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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“The winning combination will include not just removal—but real destruction of PFAS.” - Brian Liotta
PFAS: The Invisible Challenge Reshaping Water Treatment
PFAS chemicals are everywhere—from consumer products to our bloodstream. But as regulations tighten, water treatment professionals must now evolve faster than ever. In this episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore speaks with Brian Liotta, Director of Marketing and Product Development at USALCO, about the shifting regulatory landscape and the advanced technologies being developed to monitor, remove, and destroy PFAS compounds.
From Industry Curiosity to Regulatory Urgency
Brian candidly shares how he “fell into” the world of PFAS, sparked by client questions and his work with AWT’s Wastewater Subcommittee. Over time, he became one of the industry's clearest voices on how PFAS is transforming everything from chemical manufacturing to compliance practices. In this conversation, Brian breaks down the science, the timeline, and the technologies professionals need to understand—whether they’re manufacturers, consultants, or field engineers.
Testing, Treatment, and Destruction: What's Working and What's Coming
Testing for PFAS isn’t straightforward. Brian outlines why high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry are still standard, despite the lack of affordable, field-ready kits. Then, he walks us through the big three: granular activated carbon, ion exchange, and membrane filtration—explaining how each performs and what their operational limits are. He also introduces lesser-known but emerging strategies like foam fractionation, electrostatic concentration, and supercritical water oxidation—some of which could shape the next generation of end-to-end PFAS solutions.
The Legal Front: EPA Rules, State Action, and the Chevron Doctrine
The conversation turns toward the regulatory environment: from the EPA’s national drinking water standard of 4 parts per trillion to individual state actions in California, Maine, New York, and others. Brian unpacks the implications of the Chevron Doctrine being overturned and why this legal shift may slow federal implementation but accelerate state-led policies.
What It Means for Water Treatment Professionals
Whether you're new to industrial water or managing a large portfolio, Brian delivers a simple but powerful takeaway: understand the regulations, study the technologies, and provide solutions. With PFAS-related services on the rise, the opportunity for technical leadership and business growth is clear—but only for those who do their homework and move early.
Conclusion
PFAS isn’t just a regulatory buzzword—it’s a catalyst for innovation. As Brian notes, the most successful professionals will be those who bridge the gap between evolving science and real-world application. This episode equips you with a deeper understanding of what’s at stake and how to lead your customers through uncertainty with confidence.
Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
10:35 – Water You Know with James McDonald
12:52 – Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals
18:06 – Interview with Brian Liotta Director of Marketing & Product Development of USALCO
22:15 — What is PFAS?
26:00 — EPA’s new 4 parts per trillion PFAS drinking water standard and what it means
32:06 — Treatment technologies: GAC, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and their pros and cons
37:32 — Emerging innovations: foam fractionation, electrostatic concentration, and plasma-based destruction
42:00 — State-by-state PFAS regulations and implications of the Chevron Doctrine ruling
46:20 — Advice to new water professionals: understand the regulations, then bring the right solutions
Quotes
“Regulation drives our business. If you're not paying attention, you're not preparing your customers.”
“PFAS are in our water, our products, even our bloodstream. This isn’t hype—it’s science catching up.”
“Some of the smartest people I know ask a lot of questions. Curiosity is how you become valuable.”
“We’re seeing companies build end-to-end treatment trains. That’s where the innovation is happening.”
Connect with Brian Liotta
Phone: 15102747326
Email: bliotta@usalco.com
Website: Water Treatment Chemicals - Baltimore, MD | USALCO
LinkedIn: Brian Liotta | LinkedIn
Click HERE to Download Episode’s Discussion Guide
Guest Resources Mentioned
Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC)
ITRC PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances)
Battelle PFAS ANNIHILATOR® Destruction Technology
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin
Brooks: The Biography of Brooks Robinson
EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS (2023)
Chevron Doctrine Overturn (2024) – Supreme Court Decision
EPA Announces It Will Keep Maximum Contaminant Levels for PFOA, PFOS
EPA’s Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Sewage Sludge
EPA's Summary of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
MIT News ‘ A new sensor detects harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water ‘
AWWA’s Journal: Treating PFAS-Laden Waste Using Aqueous Electrostatic Concentration
California adopts health-protective goals for forever chemicals in drinking water
Maryland PFAS in Biosolids Regulatory Update – August 20, 2024
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Ep 410 Unleash Your Pricing Power: Casey Brown’s ‘Fearless Pricing’ Revolutionizes Business Value
Ep 408 Pinks and Blues: The Power of Processes
Fearless Pricing: Ignite Your Team, Own Your Value, and Command What You Deserve by Casey Brown
Water You Know with James McDonald
Question: If you place a small amount of concentrated hydrochloric acid on a deposit sample and it bubbles, what is this likely to indicate?
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.
