427 July 4th! Entrepreneurship, Water Wells, and the Spirit of Liberty
Release Date: 07/04/2025
455 Mentors, Mindset, and the CWT: Owning Your Water Career with Nella Fergusson
Scaling UP! H2O
“So one thing I never do is try to start giving remediation or advice before I truly have understood and diagnosed the problem.” Mentorship and certifications don’t replace experience—but they can accelerate it when paired with the right mindset and a disciplined approach to learning. (District Manager, Southern California, ), lays out what “growing up” in industrial water treatment actually looks like: repeated exposure to real problems, strong diagnostic habits, and a willingness to keep learning long after year one. Learning that keeps...
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454 Water Recycling, Innovation, and Industry Wisdom with Dr. Kelle Zeiher
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial cooling is one of the biggest levers industrial facilities can pull on water use—and it’s getting harder to ignore as data centers and other high-heat operations grow. Returning guest (Project Manager at ) breaks down what water reuse looks like when you move past slogans and into the realities of pretreatment, concentrate management, footprint, and cost. Cooling water reuse: the scale of the opportunity Dr. Zeiher reframes “drought” beyond rainfall, emphasizing aquifer recharge and the limits of focusing only on household restrictions. She...
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453 Water Risk, Governance, and Community Engagement with Dr. Annette Davison
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial water professionals sit at the intersection of risk, regulation, and community trust. In this episode, (“the water risk doctor”) joins Trace Blackmore to show how disciplined governance, clear supply chain thinking, and community engagement can turn fragmented water systems into coherent, defensible risk management frameworks. Water risk from source to customer Annette starts with a simple question most customers never ask: “Where’s your water coming from?” She walks through a conceptual supply chain from source to end point—collection, transfer, treatment,...
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452 UV Innovation and Whole-Building Water Safety with Ron Blutrich
Scaling UP! H2O
Entamoeba histolytica nearly ended Ron Blutrich’s scientific career. Instead, it pushed him to rethink how we protect people in multi-family buildings, senior facilities, and dense urban centers from invisible microbiological risks in their drinking water. In this episode, he joins host Trace Blackmore to unpack what whole-building UV can (and can’t) do for Legionella, biofilm, and real-world water safety. When One Bad Cup of Water Redefines a Career In the middle of his PhD in molecular genetics, Ron drank from an under-sink reverse osmosis tap at an Airbnb and...
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451 Building a Culture of Innovation and Customer Service with Frank Lecrone
Scaling UP! H2O
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 , Founder, President, and CEO of . 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...
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450 Wastewater Advocacy and Innovation with Robin Deal
Scaling UP! H2O
“The More You Know” - Robin Deal A million-gallon-a-day perspective, distilled into actionable steps. , AquaPure Product Manager at 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),...
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449 Michael Bourgeois on AWT Partnerships and Professional Growth
Scaling UP! H2O
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, , 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...
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448 2025 Halloween Special
Scaling UP! H2O
Holidays don’t usually line up with release day—but this year they did. In this Halloween special, Trace uses the horror-movie trope of the “scary boiler room” to deliver practical, field-tested reminders for safer sampling, clearer thinking, and better decisions in high-heat, low-light spaces. Boiler Rooms, Myths, and Real Risks From Nightmare on Elm Street to Tower of Terror, pop culture loves dim steam, tight corridors, and clangy pipe-labyrinths. Trace contrasts that imagery with what matters to pros: light, ventilation, a stable work surface, and time for...
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447 Unlocking Team Potential with Culture Index with Randi Fargen
Scaling UP! H2O
Hiring in industrial water is slow, specialized, and expensive to get wrong. In this conversation, executive advisor explains how a two-question, 5–7 minute Culture Index survey becomes an ongoing management and coaching system—not just a hiring screen—so owners cut turnover risk, speed onboarding, and improve day-to-day communication. From “assessment fatigue” to a usable language Most teams dread long assessments. This survey takes minutes and measures four primary traits—autonomy, sociability, pace/patience, conformity—plus three...
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446 Leveraging the Culture Index for Business Success with Danielle Scimeca and Conor Parrish
Scaling UP! H2O
How do you make “right person, right seat” a repeatable system—not a hope? ’s (President) and returning guest (Chief Growth Officer) share how the Culture Index became a decisive tool for coaching, hiring, and a company-wide restructure. If you lead field service, customer service, or operations in industrial water, this conversation offers practical patterns you can apply the next time a role feels misaligned or a 1:1 stall on surface-level updates. From intuition to instrumentation Trace opens with the origin story and quickly moves to why Danielle and Conor adopted...
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“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” - Patrick Henry
Honoring Innovation, Freedom, and Small Business on the 4th of July
In this special Independence Day episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore brings you a rich blend of patriotism, professional insight, and entrepreneurial spirit. Opening with reflections on July 4th traditions—from fireworks to parades—Trace sets the stage for a compelling conversation with Jack Clark, Owner and Founder of 180 Water. As the water industry faces growing demand and generational turnover, Jack offers a bold solution: a replicable franchise model designed to preserve institutional knowledge and sustainably expand access to clean water.
A Rancher Turned Water Well Visionary
Jack shares his origin story, from growing up on a ranch in Montana to launching a water well drilling company that now spans multiple states. What started with a neighbor’s influence and a deep respect for self-reliance evolved into a career in well drilling—and eventually, a scalable business framework. Jack walks us through the unique challenges of finding water in fractured rock regions and explains how field wisdom, data monitoring, and humility define success.
Franchising in the Water Sector: Solving the Knowledge Drain
As the industry grapples with aging experts nearing retirement, 180 Water is addressing a critical issue: the loss of operational and geological expertise. Jack reveals how his team is onboarding retiring professionals as equity partners to serve as regional hubs, blending mentorship with modern operations. Their approach enables local ownership, data collection, and scalable customer service, while preserving regional nuances in well drilling.
Lessons in Leadership, Accountability, and Resilience
Jack emphasizes that real growth stems from reflection, mentorship, and integrity. He discusses how accountability—rooted in ranch life—translates into transparent client relationships, responsible site practices, and support systems that empower franchisees. His goal? To build a network of highly trained, values-aligned professionals who ensure the longevity and safety of our groundwater resources.
The Spirit of Liberty: Patrick Henry’s Enduring Speech
In a moving tribute to Independence Day, Trace closes the episode with a complete reading of Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. Listeners are reminded of the courage it takes to challenge the status quo and the unifying power of respectful discourse—values that echo through today’s challenges in water, business, and beyond.
Final Takeaway
This episode isn’t just about wells—it’s about vision, responsibility, and the courage to lead. Jack Clark’s journey inspires water professionals to think bigger, act with purpose, and consider scalable solutions to systemic industry issues.
Be sure to check our events page for upcoming water conferences and symposiums to continue growing your expertise.
Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
02:20 - Trace Blackmore shares his warm greetings to Scaling UP! Nation this 4th of July!
07:27 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals
10:37 - Water You Know with James McDonald
12:53 - Introduction with Jack Clark of 180 Water
18: 07 - Jack transitioned from expansion by employment to a franchise model
Quotes
Jack Clark:
“If you don’t get your chores done on the farm, things don’t eat. And so it’s important to make sure that you can be counted on.”
“I was sending my best guys to the worst projects, my worst guys to the best projects—and no one was happy.”
“You know how to run your business. You were successful at that. But we want to help you scale it with support and mentorship.”
“There’s not a perfect science to well drilling. Sometimes you find the water. Sometimes you don’t. But that’s the responsibility we take on.”
Trace Blackmore:
“I really believe that the backbone of our country is small business and entrepreneurship.”
“I hope we realize we have way more in common than we do differences—and that we enter conversations with curiosity instead of judgment.”
Connect with Jack Clark
Phone: +406 465 4791
Email: jack.clark@180water.com
Website: 180 Water
LinkedIn: 180 Water: Overview | LinkedIn
Click HERE to Download Episode’s Discussion Guide
Guest Resources Mentioned
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Water You Know with James McDonald
Question: How many ppm of sodium sulfite does it take to react with one ppm of oxygen?
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.
