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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
4:21.7
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
4:35.8
4:39.2
that you guys do that you supply to the
water treatment industry so let me ask
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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
5:02.6
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
8:24.8
8:29.6
younger people in the field well you
have proven to everybody here everybody
8:29.6
8:34.5
in the water treatment community that
you are in the water treatment industry
8:34.5
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
9:40.8
9:44.9
know what that’s something that I can
see myself doing and I want to get on
9:44.9
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
11:44.2
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
12:03.5
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