Adding to the Value
Membrane Technology
November 2006
Complied by Jeff Garwood and Steve Watzeck
GE brings complete, integrated offerings to municipalities
Maxwell on Water
Water & Wastes Digest
May 2006
By Steve Maxwell
As major water industry assets continue to change hands, the competitive situation in the water industry has become very complicated
Water/Wastewater Utilities—Business Planning
Water & Wastes Digest
December 2005
By Mike Freeman, Chris Fabian and Stefanie Mosteller
Small and mid-sized utilities must understand business strategy, organization, management, finance, technology and operations
Just Another Day at the Beach
Water & Wastes Digest
May 2005
By Don Richard
Together, these systems were insufficient for near-term demand and they fell far short of the projected future needs for this fast-growing community.
Ten Practices of Highly Effective Water Utilities
Water & Wastes Digest
December 2004
By Janice A Beecher
The concept of continuous improvement complements the idea of developing a water systems’ capabilities over time to ensure safe and reliable water service.
Steady But Sure
Water & Wastes Digest
December 2004
By Tim Gregorski
Additionally, WWD asked those interviewed for their comments on what the industry can expect in 2005.
Opportunities Bring Cash
Water Quality Products
August 2003
Wendi Hope King
As many of us wonder when the economy will make its massive turn around, others of us feel that maybe this will be as favorable as it gets for a long time. We must make the best of it. To assist you, we offer our Annual Buyer's Guide complete with supplier and product listings, a product/service guide and an index of associations and government entities that may help advance you even further down the road to prosperity.
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Lead Generation
Water Quality Products
August 2003
Carl Davidson, Sales & Management Solutions
Having enough leads allows you to attract and keep great salespeople. Nothing increases recruiting results like being able to say, "We provide the leads and appointments." It also increases production. Dealers who provide leads average twice the sales per salesperson as those who do not. The best thing you can do for your company is to lock yourself in a private room for a few hours and plan your marketing plan for the next 12 months. If you decide to do this exercise, here are a few areas you might consider.
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Avoiding Consumer Complaints
Water Quality Products
June 2003
G.A. "Andy" Marken
It's precisely at times like these that companies must be especially concerned about guarding and strengthening their customer relationships in the areas of product and service reliability to preserve the integrity of their operation. Consider taking a day to gather information on how your organization actually is operating from the standpoint of consumer protection.
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Developing Your Distillation Business
Water Quality Products
May 2003
Daniel Harbeck, Get Distilled
Daniel Harbeck, the operations manager for Get Distilled, a Durastill distributor that sells steam-distilled water, machines and accessories in Mukilteo, Wash., shares his story on how he became involved in the water treatment industry and how he uses his time to educate consumers.
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Enhancing Your Leadership Skills
Water Quality Products
April 2003
G.A. "Andy" Marken
In these days of consolidation, downsizing and mergers and acquisitions, you need to be viewed as a person whose leadership qualities transcend your present firm and gives you value in the marketplace.
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A Solid Future for POU Water Purification
Water Quality Products
March 2003
Glenn Land, Aduk, Inc.
Point-of-use (POU) water purification has a solid future. The relatively new POU industry will have to shoulder tremendous responsibility. Serious issues of water quality as well as quantity are apparent. The right of every human to water must be proactively protected if an acceptable quality of life for future generations is to be reasonably assured. This will not happen until it becomes a high priority political issue.
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Mold Coverage
Water Quality Products
February 2003
Arizona Water Quality Association
The following are program notes of the insurance panel presented at the Arizona Water Quality Association October 2002 program, reprinted with permission from the AZWQA.
As stated at the Arizona Water Quality Association meeting in October 2002 by
Sean Gillespie, claims manager at Allied Insurance, mold is becoming the "new asbestos" to insurance companies. More and more, mold is resulting in damage claims.
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Tradeshow Advertising for Exhibitors
Water Quality Products
February 2003
G.A. "Andy" Marken
An August cover story in BusinessWeek points out that people who starve their brands now will be paying for it in the future. At the same time both allbusiness.com and about.com, two business information sites, point out that going to a trade show without preshow promotion is a waste of time ... and money.
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The New Communications Challenges for Business
Water Quality Products
December 2002
G.A. "Andy" Marken
there has been an increased demand for responsible and responsive management.
Answering this call is a new breed of senior managers who will be challenged by all of the organizations' stakeholders. They, in turn, will challenge the total spectrum of an organizations' communications capabilities--internally and externally.
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New Directions in the Activated Carbon Industry
Water Quality Products
December 2002
Henry Nowicki, Ph.D., Mick Greenbank, Ph.D., and Barbara Sherman, PACS, Inc.
In the last two decades, the price of activated carbon (AC) has fallen 75 percent. Many lower cost varieties have sufficient quality to be useful in many applications. The price reduction, along with maintaining reasonable quality, has created changes in the industry. This article describes how those potentially influence the direction of the industry.
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Bottled Water Partnerships Are Abundant
Water Quality Products
December 2002
Opportunities are everywhere for bottled water companies keeping an eye open.
Although many large beverage companies are getting the "big" deals, smaller and mid-size companies should take note. Smaller companies can learn lessons from these beverage giants and find opportunity where others may not see it.
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Eight Ways to Build Employee Commitment
Water Quality Products
November 2002
Adrian Gostick
Creating a fairy-tale work environment begins with recognition. Your employees need it more than money, perks or titles. Here are eight tips regarding recognition. Remember these, and your employees may just start whistling while they work.
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Full of Promise
Water Quality Products
October 2002
Contributed by Zenith International
East Europeans drank almost 10 percent more soft drinks in 2001, pushing consumption past the 20,000 million liter mark for the first time, according to the 2002 East Europe Soft Drinks report from Zenith International. Volumes have jumped 36 percent since 1997, despite the economic troubles of the late 1990s.
CEO Still Determines Communications
Water Quality Products
September 2002
G.A. "Andy" Marken
Public relations and communications practitioners can't supplant the CEO's fundamental ethical standards. But they will have to assume added responsibility of building and managing the company's and management's credibility and reputation by ensuring clear communications internally as well as externally to customers, partners and shareholders.
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Where Is Your Operation Headed Next?
Water Quality Products
July 2002
G.A. “Andy” Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
Regardless of whether you are trying to determine where you are going tomorrow with your present company emphasis, or planning to enter prospective new areas, a strategy plan is necessary. Such a plan helps ensure that everyone in the organization is in agreement as to the posture and direction of the company. Equally important is the fact that your financial backers know where you are going and have the level of confidence necessary to support you in the effort. Putting the information down on paper is far from fun, but the rewards are well worth the effort.
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Workplace Injury Causes and Costs
Water Quality Products
June 2002
Liberty Mutual Group
The 10 leading causes of disabling workplace injuries account for 86 percent of the estimated $40 billion in wage and medical payments made to workers injured on the job in 1999, the last year for which data are available, according to the second annual Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index by Liberty Mutual Group.
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Recipe to Outside Sales Success
Water Quality Products
June 2002
Jason B. Schell and Peter Strain, Water Depot University
There are 10 ingredients to a successful sales team. Read the following 10 items to see if your sales force measures up.
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Cold or Gold?
Water Quality Products
June 2002
By Carl Davidson
Remember that opportunity is calling your company every day. Take a moment to ask who is answering and are they turning those calls into cold or gold?
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Hedging Your Hiring Bets
Water Quality Products
May 2002
Carl Davidson
Whom you hire is an important decision. The right candidate will bring sales and profits to your company. The wrong one can mean serious losses and lawsuits. On average, you invest $20,000 in potential profit, training and payroll in each new candidate. Here are some tips from great sales managers as to how to make the right choice of whom to hire.
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Bottled Water Quality
Water Quality Products
May 2002
Barbara L. Marteney and Kristin Safran, National Testing Laboratories
Due to growing concerns about environmental contamination from industry and the use of everyday products as well as fears of intentional tampering of water supplies, people are becoming more conscious of water quality. Letting your customers know that bottled water is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food product and that it is safe is an important part of your business.
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Advertising Boosts the Visibility, Appeal and Profit Potential of Companies, Products and Services
Water Quality Products
May 2002
Walt Denny, Walt Denny, Inc.
For better or worse, advertising is an integral part of global cultures. You can find it everywhere—in print and broadcast media, airport terminals and city buses, sporting events, clothing and every aisle of every retail store. It also is becoming ubiquitous on the Internet, with advertisers scrambling to secure real-estate for banner ads on popular websites. Regardless of where you find it, advertising is a provocative medium with the power to make a product, service or company highly visible and appealing to consumers and businesses in today’s competitive commercial landscape.
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Ten Low-Cost Steps to Keep Employees from Job Hunting
Water Quality Products
April 2002
G.A. “Andy” Marken, Marken Communications, Inc
The primary motivation for individuals who are job hunting seldom is simply a bigger paycheck. There are low-cost efforts you can undertake to retain the people you want to keep.
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The Need For Marketing
Water Quality Products
March 2002
Walt Denny
Starting and running a business without a marketing plan can be like trying to fly an airplane without radar—you might know what your destination is, but you haven’t a “road map” to get you there. Every company, whether it is established or still in the idea phase, needs a marketing plan that serves as an integral part of its overall business plan for company operations. A good marketing plan supports a company’s broader business goals by formulating a sound marketing strategy and an action plan (i.e., specific marketing activities such as web promotions, direct mail, etc.) that can carve a direct path to bolstered product sales, market share and long-term profitability and success.
Wasted Time, Money and Energy
Water Quality Products
February 2002
G.A. “Andy” Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
It’s too bad that so many water management and
manufacturing firms waste so much money on public relations (PR) activities
that have little or no impact on the press or, more importantly, on their
prospective customers.
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Smart Management Through the Downturn
Water Quality Products
January 2002
G.A. "Andy" Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
Not since l990 have we seen a downturn in the economy as we have for the past five months. Most indicators point to only a mild improvement through the middle of this year. While the downturn?okay, recession?was tough in the early 1990s, you have to go back to the early 1980s to see one that had the global scale as the one we?re experiencing now.
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Only Time Will Tell
Water Quality Products
January 2002
Multiple Authors
The unprecedented events of Sept. 11 and the recession that began hitting our nation at the beginning of 2001 created havoc in the business world. The water industry was no exception; it also saw its share of fluctuation. With such an unpredictable economy, we move into 2002. WQP asked industry professionals nationwide to comment on what the water industry may see in the upcoming year. Although these professionals share their outlooks for next year, only time will tell what lies ahead.
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The Right Time for Bottled Water, POU
Water Quality Products
December 2001
Wendi Hope King
Although in October, the IBWA had seen only a slight increase in sales overall since the attacks, individual companies have reported increased sales since Sept. 11. This partly is due to bottled water being named as one of the must-have items in case of further terrorism.
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Beyond the Hype of CRM
Water Quality Products
December 2001
Lorraine Keating, Prism Visual Software
For water treatment companies, automated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a necessity for becoming a successful, well-organized and customer satisfying business. CRM software integrates daily business routines inside the office and on the road and takes care of repetitive and organizational tasks reliably and consistently. So look for the right CRM software product to get beyond the CRM hype into the down-to-earth improvement of your daily operational challenges.
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Thinking Outside the Box
Water Quality Products
December 2001
Carl Davidson
This article is a salute to those who think outside the box and an invitation to us all to try the unusual and unique to see if it helps us differentiate our company in the marketplace.
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Promoting Your Headline News
Water Quality Products
December 2001
G.A. "Andy" Marken, Marken Communications, Inc,
Properly writing news releases and submitting them according to an editors needs will help get you published and will enhance your business, large or small.
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Winning Websites
Water Quality Products
November 2001
By Walt Denny, Walt Denny, Inc.
If optimally designed, your website can be a powerful customer magnet or, if it is not, a sure-fire customer repellent.
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In Need of an Economy Upswing
Water Quality Products
October 2001
G.A. Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
Historically, the economy improves only when people are convinced that it is improving. Apparently, the Bush Administration hasn’t been all that convincing because the economy isn’t steadily improving. At leas |