we’re Scaling UP! on knowledge, so we don’t Scale UP! our systems
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Hello, everybody Trace Blackmore here the host of Scaling UP! h2o and last week
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we were talking to my friend Reid Hutchinson of
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H0h and he is back this week to share even more knowledge with us
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And this is a bright guy folks. I enjoyed this interview so much and I’m gonna let you in on a secret
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Reid is part of the rising tide
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mastermind I’ve spoken about the rising tide mastermind on a few podcast that is where a group of
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trusted advisors get together and we talk about
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important issues and ideas and we share that with one another to make sure that we are getting
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Clear concise data and then through others experiences we can focus on what we need to focus on
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folks its what successful people do to become more successful and I loved having read in
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The group so it might be right for you
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I will tell you it is not for everybody because a big part
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of the rising tide mastermind is we hold each other accountable and that very thought of
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accountability might send some
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Screaming so if that’s you the rising tide mastermind is probably not the best choice, but if it sounds like
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Accountability is a tool that you could use where other people are
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helping you stride to achieve more then I would ask you to consider going to
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to see if the rising tide mastermind is right for you
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Well folks I am going to reintroduce my friend Reid Hutchinson
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And we’re going to conclude the interview that we started last week
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Well now take your owner hat off or your manager hat off
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And now put the hat on that you are now somebody that’s trying to convince somebody else that this is a worthwhile investment
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To them to training. What advice do you have for them?
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Yes, if I’m trying to convince boss, you know
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I guess the first thing somebody might feel is they might be kind of scared to ask their boss
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so that’s you, you know, maybe it may be a question B to say, you know, if you’re scared to ask your boss about
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Going I wonder what what else you’re scared to ask your boss and I think you got to kind of look at
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You know is your boss for you, you know or not and I think you know
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Most people would say hey my boss is for me
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Well then
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you know those fears that insecurity you’ve got about about making this ask you can put those aside because
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Somebody who’s for you is gonna at least give this some consideration and you really don’t know until you say yes
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so I think advice I got
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You know not related to this but in and from a mentor in college was just don’t say no for other people so you don’t
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know until you ask I got stopped you you gotta say that again cuz that is
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Awesome. Say that one more time
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Remember, I guess just don’t say no for people. I love that. I mean that is brilliant
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We have so much stuff that goes on in our head that probably you know
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90% of that’s never gonna happen and we defeat the cause before we even try to champion it
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I love that phrase say one more time. Yeah, don’t say no for anybody. You don’t know until you ask
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So don’t assume and don’t say no for anybody else
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So yeah, I mean if you’re if your boss is for you, you know, generally they may say no
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but there’s other benefits to asking you demonstrate that you want to grow and who knows they may they may be saying no not because
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They don’t invest in you
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But maybe they see a different opportunity for it and it could open up a really productive conversation about about your future
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So so yeah, don’t be afraid and then you know
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If if your boss is really just not seeing the value and they’re kind of hung up on the economics of it
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You know, I this might be a lot to ask for some folks, but I would say hey
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Can I can I get some time off to to go and I’ll pay for myself?
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You know that that would be a fallback position
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So then the company’s not having to spend the cash
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For you to go and they won’t feel maybe you being out of the office for a couple days. Ideally they pay you for those
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That would be great. So you could volunteer to pay your own way and then you know
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If that doesn’t work, you could go back one more line
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then you could ask for access to the online courses that AWT companies can get
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And maybe if you do that, you don’t get the benefit or a lot of the benefits. We’ve talked about about being there in person
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but you do get a flavor for what and the seminar has to offer and
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If you make the most of those online courses and find ways to prove value
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Then you might have a shot at the next year making a case for why you should go in person
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so, you know, it’s it becomes a negotiation just like most things and then so
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Definitely ask, you know for them to pay your way and to send you to go that would be you know
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That would be the biggest win, but you got room to kind of lower the ask down to something
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That is a little bit more reasonable
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Impractical so don’t let you know a boss. Say no for you
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You know in terms of going if you’re a water treatment professionals trying to get better, man
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I mean you you one should invest in yourself and go and you might actually get more benefit out of that and then you know
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At some point you gotta value Inc
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Maybe there’s other folks that do want to invest in you and you gotta take care of yourself and your own professional development
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You are laying down some great advice there. I know we have helped people on both sides of that fence and
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Very well said well, let’s go ahead and go into there’s a certain
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Examination that you are getting ready for it’s called the certified water
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technologist
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examination and I know
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that you are someone that likes to prepare and
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You are doing certain things to know that you are ready when that day comes I want to know
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One how you decided you wanted to take it and then what you are
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Doing to make sure you are ready far before that day comes
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Wow, okay, so I guess, you know first deciding why I want to take it honestly Trace
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I mean a lot of it has to do with I think the case you’ve made for the industry for the
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Association and for the certification over the last two years. So I’m you know, I’m a regular listener. I started listening and
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You know, I think it was April 2017. That was the first month we started how do you find us? I’m curious
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You know, I I don’t know. I actually don’t remember how I got referred
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I think from time to time when I first joined the industry
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Five years ago. I remember searching online for resources
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So searching on podcasts or searching online and there were some like random kind of weird ones out there
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But none that were very specific to industrial water treatment
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So I actually think from time to time
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I have been checking online for different resources
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And I think I just I looked up on podcast and I ended up finding you
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So I think it was by chance
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But I was in a process of periodically searching for materials out there because you know when I joined in 2014
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I had a fair amount of resources internally at HOH but not a ton of external resources
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And that was what I was really, you know thirsty for was, you know folks that you either weren’t my dad
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You know or didn’t work for HOH kind of folks that I just knew would have an objective kind of broader
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perspective on the industry that I could use
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You know to kind of validate what I heard and knew I not that you know
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My dad isn’t you know a smart water treat or the folks?
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I work with aren’t but I I always kind of needed some sort of external validation
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Because you know when you grow up at a family business you you can naturally be suspicious
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you know what people are telling you because you live in a bubble sometimes and so I really really wanted a source that
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Was outside and and yeah
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I stumbled upon your show and it kind of blew me away
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Just how you know specifically you spoke to
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What people like me were doing and I didn’t have an appreciation for the world
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So your your show is kind of my introduction to the wide world of water treatment. Well, that’s awesome
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I appreciate you saying that and I don’t meet people often that have been listening to me from the beginning
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So I didn’t mean to get us off track
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but it just really surprised me normally people they found me a year into it or something like that and to say that you have
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Managed to allow the show to get better because the first shows were pretty rough
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So if you had this thing from the beginning, I appreciate that
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Well, I mean when you’re the only one out there, you know speaking to you know
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My unique circumstances or a water creatures circumstances, you know
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You you kind of realized that the production quality doesn’t have it doesn’t have to be great
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You know because you’re you’re the only one that you know, took the time to be intentional about
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You know speaking to the audience and I think that’s you know, that’s kind of the magic of the show and and you know
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You’re the first to do that and I think that’s why it’s got a lot of a lot of power
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Especially I think Conor was one of the early interviews on there
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You know, he mentioned listening to you know, Tim Paris like he’s always downloading
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you know information and is always listening to stuff in his car and I’m a fan of Tim Ferriss as well and that
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mindset, you know I share with Conor and I think you know
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there’s a lot of other folks like me there are younger professionals that you know are pretty thirsty for
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You know a voice they can trust that’s you know for their professional development
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In the industry, but also that has a philosophy of you know, a rising tide raising all ships
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I think I want to be a part of something bigger than myself
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I also want to personally get better at what I’m doing every day
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And I think you’re kind of hitting that right on the head with the show. Well, I greatly appreciate that
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I tell you, you know hearing that is one of the things that really keeps me going
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I recently went to an ashtray show and I had people come up to me and saying hey
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I’m part of the Scaling UP! nation. I love stuff like that because we all can work together
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It is possible, even though we all are competitors, but we can learn from each other
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We can help each other and like you said a rising tide just doesn’t raise one boat
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It raises all of the boats or ships
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So thank you so much for saying that now
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Let’s get back to our regularly scheduled program with the certified water technologist prep
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Yeah, I mean you you so you made a really strong case
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You know to get that certification and I think that that case you made over a couple years
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You know internally at HOH I started we I trained for a few months shadowing people and we had our own modules
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We went through an exam and I passed that test
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You know and was sort of anointed, you know of what we call a water quality engineer here
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So I’d kind of gone through that but you know, I think I’m beginning to see earlier on
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When you start talking about the CWT, you know provides a fair amount of external
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credibility and an HOH
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I think a few folks had taken it 10 or 15 years ago and and they kind of passed on it
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Organizationally, they kind of said hey, you know to see them he’s valuable
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But we think we can do our own thing. And and that was the philosophy
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For a long time that I kind of walked into but over the last two years
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I I think I’ve begun to see the limits of having strictly an internal program and when I
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you know begin to think about the industry longer term, you know, I think I see the benefit of
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Being personally certified it helps me establish credibility at my age and experience
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Especially as I move into greater management positions, and I’m less and less in a field service role
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I don’t want to ever be out of touch with the core practices of water treatment because that’s you know
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The foundation of what we do and I think it’s a huge miss when upper management doesn’t have that firm technical foundation
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So I don’t want to get too far removed before I establish credibility, you know
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And I think the other side of it of lying to go for it is, you know
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It’s a it’s a status symbol that you know, I think I want to achieve and accomplish and you know
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I enjoy running races and doing things and you know
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that was something I felt like I would have a lot of fun going after and it would be
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Rewarding to put the work in so I signed up actually my brother-in-law Andy
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He’s been in the business seven years and we’re super close and are excited about our future in the family business
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And he shares a similar point of view and actually this year
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He was the one that pushed me to sign up finally for the date. You know, I didn’t take the CWT challenge from you
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I actually
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Shied away from that, you know, I just didn’t make it a priority and say yes, so that’s one piece of advice
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I didn’t follow but when my brother-in-law Andy just kind of threw down and said hey
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I’m gonna take it in September before the conference. I want to knock this thing out
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I’ll never do it unless I sign up
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So let’s just go for it him signing up
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Kind of gave me that that peer pressure to go ahead and sign up as well
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so we’re taking it September 4th, and and we’re doing a couple different things to study for it the main thing I’ve
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Utilizing is the technical
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Training and reference manual. That’s a huge book. Now what I’ve been doing
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My main practice has been to take it one chapter at a time
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it’s pretty hard to go through that book straight through but I I’ve been going through and
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Essentially just taking notes in a word doc next to it and trying to transcribe some of the complicated topics into my own
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Shorthand, either pictures or key words for me to grasp the concept
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and then we’ve taken the
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practice questions that you get we loaded those into this tool online called Quizlet and
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We’ve been using those as flashcards to study the questions that you know, we think could be on the test
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You check which ones you got right you revisit the ones who didn’t and that’s been a big part of our study practices as well
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The third part is, you know, the math problems generally those were picking one and working through it together
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We’ve need to ask a few people
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Internally on our technical team for for guidance and help on how to work those
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But yeah, I’d say it’s just it’s reading and translating and then practicing on those questions and you know
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I don’t know if it’s gonna work or not because I haven’t taken it yet
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But I’m surely hoping it works and I’ve also kind of told myself
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If it doesn’t, you know, I have I have just yet enough another opportunity to study and learn and get better
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so well
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I’m going to encourage you not to put the pressure on yourself to pass it put the pressure on yourself to what you’re doing
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You’re preparing for it
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And if for some reason you don’t pass it
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It’s not the end of the world you now have experience of taking the examination
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You know what the process is like and you already laid the groundwork of how you were preparing for you now need to go back
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And maybe go over some other things
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So but so many people they’ll stay up till two o’clock in the morning the night before you’re taking it on September 4th
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so they’ll stay up that whole night September 3rd not get a good night’s sleep and
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Walk in and just have so much pressure on themselves that they have to pass it. Don’t do that. It’s not worth it and
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If you’re if you’re prepared for it, you’ll pass it. If you’re not you’ll reap repair for it, and then you’ll pass it
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Yeah, I think that’s that spot-on
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It’s it’s easy to fall in the trap of you know, yeah waiting until you’re always ready, you know
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And I think it’s the shortcut is is to jump in get the feedback and adapt from there and you know
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Don’t sweat it and your ego will be fine
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so that’s what I’m telling myself but I appreciate the encouragement and that’s you know part of the benefit of
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Talking with you and listening to this is you know is working out some of those issues just like that
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Well, awesome, and I will expect a phone call when you do past it
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I will let you know as soon as I know which I guess happens right after I take it so you
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Will hit a button and it will say are you done with a test and you will hit?
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Yes, and it will say are you sure and then the next press is about 50 pounds on your finger and you’ve finally hit that
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button
and it will say you finished the test and something’s printing out in the
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Front of the office as you pack up all your stuff and she will have a page for you when you exit that room
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Yeah, it should be it’ll be a fun day. So and I
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Get to do it. I mean one of the I love working with my brother-in-law Andy
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You know this I’m just I’m excited to be doing it with him
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You know, he’s been a partner and a friend and you know
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Like I shared we motivate each other to try and do better and to compete in a productive way. And so
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Success or failure I’ll be doing with him and you know, we’ll see how we do
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It might be a little bit funny if one of us passes and the other one doesn’t but you know
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It’s it’s been a good process for us. So we’re hoping for the best. Well, thank you for sharing what you’ve done
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I know that will help other listeners as they prepare either for the certified water technologist
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Examination or whatever they have in their industry
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You mentioned you like challenges and you’re a runner
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And I know that you use that for some interesting things when it comes to water
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So I was hoping you could talk to us about something to clean water projects that you’ve done
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Yeah, this is a huge passion area for me starting back in 2014
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actually
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It’s pretty cool to see how I believe God’s kind of connected in this passion that I stumbled out of
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2014 to to my work in in water treatment in general I’ve started running in 2012
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Really because a friend of mine just after college
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said he was gonna go run a marathon in Death Valley and you know
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He wanted me to do it and so I signed up with him and we didn’t train very well
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but we struggled through it and it’s the kind of thing you do when you’re 22 and and dumb and just
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Trying to check different things off your bucket list
19:12.7
19:14.7
And so we went did it and it was it was a fun experience
19:15.1
19:19.1
But I never really thought I would run again, but in 2014
19:19.1
19:25.7
I actually I went to church one Sunday morning and there was an organization there called Team religion that had organized a group of
19:25.8
19:29.2
friends that were going to run the Chicago Marathon while
19:29.9
19:34.3
fundraising with their friends and family for clean water projects typically
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19:37.1
deployed in East Africa
19:37.1
19:44.4
And so I said yes in 2014 to run Chicago Marathon and to do this fundraising and and that experience
19:44.8
19:48.7
Exposed me to the global water crisis, which was something I didn’t know much about
19:49.4
19:55.6
there are hundreds of millions of people that live every day without clean water and it dramatically
19:56.1
19:59.8
Impedes their ability to grow and develop and so in 2014
19:59.8
20:04.6
I learned what what this cause was I had an awesome experience training
20:05.1
20:11.0
It’s super hard to train for 18 weeks. It’s not an easy process, but I did it in community and
20:11.5
20:16.5
Was educated about the cause in a way that allowed me to invite friends and family to donate, you know
20:16.5
20:18.3
twenty five dollars or fifty bucks
20:18.3
20:24.9
To bring clean water to people and so I had a really impactful experience there and that actually led me to do it again
20:25.2
20:27.5
2015 and ultimately in 2016. I
20:28.1
20:33.5
got a chance to travel to a town in Uganda called bellezza my wife and I
20:33.9
20:39.1
Sponsored a kid in that village and we got to see some of the worker world vision firsthand
20:39.4
20:43.1
And world visions child sponsorship program is pretty simple you pay monthly
20:43.4
20:48.8
To support a specific child you get these updates and pictures of what’s going on with their life
20:48.8
20:50.3
But really what you’re funding is
20:50.3
20:58.2
a world vision team that’s doing in a long term like 10 or 15 year development work in a community usually consisting of
20:59.2
21:03.1
Significant water projects that bring clean water to a community and I just had an amazing
21:03.4
21:10.5
experience getting to one meet our sponsor child Alfred in Galicia ganda and then secondly just to see how
21:10.9
21:15.3
transformative it was to this community to receive clean water and I was so
21:15.6
21:22.6
captured by the world vision was doing and specifically team World Vision who was running these crazy races and and really
21:22.8
21:29.3
Challenging inspiring people to get involved so much so that I said yes to this race in 2016
21:29.8
21:36.1
That was a 56 mile race in South Africa who was between the towns of Pietermaritzburg and Durban
21:36.2
21:42.8
No, no, wait a second. So 56 miles and like the hottest place on the planet. Did I get that right? Yeah
21:43.2
21:45.4
Yeah, it wasn’t it wasn’t very cool there
21:45.4
21:49.8
It was warm and it was a crazy thing to do and I you know, I was I was captured
21:49.8
21:54.5
you know kind of by the vision inspired by this crazy group of people who was doing this and
21:54.6
21:59.8
Not only was it a big physical challenge, but it was also pretty large fundraising challenge
21:59.8
22:04.3
The the goal was to raise support for one child per mile
22:04.3
22:10.4
So so I actually had this goal of 56 kids getting sponsored over the course of training for six months
22:10.4
22:13.7
And so I was inviting, you know friends family church people
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22:18.0
Anybody I met to sponsor a kid for like 39 bucks a month
22:18.3
22:20.8
So not a not a small financial investment
22:20.9
22:23.3
But I had these cards with these pictures of these kids
22:23.6
22:29.0
That I was trying to get support for and they they actually all lived in Belize Uganda and it was this amazing
22:29.3
22:32.0
Experience I had no idea what I got myself into
22:32.0
22:34.6
I was just saying yes to you know
22:34.6
22:40.3
one invitation after the other from people that I trusted and you know, my my life was really
22:40.8
22:45.9
Transformed through this experience and it had just broadened kind of my horizons to you know
22:45.9
22:52.3
what one person when working with you know a team of people can do to impact lives across the world and so
22:52.7
22:54.9
super passionate about I actually you know
22:54.9
23:00.8
The the race itself in South Africa, it goes through an area they call the land of a Thousand Hills
23:01.1
23:06.4
But it really did look and feel like a Thousand Hills, you know and traveling halfway across the world to do this
23:06.4
23:11.8
it was it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and it was a painful experience because I actually did not complete the
23:11.9
23:16.0
56 miles there are a couple of reasons for that and but it was a painful
23:16.2
23:20.8
You know physical failure of mine and I had a lot of people that knew I was too in it
23:20.8
23:25.3
So it was public, you know, and it was it was a hard thing to do and not six
23:25.9
23:29.3
but I did make it 43 miles, which I was really proud of and I
23:29.9
23:35.9
Was successful in getting 56 kids sponsored and so, you know really taught me a lot about you know
23:35.9
23:40.0
Why you do these things, you know, there’s there is a personal physical challenge
23:40.3
23:46.9
That’s a big part of it to motivate people, but they taught me a big lesson about you know, submitting yourself or sacrificing
23:47.1
23:49.1
you know for other people and
23:49.7
23:55.3
Just the power of what can happen when you get a community engaged in helping others around the world
23:55.3
24:01.3
And so, you know this was this is something I’ve been doing for years it culminated in this race in South Africa
24:01.8
24:06.1
but I’ve had the chance to kind of bring some of that work and that passion into
24:06.3
24:12.5
The business at HOH and so after you know struggling through that race in South Africa, you know
24:12.5
24:15.5
I took a little bit of time off, but I was still you know
24:15.5
24:17.3
carrying this burden of how do I
24:17.3
24:22.1
Help support the people and beliefs that Uganda and expand kind of the impact
24:22.1
24:26.3
We were able to have there and so my dad was was really inspired by you know
24:26.3
24:30.3
The journey I was going on with World Vision and ultimately made the decision to partner with
24:30.5
24:37.3
World Vision on a different race that they do every year in May called the global 6k per water and so
24:37.7
24:45.0
We’ve used this race as a way to engage our network at HOH in helping end the global water crisis
24:45.0
24:49.4
And we’ve got this this phrase in our in our vision that looks like this
24:49.8
24:52.6
organizations are linking arms with us and a grander vision and
24:52.8
24:58.7
Thousands of people are engaged in the efforts and the global water crisis by 2030 and we really crystallized
24:58.8
25:00.6
sort of this heart that we’ve
25:00.6
25:05.9
developed in the business for for making a lasting impact and this is one of the ways that we’re trying to do that and I
25:06.0
25:10.5
Know, you know, there’s a lot of folks in the water treatment industry that have looked for ways to connect
25:10.5
25:15.3
You know their business to a cause bigger than themselves. I think a lot of folks have found water related
25:15.8
25:22.4
charities and programs to invest in but I was hoping to share a little bit about this experience one because it’s you know
25:22.4
25:26.0
It’s a fun part of my story that you know shares a lot about me
25:26.1
25:31.6
But it’s also a very accessible way for water treatment professionals and business owners to get
25:32.3
25:35.9
engaged in a cause especially if they’re not already and so, you know
25:35.9
25:41.5
if somebody’s not never run a marathon timo vision has races all across the US and
25:41.9
25:44.7
It’s a great program because it helps get you into the race
25:45.2
25:49.3
Educates you about the cause and it can be a super transformative experience
25:49.3
25:55.2
And then this global 6k, it’s it’s a 6k race. So about four miles and the model is pretty exciting
25:55.2
25:59.7
They they have a site in Chicago which which we host or promote as HOH
25:59.7
26:03.0
But they also do a model where they they allow you to be a host site yourself
26:03.2
26:04.7
Wherever you are in the US
26:04.7
26:08.1
So some people are a host site of one some are host sites of ten or 100
26:08.4
26:15.0
At their business or Church and it allows tens of thousands of people to be a part of this global 6k for water
26:15.3
26:21.6
Once a year all in the same weekend, they raise tons of money for these projects in East Africa
26:21.6
26:24.7
And it’s just a super powerful movement that you know
26:24.7
26:29.2
I think is just so aligned with what a lot of us are trying to do is water streaming professionals
26:29.2
26:35.0
And you know, I think it’d be a great way if folks aren’t engaged in that cause you know, this is certainly one
26:35.0
26:36.2
That’s a that’s a lay up
26:36.2
26:41.2
You know for for water treatment professionals and you know team World Vision is a great way to get involved
26:41.2
26:44.7
So want to share that with you guys know that’s amazing
26:44.7
26:50.1
Thank you so much for doing so so if someone’s listening they want to find out more do they just Google team World Vision?
26:50.4
26:53.8
yeah, Google team or vision or global six caper water and
26:54.3
26:56.3
You’ll get the dates for the race in May
26:56.7
27:01.0
Yeah, and like I said, it’s their great organization and they’re super easy to work with
27:01.3
27:05.3
Yeah, I’d suggest, you know, if you want to get involved you want to do a race?
27:05.6
27:12.6
Maybe a great partner to do that with I have to ask personally. How do you train for a 56 mile race?
27:14.0
27:17.0
It’s a you know, it’s a lot of miles and you know
27:17.0
27:21.9
I guess I might not be the best person to speak for him because I didn’t finish but you know I have aspirations of going
27:21.9
27:24.8
Back and doing it in in future years
27:24.8
27:29.8
so it’s it you take it down into small little bites just like anything else so
27:30.0
27:35.8
You know for me it starts in December and it runs through May you’re running about six days a week
27:36.0
27:39.9
you know for that period of time you already got to kind of have a firm base and
27:40.9
27:47.0
Eventually, you work yourself up to about 70 miles per week that you’re running. So you spread the miles out
27:47.0
27:52.8
I think the farthest I ran prior to the race was a marathon on Saturday and America Sunday
27:52.8
27:59.8
and so generally with a lot of these programs you you look at weekly mileage and you work up to the race or
28:00.6
28:06.7
Race mileage or greater and then you actually just don’t you don’t run the distance typically before you do the race
28:06.7
28:12.5
But you have it baked into the total miles of the week and the rest, you know on race day
28:12.5
28:14.2
You know your body’s ready for it
28:14.2
28:19.9
but but psychologically you’ve never quite experienced the distance all in one bite and and but it
28:20.4
28:24.2
Generally, the training plan should bring you through the other interesting part
28:24.2
28:30.3
If you don’t run a lot, you know at the endurance level the surprising part you have to learn about us is nutrition
28:30.4
28:31.9
You know when you’re running for?
28:31.9
28:38.4
You know ten hours you got to eat and that’s a pretty big part of endurance running that most people don’t think about
28:38.8
28:44.9
but takes a lot of practice to see what foods you like how much to eat how to stay hydrated and so it’s a pretty
28:45.0
28:48.7
Interesting, you know art that I you know
28:48.7
28:50.9
When I first ran a marathon
28:50.9
28:56.8
I never thought I would have been involved at that level and I don’t want to give any, you know false impressions
28:56.8
28:58.0
I’m not a very pretty runner
28:58.0
29:01.6
I’m not very fast, you know, but it’s something you know
29:01.6
29:05.7
I find a lot of pleasure in it’s a great way to release stress and
29:06.1
29:12.5
It’s been fun to find a way to exercise like this and take on these challenges. But but for a good cause so
29:13.2
29:16.4
We have covered a multitude of topics
29:16.5
29:19.1
We have been through at least
29:19.4
29:24.3
Half-a-dozen topics I think of but I am not done with you quite yet
29:24.3
29:29.3
I want to I want to ask you a few questions that I’m kind of curious on how you
29:30.0
29:35.5
How you perceive these things? So the first one I’ll ask is how do you learn new things in water treatment?
29:36.0
29:38.0
I’d probably break it down into
29:38.4
29:43.3
Into two buckets, you know, I’ve got, you know some external resources and then some internal ones
29:43.5
29:48.2
You know the internal ones for me being a family business we’ve been around for a while
29:48.2
29:49.0
You know
29:49.0
29:55.6
I’ve got a lot of folks I work with that have been engineers or water treatment professionals for gosh
29:55.7
30:02.8
You know twenty thirty and in some cases forty years, so I learn a lot about water treatment kind of through osmosis
30:03.4
30:05.2
by being in
30:05.2
30:10.4
Semaa tea with folks as issues come up in the business, you know at this point right now
30:10.4
30:10.9
I’m
30:10.9
30:13.1
I’m handling some of the managerial sides
30:13.2
30:18.1
but you know on the insurance side a lot of things pop up that are that our water treatment and
30:18.2
30:20.8
Technical and I I may not have all the answers
30:20.8
30:26.0
So I just I listen and absorb, you know as much as I can from, you know
30:26.0
30:32.8
The folks that are a far more experienced than I am in water treatment within HOH. So that’s the big kind of internal source
30:32.8
30:36.9
We’ve got some of our own kind of files and documents that I’ll read through as needed
30:36.9
30:42.3
But that kind of internal learning comes as issues pop up that I need to learn about, you know
30:42.3
30:48.8
The more proactive external sources, you know, I think I’ve mentioned before your podcast at a weekly level
30:48.8
30:53.7
I’m always listening to that’s probably the easiest thing because it pops up in my feed and
30:54.0
30:56.0
I can easily listen to it in my commute
30:56.0
31:02.5
And then I’ve also been reading the analysts I get that regularly AWT sends out emails with
31:03.1
31:10.6
Generally some discussions but also some resources that they link to periodically and then I’ve been attending the conference since 2017
31:10.6
31:17.8
So this upcoming year is my third and that’s kind of how I’ve tried to stay on top of things at this point
31:17.8
31:19.7
So there’s done a whole lot of the resources
31:19.7
31:22.0
I’m aware of you know that are beneficial and
31:22.3
31:27.2
You know for the most part aw T’s kind of covered a lot of the bases for me
31:27.5
31:31.1
Well, I think that’s a good list and I’m sure people are taking notes on that
31:31.1
31:37.5
But I’m curious and I have a millennial on the conversation right now. So I’ve tried to explain to
31:38.1
31:44.4
other perhaps older water treaters that they do not have to go online and download
31:44.7
31:46.9
each and every episode and
31:47.3
31:52.2
I haven’t been doing a very good job of that apparently because I know several people are still doing that
31:52.2
31:55.4
So can you explain to the Scaling UP! nation?
31:55.9
32:00.3
Maybe to the more seasoned people in the Scaling UP! nation. How you
32:01.1
32:02.7
automatically get
32:02.7
32:06.5
Podcasts to just show up in your feed. Yeah, so, you know
32:07.0
32:12.5
Generally, the mobile phone market is split up between either Android operating systems
32:12.7
32:17.6
Which is anything not Apple and then they got Apple so you either go to your Google Play Store your App Store
32:18.1
32:20.3
Make you download a podcast player
32:20.3
32:24.9
There’s you know, gosh there’s a lot of different podcast players if you’re on half
32:24.9
32:27.9
But which a lot of people are, you know, you just need Apple podcast
32:27.9
32:32.3
That’s probably the easiest one but there’s other ones out there as well like pocket casts
32:32.6
32:39.1
or overdrive you download that app and then within there you generally should see a search button and
32:39.8
32:45.6
When you click on search look up Scaling UP! h2o it should pop up traces podcast
32:45.7
32:48.0
you click on the icon and then
32:48.4
32:48.9
generally
32:48.9
32:54.1
If the podcast app should have a button that says subscribe and when you click Subscribe
32:54.3
33:00.2
And that’ll make sure that anytime a new episode drops which means it’s been published, you know to the world
33:00.5
33:02.3
It’ll show up in your feed
33:02.3
33:04.1
You might need to if it’s not
33:04.1
33:08.7
popping up on your phone like a text message would when it comes in you might need to go to your settings and
33:09.0
33:14.1
Go to your general or notifications and make sure that notifications are turned on
33:14.4
33:17.2
For that podcast and then really it should be
33:17.7
33:22.6
Just like you get a text message from somebody or maybe you have your e-mails pop up on your home screen
33:23.4
33:24.8
Podcast should be able to show up as well
33:24.8
33:30.7
And so when Scaling UP! publishes a new show, it should pop up and you can tap it and play it right there
33:30.7
33:37.2
And that’s the easiest way to stay informed. So, yeah, for those of that or less tech-savvy, you know, you can follow those instructions
33:37.7
33:43.2
The other one would be just to ask somebody that is more tech savvy and get on there if you’re not getting
33:43.7
33:48.5
Podcasts new episodes like you would a text message then something’s not working. Right? It should be that easy
33:49.0
33:55.2
Thank you for that public service announcement. I remember years ago when I was on the board for the Association of Water Technologies
33:55.9
33:57.9
We have tried this new app called
33:58.8
34:06.5
Convention 2.0 and it had all of the things that were going on at the convention you could connect with people it had a
34:06.5
34:11.0
Group chat that you could join you could ask questions to the speakers over it
34:11.0
34:16.3
it was a really neat tool and I remember there was a gentleman I won’t mention his name because I’m sure you know him and
34:16.9
34:20.9
He approached me and he said hey, I’ve been hearing about this Convention 2.0
34:21.0
34:24.6
Can you tell me how to get that he had a smart phone I said, okay
34:24.7
34:30.5
well
What you need to do is open up your email where hi to your Angelus since you an email that gave you all the instructions
34:30.7
34:34.8
And we’ll just click on that. He looked at me. He said you can get email on this thing
34:35.0
34:40.2
We then decided that Convention 2.0 probably wasn’t for him and I gave him a paper brochure
34:40.5
34:44.1
Yeah with all the different generations, you know in the workforce nowadays
34:44.1
34:49.3
there’s a pretty wide disparity between you know, people’s comfort levels with especially technology and I think
34:50.0
34:54.9
One thing I’ve learned being a millennial in this business and having to work with everybody
34:55.1
35:00.4
Yeah, I see the pros and cons of you know, some folks are super fast at technology, you know
35:00.4
35:04.5
like millennial is but the downside is we’re kind of tech dependent and
35:04.8
35:07.8
We lean on it too often and that can be to our detriment
35:07.8
35:13.1
So, you know for those folks that are a little bit slower with it, you know, there are some pros to that as well
35:13.1
35:19.7
So if anybody’s feeling little insecure about that, I just hope they hear from a millennial. You know that it’s it’s okay
35:19.7
35:24.6
I mean we need everybody we need all generations, you know pulling together. We all have to reckon with
35:25.2
35:29.1
Technology changing, you know, the more humble. We are then the quicker we are to laugh
35:29.2
35:32.0
You know what? We don’t know yet and asking for help
35:32.0
35:35.4
I think the better we’ll walk it along as we move forward
35:35.8
35:42.1
Well said and you mention Apple, of course for Apple podcasts the ones I like for Android
35:42.1
35:48.0
I’m an Android guy or Google podcast and stitcher, but I think we’re on every single service that are out there
35:48.0
35:51.3
I’ve really tried to make sure that if you look for us you’re going to find us
35:51.5
35:56.9
My next question is what is the weirdest thing that you’ve seen in water treatment?
35:57.4
36:01.5
Well, I mean the weirdest thing if it’s just weird
36:01.5
36:07.3
it’s probably the grossest thing I’ve seen it’s we take care of some some larger industrial food processors and
36:08.1
36:11.1
Specifically some plants that are actually killing cows and pigs
36:11.4
36:17.2
And when we handle the wastewater or some of the steam generation or the cooling and I visited some of those facilities
36:17.3
36:22.1
And they’re they’re great customers. And obviously, this is America, you know eat a lot of meat and
36:22.9
36:27.0
Everybody loves bacon for the most part and so it’s a huge necessity
36:27.0
36:33.3
but I actually got to to tour some of these facilities up close and personal and I was just blown away at just
36:33.5
36:35.0
you know the
36:35.0
36:40.0
Manufacturing elements the efficiency, but also it’s pretty gruesome to see that many animals, you know
36:40.0
36:42.4
And just all of the parts that are involved with that
36:42.4
36:46.1
It’s probably one of the coolest kind of grossest and weirdest things I’ve ever seen
36:46.1
36:50.7
I haven’t stopped eating meat, but I have a new appreciation for you know
36:50.7
36:55.6
Just how the economy works and and how we’re fed here. It’s a tough business a tough job
36:55.7
37:01.9
You know, we’re happy to support it as water treaters, but you know personally I saw it was it marked me, right?
37:01.9
37:06.1
It doesn’t come just showing up in that cellophane wrapper. No
37:06.1
37:11.7
No, it’s I walked away with that an appreciation for you know as a consumer getting the shop
37:11.7
37:14.3
I mean that’s that’s about as close as I want to get
37:14.3
37:18.4
But yeah, I mean having thousands of people work in that business and it’s an important one
37:18.4
37:23.7
But it’s it’s a pretty messy process was there ever a time you wanted to do something else besides?
37:24.2
37:31.7
Water treatment since you’ve been involved in water treatment. Yeah, I guess there has been and I you know, not in a bad way
37:31.7
37:33.9
I still I still do from time times
37:33.9
37:38.2
I’m kind of hoping, you know as I grow older in my career
37:38.2
37:43.9
You know have opportunities to do to do different things without not being a water treat or you know
37:43.9
37:47.6
One of those things I’ve always kind of been excited to do. It’s kind of silly
37:47.6
37:51.8
It’s been a little dream of mine since high school, but I’ve always wanted to open up a local pizza joint
37:51.9
37:56.3
So in Chicago, you know, there’s just tons of hole-in-the-wall pizza places
37:56.3
37:57.8
Not just the you know
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We’re known for a lot of that deep-dish Chicago pizza
38:00.5
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some of the big chains like to Yordano is kind of have claimed that
38:03.9
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But a lot of Chicago pizza is just you know, your classic in crust square cut pies
38:08.6
38:13.5
And I worked for one of my neighbors who had a pizza joint through high school and college
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And just I always loved it there simple kind of small operations and you get a cool
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38:19.5
loyal
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And local clientele and I I’ve just always kind of thought it’d be fun to get to the point to be open one of those
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38:25.6
joints myself
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38:27.5
I’m hoping I can do that when I’m older
38:27.5
38:31.9
You know without having to I would never I would never leave the water stream industry to open up a pizza joint
38:31.9
38:35.7
But if I had the chance to do it while staying with an HOH
38:35.7
38:40.8
I would definitely do that on the side and then my wife actually we’re kind of doing this now
38:41.1
38:44.9
she’s pretty entrepreneurial and she was an artist and she’s been
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38:51.2
Running her own custom stationery and calligraphy business and that’s been kind of on and off for the last three years
38:51.2
38:54.4
It’s a tough business to work in but we’ve always kind of dreamed down the road
38:54.5
38:59.3
Kind of similar the pizza joint open up a local space in our community where she you know
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39:01.8
Put some equipment printing equipment and teaching classes
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39:03.1
And yeah
39:03.1
39:04.1
My I mean my dream
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39:10.3
would be never to leave water treatment but to also get to explore some of these things that I’m curious about in our in our
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39:16.3
Local community. I’m curious. What would you name your pizza place? Oh, man. I should have a name
39:16.3
39:20.3
I’ve thought about it for so long. I’ve had a dream about it. I should I should name it
39:20.4
39:26.6
You know, I I guess one one name option. I might take would be to name it. Hello Roman
39:26.6
39:30.9
That was the pizza place that I used to work for. They’re closed now and Arlington Heights, Illinois
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39:36.8
But yeah a lot Roman Pizza kitchen’s I might see if I can reopen the know that name so that’s as original
39:36.8
39:38.8
But thought I’ve got
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39:44.2
Fair enough next time I see you I expect five more. Okay, that’s something Tim Fulton would say to me
39:44.2
39:51.2
I am sure at the time that this episode drops. There’s going to be somebody that is brand-new to water treatment
39:51.2
39:58.3
That is listening to you. What advice do you have for them as they’re starting out? So for a new water treaty?
39:58.6
40:03.7
There’s a lot. I mean it’s an overwhelming process to jump in to the industry
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40:07.5
You know, maybe one one thing that might be helpful, you know
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40:10.5
There’s a lot of advice that isn’t that isn’t less helpful
40:10.5
40:11.9
You kind of just need to go through it
40:11.9
40:16.0
but but maybe one thing that will help somebody who’s new make sense of all the
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40:19.6
information that’s coming in would be to think in systems so
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40:26.3
One of my favorite authors is Seth Godin. He writes a lot about marketing leadership and business, but he also
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40:30.1
He writes a daily blog and he always touches on this theme of of
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40:36.5
Systems thinking and I think it’s it’s really helpful when you’re taking all the information to recognize, you know
40:36.5
40:42.7
All of these different component parts that people are telling you about a heat exchanger, you know the water chemistry
40:43.3
40:45.7
the specific business production
40:46.3
40:50.4
you know everything operates within the rules of a system and
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40:57.4
Which is a collection of processes that’s converting inputs to outputs. And you know, there’s a set of activities to do that
40:57.4
41:00.4
But you know the overarching framework of a system
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You know will help you make sense of all the different bits of pieces of information
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That people are thrown at you and you begin to kind of connect that you know
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41:16.3
we deal with water treatment systems which play a part in larger HVAC system which play a part in the building system and
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41:21.6
Generally, even on the people side and on the business side, you know, there are systems that you know
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41:28.0
if you’re looking for them kind of reveal certain patterns of behavior and and and teach you how things work and
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41:30.2
That framework of systems
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41:35.6
I think we’ll maybe accelerate the summit of the steep learning curve that is getting into water treatment and
41:35.8
41:40.2
you’re hit with a lot of things, you know from the super technical to the sales and
41:40.8
41:47.4
you know just remember it’s all a system and if you can identify the inputs the outputs the primary component parts you should
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41:49.4
Over time be able to put it together
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41:52.4
Even if you only know some of the variables, you know
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41:55.9
if you’re sketching it out draw some of the pieces of information you don’t know and
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42:00.5
Over time you begin to kind of capture bits of information and you fill in the gaps
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So you can get running and do the components of your job
42:03.9
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We’re kind of learning along the way just as long as you kind of understand the rules of the system
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That should probably go a long way to you know, making your entry in the industry a little bit easier
42:12.4
42:17.6
I have no doubt that that advice is going to help somebody, you know, you mentioned Seth Godin
42:17.6
42:23.8
He’s one of my favorites as well. Do you ever read any simon Sinek? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean start with why?
42:24.5
42:29.8
Awesome leaders eat last was a great one as well. Yeah, I’m big fans of both of theirs
42:29.8
42:32.5
Yeah, I am as well and nation
42:32.5
42:38.3
If you have not seen Simon senex video that he actually was a TED talk that he did
42:38.5
42:44.8
you can get on YouTube and get it from the TED talk website, but look at start with why it’s
42:45.4
42:50.5
Fantastic read who has been the most influential person in your water-treatment life
42:51.4
42:52.5
Mm-hmm
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42:55.2
This is a tough one to answer. I don’t think it’s just for me
42:55.2
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But but definitely for me, you know, it’s take takes a village to kind of develop, you know as a professional in this business
43:02.0
43:04.0
Yeah, so I might name a few people
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You know, the first one obviously is my dad, you know, he’s been in this for 40 years
43:08.7
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He joined his dad when he was in his mid-20s, you know
43:11.7
43:16.5
I and I very legitimately wouldn’t be in water treatment if it wasn’t for him, you know
43:16.5
43:21.3
So I was here first for my dad and second for water treatment and now you know
43:21.3
43:26.0
I’ve cultivated my own passion for a water treatment profession and but I go a lot of
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43:30.4
My dad and I think you know the longer I’m in this business the more I grow
43:30.8
43:33.6
to respect my dad and what you know
43:33.6
43:40.4
He’s been able to make of his 40 plus years and he’s still running in the business, you know some other other voices
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43:46.0
You know, I’d be remiss to say and I probably can’t name them all here at HOH but there’s there’s maybe like ten
43:46.0
43:52.1
You know more senior engineers here at HOH that have poured into me and invested in me
43:52.1
43:58.2
You know first and foremost, they’ve kind of established that belief that and this is shared by a lot of other water treaters
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44:00.7
I know including including you trace where you know
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44:06.3
We want to believe that where we compete and where we serve our customers. We’re doing it the best and
44:07.1
44:13.5
Generally, the best is represented in how we service and so that reputation at service quality, you know
44:13.5
44:18.5
I’ve inherited from a lot of the guys that have been a part of the HOH team for 10 20 30 years
44:18.5
44:25.0
so there’s there’s about 10 to 20 of those guys and I won’t name any hope because I don’t want to not name somebody and
44:25.7
44:30.4
And then I’d say maybe thirdly, you know, Tracy Gann I’ve expressed my gratitude to you
44:30.4
44:33.0
But you’ve been a big influence as well in these last few years
44:33.2
44:37.2
Well, I’m humbled to hear that and I definitely wasn’t fishing for that answer when I asked it
44:37.9
44:43.3
even if you were it’s okay, I think you know you this podcast that you put a lot into it and I think
44:44.1
44:49.2
Responsibility is a big theme I think for me and I think you know for other professionals in history
44:49.2
44:53.0
We got to take responsibility for making the most what’s put out there, but you know
44:53.0
44:55.3
I think you’ve taken responsibility to make your
44:55.5
44:59.6
Contribution and I think you know the best way people can honor that is just to say hey
44:59.6
45:05.7
Thanks and to give you credit where credit’s due. Well, I appreciate that and find new people to listen to the show. I might add
45:06.4
45:09.6
Absolutely. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in water treatment so far?
45:10.2
45:16.1
Wow, I would say I think because I’ve been you know disappointed time and time again
45:16.6
45:19.5
There are always new problems to solve in water treatment
45:19.5
45:26.9
I get excited about new solutions new technology new ideas, and I’m always trying to kind of fix, you know
45:26.9
45:28.4
Or make things better
45:28.4
45:29.5
But you know
45:29.5
45:33.2
sometimes I get really let down and I when I’ve solved one thing and then
45:33.6
45:40.4
you know that the moment to celebrate is very short because some new issue pops up and when you think you know
45:40.4
45:41.7
Whether it’s on the business side
45:41.7
45:45.7
you you make a lot of progress in one component of the model and then
45:45.8
45:48.9
You know an issue or problem or yours it’s head on another side
45:49.1
45:53.7
You’re just sort of never done solving new problems and the same on the water treatment side
45:53.8
45:55.0
You can get a program
45:55.0
46:00.8
Dialed in you could be at a good pace with the particular team you’re working with at your customer, you know
46:00.8
46:07.8
And then, you know people are always leaving jobs or facilities or changing companies are getting bought and in management changes
46:07.8
46:10.2
and so there’s just this never-ending flow of
46:11.0
46:14.3
Change that, you know tends to upend you know
46:14.3
46:19.7
the thing you just solved and creates new problems or or even the hard thing to swallow is when you’ve solved one issue and
46:20.2
46:27.4
unintentionally created another issue didn’t realize so I’ve had to just sort of learn that this is a never-ending process of
46:27.7
46:32.6
You know learning development solving new challenges and not to get to letdown when you know
46:32.6
46:34.6
There’s always a problem in front of you
46:34.9
46:41.1
Generally, as long as they’re new problems, you know, it’s just proof that you’re getting better and that you’re doing the work
46:41.4
46:47.7
I’m sure there is several answers to this question. So this is the therapy question
46:48.3
46:53.5
What do you see other water treaters do that? You just want them to stop?
46:54.2
46:55.5
doing
46:55.5
46:58.6
Yeah, I mean this is a little bit of therapy and a little bit of preaching
46:59.4
47:05.0
But the answer is pretty easy for me. Hi, you know I would just say to other waters for yours out there
47:05.0
47:10.1
Stop trying to be the smartest guy air gal in the room. Stop trying to be the smartest person in the room
47:10.1
47:12.6
That’s one thing. You know, I think I’ve
47:13.3
47:15.8
Recognized this industry and it’s not just an HOH
47:15.8
47:21.0
Sometimes it’s and not just with you know, the markets we compete in. It seems like it’s everywhere and
47:21.5
47:24.6
I don’t know if it’s a generational thing or just our industry
47:24.7
47:30.1
But you know, it just drives me crazy when there’s a lot of posturing and a lot of hubris around, you know
47:30.1
47:33.7
Having all the right answers and being the smartest one, you know
47:33.7
47:35.6
We tend to kind of nitpick each other
47:35.6
47:42.0
technically and you know look for ways to put each other down to try and you know claim a certain level of expertise or
47:42.2
47:46.1
Superiority, you know thinking that that you know is what’s going to give us an edge or position
47:46.6
47:52.5
You know our customers, but it doesn’t and I guess I see it it crowds out
47:52.6
47:56.4
You know people’s ability to learn, you know, it shuts down
47:57.3
47:58.4
relationships
47:58.4
48:03.6
That you know may be really productive to have with others in the industry, you know
48:03.7
48:07.7
and then it also kind of distracts from the main thing that we all do which is you know,
48:07.7
48:13.5
Take care of our customers and a lot of times they’re now looking for someone to split hairs and try and be the smartest
48:13.5
48:19.1
They’re looking for somebody to connect and relate and empathize with what they’re trying to accomplish and to
48:19.8
48:25.5
You know leverage the tools of water treatment to help them accomplish, you know their goals. Our customers aren’t served
48:25.5
48:30.3
Well, I don’t think the industry is served very well by by everybody posturing to be the smartest
48:30.3
48:33.0
I think you know longer-term in the industry, you know
48:33.1
48:36.3
the real experts are going to be the humble ones, who are
48:36.5
48:42.6
Looking for ways to collaborate and to contribute and I think that’s that’s the wave of the future and you know
48:42.6
48:48.3
I really hope a lot of water treaters catch on to that because I think we’ll all be better for well. That was well said
48:48.8
48:56.6
Now somebody just tuned in right now. What’s the one thing you want them to get out of our conversation?
48:56.6
49:00.1
Oh, man, there’s uh, I want to cheat on this question
49:00.1
49:05.3
But I think you know if you’re just tuning in and there’s one thing there’s more than one thing
49:05.3
49:07.5
but if it had to be one I would say
49:08.0
49:13.9
Take a hard. Look at investing in the aw technical training in February and March of 2020
49:13.9
49:21.3
So go back to the earlier portions of this episode and and and listen to some of the components of making that decision
49:21.7
49:25.3
Getting the resources, but I think that you know in a nutshell
49:25.4
49:32.2
I think we’ll get the most benefit for somebody who’s just tuning in is looking for a specific action to take Reid
49:32.2
49:38.8
This has been a great interview and you’ve scored very well, but we now have the lightning round. So it’s anybody’s game
49:38.8
49:43.2
So are you ready to see how well you do? Let’s roll. Let’s do it
49:43.2
49:46.3
all right, you now have the ability to go back in time and
49:47.0
49:52.7
Visit yourself on your very first day as a water treat. What do you say to yourself?
49:54.1
50:01.0
Gosh, alright, I would say Reid create a plan to pass the CWT exam and get certified as soon as you can
50:01.0
50:03.9
That would be one thing. I wish I had done sooner
50:03.9
50:07.8
I could have done it sooner with my degree and I didn’t need the full five years
50:08.2
50:10.7
So I wish I wouldn’t have hesitated there
50:10.7
50:12.9
so
You know if I’m talking to read back in 2014
50:13.3
50:19.2
Set a date for as soon as I’m qualified and get working on it. What are the last three books that you’ve read?
50:19.5
50:25.0
Well, I’m you know, I fall prey to always having multiple books started not finished
50:25.0
50:30.8
but three three of the ones that that I have been reading and then some I finished were
50:31.0
50:36.7
The personal MBA by I think Josh Kaufman. That was a super helpful book
50:36.7
50:37.5
I
50:37.5
50:43.6
Always wanted to go back to school at some point and get my MBA but I I don’t think I’m gonna get the chance to
50:43.6
50:46.6
Do that and this was a book that I think pretty much
50:47.2
50:49.7
Helped alleviate my concern that I was gonna be
50:49.7
50:52.2
You know held back by not having that degree
50:52.6
50:57.9
And it gave me some awesome tools to be able to grasp in the business and I refer to it often
50:57.9
51:04.2
So the personal MBA I’d highly recommend I just read that last month another woman myths and mortals
51:04.3
51:06.6
that’s a book about family businesses and
51:07.6
51:10.2
generational businesses and being a generative leader
51:10.3
51:11.7
And that one was super
51:11.7
51:12.4
impactful
51:12.4
51:18.2
And then one that I’ve I’m still in the middle of because it’s a long one is 12 rules for life by Jordan Peterson
51:18.2
51:22.7
That’s been a super popular book out there and and it’s been very impactful on me
51:22.9
51:29.4
it’s no doubt that Hollywood is going to find out about the Reid Hutchison story and they are going to make a
51:29.5
51:33.6
movie when they do who should they cast as Reid I
51:34.9
51:38.1
Would say you know, because it’s got to be somebody from Hollywood
51:38.6
51:40.9
I’m reaching here and it’s I would say Chris Pratt
51:40.9
51:44.3
Yeah, that’s that’s who I think would probably best play me in the movie
51:44.3
51:47.2
And if you know who he is as an actor, you know
51:47.2
51:51.3
He’s he’s been in things in the Parks and Rec and I I relate to that character
51:51.4
51:56.8
But he’s also been in some some cool movies that I aspire to be as coolant. But yeah, Chris Pratt he’s
51:57.5
52:01.3
He’s a funny dude, and I think he I think he would do me justice
52:01.3
52:07.5
I actually had an opportunity to meet him once they do a lot of movies here in Atlanta
52:08.5
52:15.7
I ran into him was he a cool guy to me? Well, we were actually servicing a location where he was and
52:16.4
52:20.6
We didn’t have a very long dialogue, but he said hey, how’s it going?
52:20.6
52:25.0
I said hey and that was pretty much as far as it went. So yeah, we’re the best of friends now
52:25.8
52:31.8
My final question is now you have the ability to talk to anyone throughout history
52:31.8
52:34.4
Who would it be with and why well?
52:34.4
52:35.7
I mean in history
52:35.7
52:41.4
Give me a lot of people but I think one I would love to talk to would be super cool would be captain winters
52:41.6
52:42.4
dick winters
52:42.4
52:44.4
I think he passed a couple of years ago
52:44.5
52:51.7
But if anybody’s seen the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers about I think it’s easy company in world war two
52:51.7
52:56.4
there were a thing a paratrooper unit but a super powerful series I loved and
52:56.5
53:00.7
it was based on real guys and one of those guys was captain winters and he’s just a
53:00.9
53:02.9
he’s just an absolute stud and
53:02.9
53:08.6
They interview him a little bit in it like a documentary towards the end and I just think he’d be a fascinating guy to talk
53:08.6
53:09.3
to
53:09.3
53:12.5
Experience some amazing and difficult things and yeah
53:12.5
53:15.4
Maybe if one got to have a beer with I agree with you there
53:15.4
53:21.4
I had the opportunity to watch Band of Brothers with my grandfather who was a World War 2 vet
53:21.7
53:23.9
Who never talked about World War 2?
53:24.1
53:29.0
He shared a little bit of stuff with me as we were watching this
53:29.3
53:35.9
But the thing I remember most about captain winters. I remember they were playing poker in the back of a truck and
53:36.5
53:42.5
He fussed at one of his officers and he said never put yourself in a position where you can take anything
53:42.6
53:49.4
From these men your job is to lead these men. So that would be that would be a great conversation. I have no doubt
53:49.4
53:51.9
Yeah, well read this has been a great conversation
53:52.3
53:58.0
Thank you so much for coming on Scaling UP! h2o. We have covered so much ground
53:58.7
54:05.5
In this time, and I know we have helped a bunch of people out there in the Scaling UP! nation. Thank you so much
54:05.8
54:08.3
Thanks trace. It’s been a pleasure to talk with you
54:09.7
54:15.4
Reid once again, thank you for coming on Scaling UP! h2o. I enjoyed the interview
54:15.4
54:18.8
I know the listeners out there in the Scaling UP! nation
54:19.3
54:24.7
Enjoyed the information that you shared with us and folks. I don’t know about you
54:24.7
54:29.6
But when I hear somebody like we just share their day to day with us
54:29.6
54:30.1
it
54:30.1
54:36.6
makes me feel like I am part of a community a lot of times when we’re out there and we’re talking with a
54:36.7
54:43.7
Customer driving to another account talking to another customer driving to another account. It seems like we’re all by ourselves
54:44.6
54:47.4
Well folks you’re not you are part of a community
54:47.4
54:52.2
you are part of the Scaling UP! nation and the Scaling UP! nation is
54:52.6
54:58.9
Growing to incredible numbers when I started this podcast Wow, almost three years ago
54:58.9
55:05.7
I had no idea that we would reach the numbers that we are but let’s not stop there if you are
55:05.9
55:12.6
talking to a water treaty make sure you mentioned the Scaling UP! h2o podcast and
55:12.8
55:18.4
Get them to subscribe to the podcast. There’s so much great information on the show
55:18.4
55:22.1
and of course you can make it even greater by sharing your
55:22.3
55:28.3
ideas with me to do that go to Scaling UP! h2o comm and you can either leave me a voicemail or
55:28.4
55:33.8
Go to the show notes page to leave me your idea there folks. I love bringing this show to you
55:33.8
55:40.1
I love that you love Scaling UP! h2o and I’ll talk with you next week and until then
55:40.1
55:42.4
I hope you have a fantastic
55:43.0
55:45.0
week
55:48.3
55:56.2
Nation one of the keys of my success has been being a member of groups of people that help me
55:56.4
55:58.2
Get to the next level
55:58.2
56:02.4
let’s face it when we are bombarded with the day-to-day of
56:02.7
56:06.0
All of these tasks that we have to do in our job
56:06.0
56:11.5
It is so easy for us not to work on the things that we decided were most important to us
56:11.8
56:16.6
We work on things that are most important to other people the rising tide
56:17.2
56:18.6
mastermind is a
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group that will make sure that you’re considering all of the items that are available to you and
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Making sure that you are getting to the next level
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Simply put you will get where you want to go faster
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When you have a group of people that are encouraging you and keeping you
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Accountable to get there go to https://scalinguph2o.com/mastermind
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to see if this is the right group for you