Scaling UP! H2O

Today, I invited Aaron Walker AKA " Big A" back on the podcast to talk about his experience when he went on a two-month Sabbatical in 2021.  As a business owner, Big A founded 14 companies over the past 42 years, and going on a Sabbatical was a difficult thing to consider. But with the persuasion of many of his Mastermind group members and his doctor, he went on a Sabbatical on November 1st, 2021,...

Five years ago, I recorded Episode 1 with my Bluetooth headset and sent it off for approval on Apple Podcasts. My primary goal when I made the first episode was to create something that industrial water treaters could listen to while they drove from account to account. I wanted to make something that would help water treaters expand their general water treatment knowledge. What I didn't expect whe...

I've always said that the water treatment industry is the best industry in the world. The opportunities in the water industry are endless. If you work in the water treatment industry, you know that you'll be secure for the rest of your life. Businesses will always need water treaters, everyone will always need clean water. In today's episode, my lab partner is someone who's worked in the water tre...

Scaling UP Nation, I will talk about something that I personally don't gravitate to, and maybe you have been putting it on the back burner as well: Marketing. That is why I invited Marketing Professional Mark Robinson , the co-founder of LeadPillar to teach us different Marketing Techniques so we can create our own Marketing Plan.  Mark calls himself a "Marketing Nerd" or "Marketing Addict". One o...

Happy World Water Day! We've been celebrating World Water Day since 1993, and this year we are celebrating in an extra special way. My guest today is someone whom I introduced on Episode 236 when I interviewed Reid Hutchison; it's none other than Steve Spear of Team World Vision.  World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communit...

On episode 221, I hosted a Raw Materials Supply Chain Update Roundtable with Mike Standish of Radical Polymers, Jill Cavano of Scranton Associates, John Zibrita of Zibex, and Gary Garcia of Masters Company. We talked about Supply Chain issues, and how it is affecting the water treatment industry. Since then, I've received numerous questions about something that is concerning many water treaters ri...

I met my lab partner today a couple of years ago at an AWT panel of Young Professionals in the water industry, and I was impressed with the things he does and how he has engineered solutions to problems that many water treaters face. A few years later, he now has his own company that provides bacteria testing, test kits, buffers, and digital refractometers. I'm proud to introduce to you Landon Mar...

My lab partner today is someone the Scaling Up Nation can  learn a lot from: Michael Byerley of Global Water Technology, Inc . I met Michael several years ago, and I was instantly amazed by how put together and intelligent he was. His ability to learn and listen made a strong impression on me, that when I started the Rising Tide Mastermind, Michael was one of the first people I reached out to! Mic...

On the last Pinks and Blues episode, Episode 237, we had a listener ask about "all things Cooling Tower cleaning" . Well, in true Trace Blackmore fashion, I took you on the scenic route, and we never got to talk about actually how to clean a Cooling Tower; instead, we focused on WHY we clean Cooling Towers, what they are, and how they work. If you haven't listened to episode 237 yet, I encourage y...

Throughout the years, selling has developed a negative connotation, and there are even salespeople who don't admit that it's their job! Don't get me wrong; I love that I am a salesperson. I love that I get to connect others with the potential solution that I can offer them. So in this episode, I invited someone who will redefine what you think of sales: Bob Davis . I met Bob in one of the classes...

Today, a very special colleague of mine came to the show: Charlie Heineman, CWT . Charlie and I first met when we took the Certified Water Technologist ( CWT) Exam in Atlanta back in 2002. To date, Charlie is still an active member of AWT in the CWT and Business Resources committees.  With more than 40 years of experience in the water treatment industry, Charlie started his water treatment career...

Nation, welcome to 2022's very first Pinks and Blues episode. For all of our new listeners, at least once a month, the Scaling UP! H2O podcast answers YOUR questions, and we call these episodes "Pinks and Blues".  In today's Pinks and Blues, I start answering a very interesting question from one of our listeners: "What are the dos and don't of cleaning a Cooling Tower?". Before I can answer that q...

In today's episode, we are bringing back Reid Hutchison of HOH Water Technology in Palatine, IL to talk about what YOU, as a professional water treater, can do to change the world. I know that sounds like a lofty goal, and maybe that sounds too high-reaching, but hear me out… industrial water treaters can change the world. Reid is proof that if you prioritize the right things today, you, everyone...

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 f...

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...

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?...

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 thank...

True story: Years ago, when I was sitting in Atlanta traffic, I had an idea pop into my mind to start a podcast for water treaters, and the first person I called to get their advice about starting such a venture was James McDonald . I called James because he was someone I respected in the industry and he was also someone who was already generously giving his time to help our industry improve, than...

I got to know this week's guest over LinkedIn and it was a blast to have him on the show. Walid Khoury is a water strategist, investor, and influencer and has such a wealth of knowledge to share with the water treatment industry.  Walid has 20 years of industry experience having worked for GE , Nalco , and Danaher . Over the years, Walid built and led diverse and inclusive water teams, selling tec...

Scaling Up Nation, I cannot wait to introduce you to my lab partner this week Tammy Phillips of HOH Water Technology, Inc .  Tammy and I met at one of HOH's business events a few years ago, and the thing that immediately impressed me about her was how she was able to leverage her degree in Building Construction to become a powerful sales person who seeks out water treatment opportunities in health...

The job market is competitive these days, to say the least. If your company has been trying to hire younger water treaters and you haven't had much success in the recruiting process, I have the perfect podcast guest for you to learn from. Her name is Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang , and she is a college professor turned entrepreneur, education consultant, and career and life coach with more than 15 years of...

Scaling Up Nation, I cannot wait to introduce you to today's guest, Larry Pond . Larry is an expert in Compliance and Quality Assurance at IWC Innovations . Today, Larry and I are going to discuss how to prevent Legionella and other water-borne pathogens by having a good water management plan in place for each of your clients. Larry is a great communicator and my hope is that he inspires you to ha...

Scaling UP Nation, one of the things I love most about hosting this podcast is the people I've met because I host this podcast. One of the people I've had the pleasure of connecting with because of this podcast is Jed Kosch .    You may have seen Jed Kosch's "Rul e of Thumb Thursdays" videos on LinkedIn, but before he started posting helpful articles and videos for water treatment professionals he...

Any long-time listener will know that Rory Vaden ' s book " Procrastinate on Purpose " changed my life. I am a BIG fan of his books and talks and I know I'm not his only fan because millions of people watched his TEDx talk titled " Multiply your time by asking 4 questions about the stuff on your to-do list ." Rory is a professional speaker, author, and entrepreneur who has a childlike curiosity wi...

As water treaters, there are always new things being added to our plates, and there are only so many hours in the day to get them all done. It is a tension that nearly every water treater faces. However, there are ways to get more time back in your work day as long as you have the right solutions, so I asked one of the most Internet Of Things (IoT) connected people I know to be a guest on today's...