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Scaling UP! H2O

Scaling UP! H2O

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The podcast where we scale up on knowledge so we don't scale up our systems. Find out why working in Industrial Water Treatment is the best job in the world. Hear industry experts share their knowledge and stories. Learn about technologies, methods, and career journeys. Join podcast host Trace Blackmore, former AWT President, LEED, and CWT every Friday for a new episode.© 2018 All Rights Reserved, Blackmore Enterprises, Inc. Economía
Episodios
  • 451 Building a Culture of Innovation and Customer Service with Frank Lecrone

    451 Building a Culture of Innovation and Customer Service with Frank Lecrone
    Nov 21 2025
    What happens when you build a company around one niche, listen obsessively to customers, and never stop improving? In this episode, host Trace Blackmore finally sits down for a full-length conversation with Frank Lecrone, Founder, President, and CEO of AquaPhoenix Scientific. What started in a small 60' x 60' space in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with three employees, maxed-out credit cards, and endless Staples runs has grown into a 300+-person organization serving industrial water professionals around the world. Frank shares how AquaPhoenix became "the booth everyone wants to be next to" at AWT, why they built their entire business around industrial water treatment instead of trying to be everything to everyone, and how a simple continuous improvement system now generates hundreds of ideas a year from frontline team members. He also pulls back the curtain on acquisitions and private equity, explaining EBITDA in plain language, how to think about "add-backs," and what owners should understand long before they think about selling. Whether you're leading a growing company, running a route, or thinking about your own "second chapter," this conversation is a masterclass in culture, courage, and caring deeply about the people you serve. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:20 - Trace Blackmore shares a recap from the recent 2025 AWT Conference, The Hang, and a Blood Donation Story 14:02 - Water You Know with James McDonald 15:20 - Upcoming Conference for Water Professionals 18:16 – Introduction of Frank Lecrone, CEO of AquaPhoenix Scientific (eight years in the making) 24:52 – Why Hanover? 26:59 – Supporting AWT 37:38 – Color-coded caps & QR Codes 42:30 – Learning from mistakes 45:31 – Core Values 48:26 – Acquisitions and Culture 1:03:32 – Valuations and EBITDA Quotes "We didn't grow by doing everything for everyone. We grew by doing exactly what one market needed and wanted—and then doing it better every year." "The lack of information is almost always interpreted negatively. That's why you have to over-communicate, especially during acquisitions." "EBITDA equals freedom. The more EBITDA you have, the less anybody can tell you what to do with your own company." "We're not perfect. We screw things up like everyone else—but we fix it, and we fix it quickly, and we make doing business with us as easy as possible." "I don't want to be the smartest person in the room. I want great people around me, giving ideas and pushing things forward, so I'm not the bottleneck." "Business is like standing in a bathtub while the water rises. It feels fine until it reaches your mouth. The trick is noticing when it's at your knees and fixing the bottleneck then." "We give a darn. We have 'GAS'—Give a #$%@—and if we can make it right and do it better, we absolutely will." Connect with Frank Lecrone Email: frank@aquaphoenixsci.com Website: Water Quality Testing Products | AquaPhoenix Scientific LinkedIn: Frank Lecrone | LinkedIn Guest Resources Mentioned AquaPhoenix Scientific Aliquot – AquaPhoenix's Water Management Software QR-coded Custom Test Kits (AquaPhoenix EndPoint® ID) Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind American Red Cross Water You Know with James McDonald Question: What industrial water treatment word is derived from the Greek word meaning "claw?" 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
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    1 h y 39 m
  • 450 Wastewater Advocacy and Innovation with Robin Deal

    450 Wastewater Advocacy and Innovation with Robin Deal
    Nov 14 2025
    "The More You Know" - Robin Deal A million-gallon-a-day perspective, distilled into actionable steps. Robin Deal, AquaPure Product Manager at Hubbard-Hall unpacks how seasoned pros can squeeze more performance—and less sludge—out of industrial wastewater systems without compromising compliance or plant uptime. From "clear water in a jar" to stable discharge in the field Robin details a practical jar-testing workflow: start from upstream processes, target pH using hydroxide/sulfide solubility curves, choose the right coagulant (aluminum, iron, calcium, lanthanum, or organics), and validate against metals/COD/BOD/phosphorus before scaling. The test bench isn't the finish line; it's the feasibility gate when you're treating 150,000+ gpd. Lean wastewater: cost center or controllable system? Commodity choices (lime, alum, ferric) can generate 70–85% more sludge than optimized blends—driving hazardous waste hauling, clogging lines, and shortening pump life. Robin reframes the "penny-per-pound" price war into a total-system economics conversation: sludge recyclability, maintenance cycles, and realistic break-even targets. PFAS: remove now, plan to destroy For hex-chrome platers and other industrial dischargers, Robin shares near-term and emerging options: carbon filtration for immediate removal, evaporation/condensation where capital exists, and destruction pathways under evaluation—advanced oxidation, electrochemical oxidation, "thermobotic agglomeration," and ball milling—with an eye on evolving limits and cost realities. One Water thinking for manufacturers "Water is water." Robin introduces the One Water mindset for plant leaders: tighten internal loops, reduce community draw and discharge impact, and align non-contact, potable, and wastewater under one stewardship model. It's not a club—it's a decision framework that's already influencing global brands and drought-stressed regions. Treat each round of testing as a hypothesis check, each chemical as a system lever, and each gallon as a shared resource. That's how leaders turn compliance into predictable results. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 16:45 - Trace Blackmore shares insights on current industry events, an upcoming conference, the "magic button" idea for user-friendly wastewater control and announces The Hang to build community engagement 17:50 - Water You Know with James McDonald 23:04 - Interview begins: Robin Deal introduced as AquaPure Product Manager, origin story and family context 28:12 - First Jar Test Story 32:17 - Jar testing Workflow 42:34 - One Water concept 54:12 - Regulations Quotes "Just say yes to the job." "Lime is not a lean." "Best available technology does not mean best economic." "So just deep breath, stay calm and do the best that we can do and wait for those regulations to come out because they are coming" "Turn off the water in the polymer tank." Connect with Robin Deal Email: robin.renee47@yahoo.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robin-deal https://www.linkedin.com/company/hubbard-hall-inc./ Guest Resources Mentioned The Wandering Inn: Book One in The Wandering Inn Series by pirateaba Water Reuse Organization American Water Works Association Water Environment Federation Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Start With Why Simon Sinek TedTalk The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team by Patrick M. Lencioni James McDonald's Be Like Water Series Drop by Drop: Articles on Industrial Water Treatment by James McDonald Water You Know with James McDonald Question: What is the device called that is installed on the effluent line of an ion exchange unit to prevent resin from ending up downstream where it doesn't belong? 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
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    1 h y 12 m
  • 449 Michael Bourgeois on AWT Partnerships and Professional Growth

    449 Michael Bourgeois on AWT Partnerships and Professional Growth
    Nov 7 2025
    Get stuck in – Michael Bourgeois, CWT How do standards get written in ways that working water treaters can actually meet? In this conversation, AWT Past President, current Related Trade Organization (RTO) Committee Chair, and Chemco Products Company Operations Manager, Michael Bourgeois CWT, explains how AWT's liaisons collaborate with peer organizations, so guidance reflects field reality—operations, risk, and achievable compliance. From Field Bags to Board Rooms: Why RTOs Matter Bourgeois outlines the purpose of AWT's RTO structure: volunteer liaisons track and influence work at groups whose missions overlap with industrial water—CTI, ABMA, ASHRAE, AWWA, ASHE, and others. The aim is simple and practical: make sure member voices are heard so guidance advances health outcomes (e.g., Legionella control) and day-to-day feasibility for service providers and suppliers. Turning Reaction into Proaction Historically, the industry learned about new rules after they landed. Bourgeois details how AWT is shifting to co-authoring cooling-water guidelines with CTI and re-engaging ABMA, so boiler-water limits and methods reflect current technologies and operations. The model: clarify shared goals, contribute content expertise, and formalize collaboration so members get usable documents at member pricing. Concrete Moves: Boiler Water, Healthcare, and More Examples include AWT's role on ABMA's Boiler Expo steering committee (with a focused water-treatment training block) and early conversations with ASHE on pathogen control in building and healthcare water systems. He describes how liaisons feed updates into a formal committee cadence, so the AWT Board and members see progress—not just headlines. When working professionals help write the playbook, outcomes improve clients, operators, and public health—and members stop "reacting" to standards they had no hand in shaping. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 00:02:28 - Trace Blackmore shares his AWT excitement & community shout-outs 00:05:16 - Water You Know with James McDonald 00:06:44 - The magic of the Scaling Up buttons (why & how to use them) 00:20:25 - North Metal Quarterly Magazine (Grab physical copy by visiting Booth 212) 00:27:00 - Interview starts: Mike Bourgeois (Chemco; AWT Past President; RTO Chair) 00:33:58 - What is the RTO Committee and why it exists 00:36:31 - The 10 formal collaborators + 4–6 informal 00:36:43 - AWWA/ASDWA (Joe Hannigan); Premise plumbing link 00:38:19 - ASHE (healthcare engineering) early wins (Reid Hutchinson) 00:38:47 - ABMA (boilers) momentum (Steve Jobin) + Women of Boilers 00:40:28 - CTI (Mike); CDC (Patsy Root); WEF (Brian Liotta) 00:40:46 - AMPP (formerly NACE) (Jay Farmerie); WQA (Chuck Hamrick) 00:41:19 - ASHRAE (Bill Pearson) & the impact on Std 188 00:45:26 - Principle: Be proactive so standards are achievable for members 00:47:34 - Boiler Expo: half-day on water treatment (economics, pretreatment, failures, regs) 00:50:56 - Where to learn about RTO work 00:54:19 - Volunteers needed: attributes of great liaisons 00:58:48 - Breakthrough: ABMA boiler water guideline refresh (toward ASME alignment) 01:01:02 - Potential collaboration with ASHE on pathogen control guidance 01:01:39 - What Mike's most excited to see at the Broadmoor 01:02:22 - Mike's session: new OSHA walk-around rules 01:02:51 - Theme of the conversation: "Get stuck in" (join committees) Quotes "The button is magic—it breaks the ice for you and starts real conversations." "Talk to every single booth. A year from now, you'll remember exactly who can help." "RTO stands for Related Trade Organization—our way to shape the standards that shape us." "Why write a standard no one can achieve? AWT's role is to make it achievable." "If you want to help AWT, get stuck in. Volunteer. It pays back 10 to 100-fold." "AWT's RTO liaisons keep members' interests represented before rules and guidelines are finalized—so they're practical and achievable." "Look for committees aligned with your strengths." Connect with Michael Bourgeois Email: mbourgeois@chemcoprod.com Website: Home | Chemco Products Company LinkedIn: Michael Bourgeois, CWT | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/chemco-products-company/ Guest Resources Mentioned ABMA's Boiler Water Quality Requirements and Associated Steam Quality for Industrial/Commercial and Institutional Boilers Atlas Shrugged (Centennial Ed.) Hardcover – April 21, 2005 by Ayn Rand AWT Committee AWT Get Involved Cancer Ward: A Novel (FSG Classics) Paperback – April 14, 2015 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Author) Cooling Technology Institute (CTI) Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas--Not Less Hardcover – by Alex Epstein ...
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    1 h y 17 m
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