Scaling UP! H2O scalinguph2o.com

I asked Michael Loewenstein on the podcast today to talk about his trailblazing presentation at AWT on Legionella Testing, and thankfully, he generously agreed to come on the podcast as my lab partner today. After listening to our cutting-edge conversation, I have a feeling you are going to want to learn more about the Cultural Method vs. the Rapid Method and submit Legionella samples to Michael for the next phase of his study so we’ve linked his contact information below. You know as well as I that when water treaters come together to share what we know, we can raise the bar for our entire industry, so I encourage everyone to further advance our industry by submitting samples as soon as they can. Buckle your seatbelts because this is going to be one groundbreaking conversation!
For those of you who missed his presentation at AWT, Michael Loewenstein is the Vice President of Scientific Consulting at Q Labs LLC in Cincinnati, OH. He earned his B.S. in Microbiology, with a research focus in Molecular Genetics and Cellular Physiology from The Ohio State University. After graduation, Michael obtained a position in Corporate R&D Microbiology at Procter & Gamble where he focused on the development and validation of rapid/alternative microbial test methods and developed and launched preservative systems across a broad range of P&G products.  
Throughout the course of his career, Michael has developed a substantial depth of expertise in “end-to-end” Microbiology - from product development and formulation through microbiological control of manufacturing, and he has published several articles on this subject. Michael worked as Site Microbiology Manager for a P&G drug manufacturing facility just prior to accepting the position with Q Labs in December 2018.  
Michael currently serves in a volunteer capacity for several professional associations, including the AOAC Microbial Contaminants Expert Review Panel, and both the Microbiology Committee and Manufacturing Hygiene Task Force of the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC). Michael is also looking forward to becoming more involved with the Cooling Water subcommittee of AWT. 
 
Bottom line: Michael Loewenstein is on the show to share the revolutionary results of his most recent scientific study on Legionella testing.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client. 
-Trace 
 
Timestamps: 
Upcoming events [0:30]
Thinking On Water With James: Are you stuck in a rut? [4:06]
Getting to know Michael Loewenstein [6:15]
Why the “Gold Standard” Method for Legionella testing isn’t standardized  [8:50]
The new/modern Rapid Method’s capabilities [10:50]
The Cultural Method vs. Rapid Method [11:40]
Understanding Quantitative vs. Qualitative Legionella analysis [17:50]
Potential pre-treatment problems with the Cultural Method [20:50]
How COVID-19 increased public knowledge on PCR testing [ 23:08]
What you need to know when switching from the Cultural Method to the Rapid Method [24:30]
How to make a Hazard Strategy [29:00] 
Advantages to the PCR Method [30:40]
Lightning round questions [37:50]
 
Quotes:
“In reality, the “Gold Standard” of Legionella testing methods are not the same.” - Michael Loewenstein
“Today, the Rapid Methods can distinguish live from dead cells, they are quantitative, and can characterize the Legionella to some degree.” - Michael Loewenstein
“Modern technologies have found ways to discount the genetic materials from dead cells, so they now only count the genetic materials from live Legionella in the water sample.” - Michael Loewenstein
“PCR is much more sensitive than the Cultural Method, so it puts the water treater in a proactive position rather than reactive.” - Michael Loewenstein
“At low levels, the Cultural Method is highly variable and not particularly sensitive.” - Michael Loewenstein
“Quantitative - how much Legionella is there? vs. Qualitative - is Legionella there or not?”

We’ve talked about what Legionella bacteria is and how to prevent Legionella from developing in your clients’ systems on previous podcast episodes (see list of episodes below), but what do you do when your building does test positive for Legionella bacteria? Over the past few months, the Scaling Up Nation has submitted dozens of questions on this topic, so on today’s episode, we’re answering your questions covering everything from what options to consider when treating Legionella bacteria in your client’s systems to what the drawbacks those three remediation techniques have; and many more listener-submitted questions during my interview with Dr. Alberto Comazzi.
For those of you who don’t know Alberto Comazzi, let me introduce you: he is a member of the ASHRAE SSPC 188 committee, AWWA premise plumbing committee, and the AWT pre-treatment committee. Alberto is certified to ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI 12080 Legionella Water Safety and Management Personnel. The author and co-author of fifteen scientific papers, and the Technical Director at Sanipur US, based in Philadelphia PA, Alberto was the first person I thought to have on the show to answer questions about treating systems positive for Legionella.
Alberto Comazzi has a Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Milan, Italy. His research during his academic experience was focused on the study of the stability and the interaction among different chlorine-based water disinfectants. He has presented at over 20 conferences and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to him for coming on the show today!
 
Bottom line: Albert knows exactly what you should do when treating a system that tests positive for  Legionella bacteria.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client. 
 -Trace 
 
Timestamps: 
James’ Challenge: Explain to a non-technical person how an absorption chiller works. [2:20] 
Introducing Alberto Comazzi, Ph.D. [8:13]
Frequent testing for Legionella  [12:59]
The three Legionella remediation options and their drawbacks: Heat and Flush, Filters, Supplemental Disinfectant [14:52]
If a customer requests Supplemental Disinfectant, what should you consider and what questions should you ask so you can develop the right plan for them? [28:05]
Other harmful water pathogens and re-opening buildings after COVID [36:55]
Why should your company get involved with Water Hygiene? [46:47]
What are some unforeseen pitfalls to look out for and your best advice for our water treatment listeners? [50:07]
Lightning round questions [55:25]
 
Quotes:
“The awareness about Legionella is much higher than it was two years ago for two main reasons: buildings are reopening and public awareness of infections in general.” -Alberto Comazzi,  Ph.D.
“There isn’t one silver bullet for water management.” -Alberto Comazzi,  Ph.D.
“You need to be proactive about testing for Legionella; that’s the only way to know if your plan is working.” -Alberto Comazzi,  Ph.D.
“A water treatment provider needs to give their customer what they want and be able to do what’s best for them.” -Alberto Comazzi,  Ph.D.
“We’re coming out of COVID and as buildings are re-opening there is definitely an increased awareness about Legionella and other waterborne pathogens from the people outside of the healthcare industry.” -Alberto Comazzi,  Ph.D.
“When you do water hygiene, you are helping public health, buildings, and you are saving lives.”  -Alberto Comazzi,  Ph.D.
“The most important reason to do water hygiene is to help public health.” -Alberto Comazzi,  Ph.D.
 
Connect with Alberto:
Phone: 267-326-2353
Email: a.comazzi@sanipur.it 
Website: www.sanipur.com  
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberto-comazzi-132637128/ 
 
Links Mentioned:
The Rising Tide Mastermind
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Dr. Richard Seligman invented the plate heat exchanger in 1923
 
Legionella Episodes:
203 The One W

Darrell Amy knows how to help businesses grow. Rolling up his sleeves, he works behind the scenes with executives, sales leaders, and marketing professionals to develop and execute revenue growth strategies. He knows what works and what doesn’t, and he is sharing this information in his new best-selling book, Revenue Growth Engine: How To Align Marketing and Sales to Accelerate Growth. 
Over the past 27 years, Darrell has been a leader in sales and marketing, giving him a unique perspective on sales and marketing alignment. In sales, he has trained over 1,000 salespeople and developed training programs for multiple Fortune 500 companies. Since 2004, he has also led a marketing agency, helping companies leverage the latest digital marketing strategies. 
As a member of the Forbes Business Council and the C-Suite Network Advisors team, Darrell advises executives on ways to grow. He co-founded Convergo, a firm that helps companies align marketing and sales to drive growth. Darrell is the host of the Revenue Growth Podcast and the co-host of the Selling From the Heart Podcast. As a board member of several non-profit organizations, Darrell is especially passionate about helping companies increase revenue so they can give back to their communities and impact the world.
 
Bottom line: Darrell Amy is going to teach us how to align sales and marketing to drive accelerated growth.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.  
-Trace 
 
Timestamps: 
Connecting with associations and upcoming events in 2022 [1:30]
Introducing Darrell Amy, best-selling author [7:00]
Where does revenue come from? [10:00]
Sales and Marketing working together [13:00]
The importance of Processes [20:00]
Visualize the customer experience and measure success with metrics [26:20]
Growth goals using the Ruler Method [32:39]
Lightning round questions [38:33]
Thinking On Water With James [45:45]
 
Thinking On Water With James: Damaged underdrains in a water softener
What troubleshooting steps could you take to determine if a softener underdrain is damaged before you have to remove the resin and gravel?  What makes you suspect the damage? What other causes can be ruled out first, to save you time? What can damage an underdrain?  
 
Quotes:
“Every business has an engine. That engine is the sum total of your Sales and Marketing efforts moving towards growing the company.” - Darrell Amy
“Revenue is the lifeblood of business. It allows us to fund new projects and fund new growth.” - Darrell Amy
“Revenue opens up opportunities.” - Darrell Amy
“Marketing is the message of the company to a prospect, and the Sales Team is communicating one to one with an individual prospect.” - Darrell Amy
“Buyers don’t buy products and services; they buy the outcomes your products and services enable. So what outcomes does your client want?” - Darrell Amy
“What do we want our customer’s journey to look like? Think through those stages.” - Darrell Amy
“The selling doesn't stop when you get an order. The selling just begins.” - Darrell Amy
“Number of clients and revenue per client helps you to set goals.” - Darrell Amy
 
Connect with Darrell Amy:
Phone: 501-626-4110 
Email: damy@revenuegrowthengine.net
Website: www.revenuegrowthengine.net
LinkedIn: in/darrellamy
Podcast: Revenue Growth Podcast
Podcast with Larry Levine: Selling from the Heart
 
Links Mentioned:
Submit a Show Idea
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
232 The One Where We Celebrate What We Learned In 2021
204 Pinks and Blues Questions From The Nation! Being Profitable
Entrepreneurial Operating System
Convergo
The Rising Tide Mastermind
 
Events:
European Smart Water Utilities 2022 Exhibition and Conference – January 26 to 27 
International Conference on Wastewater Treatment Processes and Water Quality – January 28 to 29 (New York, NY)
 
Books Mentioned:
Revenue Growth Engine by Darrell Amy
St

This is the podcast where we “Scale up on knowledge so we don't scale up our systems.” I’m your host, Trace Blackmore, and today, I want to motivate you to be your best self this year. 
Before we dive in, I want to ask you a couple of questions:
What do you want to accomplish in 2022?  How are you going to accomplish what you set out to do?  What is your motivation for wanting that accomplishment?  How will you celebrate once you achieve your goals? Today, I’m going to walk through the strategies the Rising Tide Mastermind uses to accomplish our goals, and we will also be using THIS strategy from Brian Moran’s book, 12 Week Year.
 
Bottom line: I’m challenging you to stop living in default mode, and to truly stretch yourself to grow personally and professionally.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.  
-Trace 
 
Timestamps: 
Don’t live life by default [2:00]
How The Rising Tide Mastermind members make goals and plans [3:20]
It all starts with the review [8:15]
A word of caution [12:20]
Planning 3 years out [15:00]
Goals for these 5 areas: Personal, Spiritual, Relational, Professional, Financial [18:50]
Leveraging the “12 Week Year” [28:20]
Using your calendar as a tool [34:00]
Writing it down and sharing it [40:00]
Thinking On Water with James [42:02] #TOW22
 
Thinking On Water with James: Control Ranges
How many are enough, and when do you reach overkill? Should you set control ranges on items you cannot control, or do you set them so you are warned to take actions down the line? How tight do you make the control ranges? Can the controller instrumentation maintain the selected control ranges? Is the test procedure used accurate enough to achieve the control range? Is the control range so broad a truck could drive through it? 
 
Quotes:
“So many of us are so eager to start something new that we don’t take into account what life is teaching us.” - Trace Blackmore
“Make sure you stretch yourself this year; that’s where the personal growth will happen.” - Trace Blackmore
“Now might not be the right time.” - Trace Blackmore
“Are these goals appropriate for the season of life you are in right now?” - Trace Blackmore
“Any goal you push off could lose steam.”  - Trace Blackmore
“The hardest thing in this process is moving that first domino.” - Trace Blackmore
“Be specific and intentional about what you want to accomplish and write them down.” - Trace Blackmore
“Life is dynamic; your schedule needs to be dynamic as well.”  - Trace Blackmore
“Accountability: it takes things out of your head and allows others to know about it.” - Trace Blackmore
 
Connect with Scaling UP H2O: 
Email: corrine@blackmore-enterprises.com (podcast producer)
Submit a show idea: Submit a Show Idea
Scaling UP! H2O on LinkedIn: company/scalinguph2o
Scaling UP! H2O on Facebook: @H2OScalingUP
 
Links Mentioned: 
122 The One with Reid Hutchison
232 The One Where We Celebrate What We Learned In 2021
092 The One About My TED Talk Experience
The Rising Tide Mastermind
Submit a Show Idea
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
 
Events:
The Hang Networking Event- @6pm EST, USA January 20, 2022
WEF (Water Environment Federation) Forum 2022 – Particles and Colloids – the Next Frontier in Intensifying Water Resource Recovery – January 10 to 12, 2022 
2022 ABMA (American Boiler Manufacturers Association) Annual Meeting – January 14 to 17, 2022  
 
Books Mentioned:
The 12 Week Year
Check Out Our Resources Page For Discounts
 

Happy New Year! 2021 was chocked full of incredible guests, great live events, fun networking at The Hang, and so many lessons learned. Join me today as I reflect back on some of the biggest lessons I learned in 2021 and I invite you to help me make the Scaling UP! H2O Podcast a more valuable tool for industrial water treaters around the world in 2022.
We published 58 episodes this year, and thanks to generous guests, faithful sponsors, and talented staff, those episodes impacted the water treatment community to succeed in ways we could not have dreamed about nearly 5 years ago when I published the first  Scaling UP! H2O episode. 
 
Bottom line: 2021 is a year worth celebrating.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client. 
 -Trace 
 
Timestamps: 
What the pandemic has taught us over the past two years  [2:00] 
Thank you! [4:50]
Celebrating The Hang and other successes [7:20]
What we learned in 2021 [11:00]
Being profitable in 2022 [23:40]
The Rising Tide Mastermind Live Event and the Scaling UP! H2O Meeting Up at AWT [31:00]
Celebrating the 4th Industrial Water Week [33:40]
Raw Materials Supply Chain Update [36:00]
The last James’ Challenge for 2021: “Always be improving. Those who plateau will never catch up.” [42:45]
Thank you Scaling UP! H2O staff and sponsors [44:00]
 
Quotes:
“We have a community, The Scaling UP Nation, and it brings water treaters together.” - Trace Blackmore
“Water treatment is too awesome to not talk about.” - Trace Blackmore
“When we come together as a community, we can help each other.”  - Trace Blackmore
“We will get through this, we will learn some things as we go through this, and as a community, we are going to help each other get better as we go through it.” - Trace Blackmore
“Growth starts on the inside, after all.” - Trace Blackmore
 
Links Mentioned:
Rising Tide Mastermind
175 The First One of 2021
179 The Second One About Temperaments (with Kathleen Edelman)
I Said This, You Heard That Study
184 The One Where I Interview My Mastermind Mentor (with Aaron Walker)
ISI Mastermind
187 The One Where Conor Parrish Interviews Me, Part 2
190 Pinks and Blues Questions From The Nation! (4th Year Anniversary Special)
200 The One Where We Celebrate Our 200th Episode! 
204 Pinks and Blues Questions From The Nation! Being Profitable
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
215 Industrial Water Week 2021: Pretreatment Monday
221 Raw Materials Supply Chain Update Roundtable
223 Pinks and Blues: Michael Standish on Phosphate Replacements
231 The One About Our Passion To Improve The Water Treatment Industry 
182 The One Where We Share How We Create The Scaling UP! H2O Podcast
 
Connect with:
Kathleen Edelman on LinkedIn: in/coachkathleenedelman
Aaron Walker on LinkedIn:in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop
Conor Parish on LinkedIn: in/conor-parrish-cwt-15208251
Michael Standish on LinkedIn: in/mike-standish-7890627
James McDonald on LinkedIn: in/james-mcdonald-pe
Sean Dooley on LinkedIn:in/sean-dooley-0630b210
Corrine Drury on LinkedIn: in/corrinedrury
Margie Davin on LinkedIn: in/margiedavin
 
Books Mentioned:
I Said This, You Heard That by Kathleen Edelman
The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
 
Events:
The Hang - January 20 @ 6:00 p.m. EST
World Water Day - March 22
AWT Annual Convention - September 21 to 24 (Vancouver, Canada)
2022 Technical Training Seminars (West) – February 23 to 26 (Seattle, WA)
2022 Technical Training Seminars (East) – March 30 to April 02 (Cleveland, OH)
Industrial Water Week 2022 - October 3 to 7
 

I’m your host Trace Blackmore and in today’s episode, I answer your question in this Pinks and Blues episode that is all about PROFIT.
As many of you know, my favorite thing about this industry is solving my clients’ problems. Early in my career I didn’t want to take the time to look at my business' numbers, but once I understood how to look at the data, I could make better decisions, which increased my profits, and that increase in profit made my business better.
Everyone knows that profit is important. But how do you know what you’re really making when you service that new account of yours?
In today’s episode, I’m answering your questions and we’re going to walkthrough:
What is Profit, Revenue, Gross Profit, Gross Margin, Operating Profit, Net Profit, and Labor Costs How to know if you are making a profit How to see the big picture so you can make better decisions for your company The secret thing every business owner needs to share with their employees to increase the company’s profit
Bottom line:  When you unpack the real cost of what it is that you do, you can truly see where you should be spending your time.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.
-Trace
 
Timestamps:  
Questions from the Nation: What do revenue, gross profit, and margin mean? How can we calculate that manually if our company doesn’t have a reporting system? [3:58]
When you run your own business, you are responsible for every piece of that business [6:25]
Figuring out Gross Margin [9:30]
Looking at Operating Expenses and Net Profit [11:50]
CTA: Look at your data [14:09]
Challenge for business owners: share your financial data with your team [16:26]
Business lessons learned from my Mastermind and Business Coach [17:36]
James’ Challenge: “Install or change out corrosion coupons.” [23:38]
 
Quotes: 
“If you understand the data, you’ll be able to make better decisions.” - Trace Blackmore
“When you run your own business, you have to be responsible for everything in that business.” - Trace Blackmore
“Gross Margin: A company’s net revenue minus the cost of goods.” - Trace Blackmore
“Most people don’t think about operating expenses.” - Trace Blackmore
“Once you subtract Operating Expenses from the Gross Profit what you have left is the Net Profit.”
“Many of us do not know what the actual profit is on an account we are service.” -Trace Blackmore
“Profit is all that matters.” - Trace Blackmore
“Many of us do not know what the actual profit is on an account we are servicing.” - Trace Blackmore
“How much is your time worth and are you using it at its highest and best value.” -Trace Blackmore
“When you unpack the real cost of what we do, you can truly see where you should be spending your time.” - Trace Blackmore
“I think if you ask any CFO worth anything, they will tell you the only number that matters is profit.” - Trace Blackmore
“Profit is all that matters.” - Trace Blackmore
“Profit allows us to grow the company and make it better.” - Trace Blackmore
 
Links Mentioned: 
Submit a Show Idea 
The Rising Tide Mastermind
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
 
Books Mentioned: 
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber 
Financial Intelligence, A Managers Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean by Berman and Knight 
Accounting for Non-Accountants by Wayne A. Label