485 Questions from the Nation Around the World with Trace Blackmore, CWT
Scaling UP! H2O
Ten questions from water professionals around the world become a practical decision-making session with Trace Blackmore, CWT. Drawing on earlier Scaling UP! H2O conversations, Trace explains how to evaluate treatment changes, use emerging tools responsibly, begin water reuse projects, strengthen teams, and continue growing professionally. Evaluate the Entire System A proposed treatment change should be evaluated by more than its purchase price. When comparing chlorine dioxide with traditional chlorine, Trace recommends examining biocide consumption, chemical storage,...
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484 Risk, Resilience, and Water Security with Dr. Newsha Ajami
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial operations depend on water of a predictable quantity and quality, yet many organizations still treat that reliability as a given. joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to examine water security as a business continuity issue and resilience as the ability to withstand pressure, maintain operations, and recover quickly when systems fail. Connecting Risk, Resilience, and Recovery For industrial water users, water security means maintaining access to the quantity and quality required to operate without interruption. That reliability depends on...
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483 From Process Engineer to Process Architect: Alicia Butler‑Pierre on Making Work Flow
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial water professionals understand flow, pressure, heat exchange, wastewater, boilers, condensers, and process control. Alicia Butler-Pierre brings that same engineering logic into business systems, showing how work, information, decisions, and people move through an organization. Alicia, CEO of Equilibria, joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to connect process engineering, operations management, Lean Six Sigma, dashboards, professional training, and business infrastructure. Her message is clear: whether you are moving water through a pipeline or work through a company, the question remains the...
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482 Preserving Our Industry’s Story – Paul Petersen and the Industrial Water Exhibit
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial water treatment has always supported industry, but much of that story remains invisible to the public. Paul Petersen wants to change that by helping establish an industrial water treatment presence at the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Paul Petersen, former president and CEO of Trident Technologies and current leader of the Industrial Water Task Group, joins Trace Blackmore to explain why preserving the industry’s history matters. His vision is not simply a static display of old equipment. Instead, the goal is to...
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481 From Waterfalls to SOPs: Building Better Utilities with Kalpna Solanki
Scaling UP! H2O
Water utility work depends on more than technical knowledge. It depends on clear procedures, current documents, practical training, and performance conversations that reflect what operators actually do in the field. In Episode 481, Trace Blackmore, CWT, welcomes back , President and CEO at , for a practical conversation on building stronger utilities through standard operating procedures, competencies, and performance evaluations. Kalpna shares how outdated SOPs, disconnected training tools, and top-down documentation can create risk, confusion, and missed...
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480 From Engineering Numbers to People, Power, and Policy with Sherine El‑Wattar
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial water professionals work with chemistry, equipment, permits, and performance targets every day. Yet every gallon also moves through a framework of policy decisions: who can withdraw water, how it may be used, what quality must be returned, and whose needs are considered when systems are designed. , a science network officer supporting the Working Group II Technical Support Unit, brings an engineering foundation and a human-centered perspective to those questions. Her work focuses on climate impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, and risk while helping...
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479 Water Treatment: The Next Generation - Hustle Culture Meets Emotional Literacy with Tiffany Wentz‑Root
Scaling UP! H2O
In today’s episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore sits down with workplace resilience expert and U.S. Marine veteran to decode how different generations show up in the industrial water treatment industry. From the Silent Generation’s post‑war loyalties through Baby Boomers’ commitment to long hours, Gen X’s distrust of corporate loyalty, Millennials’ desire for purpose and feedback, and Gen Z’s demand for emotional literacy, the conversation illustrates how each cohort was shaped by historical and technological upheaval. The discussion reframes “hustle...
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478 Rethinking Power Plant Water and Steam Chemistry with Brad Buecker (Part 2)
Scaling UP! H2O
Power plant water and steam chemistry does not fail in isolation. A mistaken unit, an unused analyzer, an overdesigned pretreatment system, or a misunderstood condensate return problem can ripple across equipment, permits, production, and safety. In this Part 2 conversation with of and Buecker Associates, Trace Blackmore continues a practical discussion on the details that shape industrial water decisions. Brad shares field stories from combined cycle plants, package boilers, wastewater permitting, membrane systems, and decades of technical writing. When Small Errors Become Expensive...
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477 Rethinking Power Plant Water and Steam Chemistry with Brad Buecker (Part 1)
Scaling UP! H2O
Power plant water and steam chemistry is not a background task. It affects safety, reliability, metallurgy, production, and the decisions plant teams make under pressure. In Part 1 of this conversation, Trace Blackmore, CWT, welcomes Bradley Buecker of SAMCO Technologies and Buecker Associates to examine what happens when familiar assumptions go unchallenged. Safety Comes First in High-Energy Systems Bradley begins with the lesson that has shaped decades of his work: safety. Power and industrial systems involve heat, flow, moving equipment, chemicals, confined spaces, lockout/tagout...
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476 Positive Communication, Temperaments, and the WOW Effect with Paule Genest
Scaling UP! H2O
Communication shapes how teams learn, respond, correct, and build trust. Trace Blackmore, CWT welcomes returning guest Director, Sales and ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) Water and Energy TGWT / The Tannin Guys for a conversation on positive communication, temperaments, the WOW Effect, and how water professionals can use words with more clarity and care. Communication With a Positive Impact Paule reframes positive communication as communication with a positive impact. The goal is not fake positivity or polished language....
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A year-end recap is more than a highlight reel—it’s a practical reset. In this New Year episode, Trace Blackmore walks through 2025 using a “12 Days of the Scaling Up Nation” format, tying together performance, community growth, listener engagement, and the sponsor support that keeps the podcast and its companion tools available at no cost.
Year-end by the numbers
Trace explains how he used to track every stat closely—and how that shifted into an unhealthy measure of self-worth—so the team now uses numbers as feedback, not validation. He notes the show released 56 brand-new episodes in 2025 (including the additional releases during Industrial Water Week) and explains why the data still matters: it helps confirm what the community is using, such as discussion guides and other tools, and what needs to be improved.
Most-downloaded episodes and what listeners leaned into
Trace shares the three most-downloaded episodes of 2025:
- Episode 405 — cooling water innovation using treated wastewater
- Episode 418 — maleic acid (with Mike Standish)
- Episode 424 — chlorine dioxide (the most downloaded episode of the year)
Engagement that keeps learning moving
The episode highlights growth in the Scaling Up Nation across newsletter subscriptions, discussion guide downloads, and an expanding LinkedIn community.
Recognition, partners, and momentum into 2026
Trace acknowledges milestones including AWT naming Scaling Up H2O the official podcast of the Association of Water Technologies, and he thanks the sponsors who make the podcast’s free content possible—19 sponsoring partners in 2025. The episode closes with a direct invitation for listeners to share what they want to learn next, who they want interviewed, and what stories could help the industry keep “raising the bar.”
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below.
Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
02:50 — Show open and New Year framing: a reset point for leaders and operators heading into 2026
03:10 — Why the retrospective exists: improve the next year and celebrate what the Scaling Up Nation achieved together
05:00 — The format revealed: “12 days” of highlights built from what happened in 2025
08:40 — The final 2025 “Water You Know” question: hydroxide ion formula—and the answer reveal
16:30 — The top three downloaded episodes of 2025
29:00 — Signature segments and field lessons: community participation, Detective H2O, and “quicker is not better
Quotes
“Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”
“It’s not going to take somebody’s job away because of AI, but somebody who knows AI or is familiar with AI over somebody that is not familiar with it and refuses anything with AI, that person will probably take that other person’s job.”
“Lift others as you rise.”
Connect with Scaling UP! H2O
Submit a show idea: Submit a Show Idea
LinkedIn: in/traceblackmore/
YouTube: @ScalingUpH2O
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
405 Cooling Water Innovation: Harnessing Wastewater for Sustainability
418 Maleic Acid-Based Corrosion Inhibitors: Expanding the Water Treatment Toolbox with Mike Standish
424 Chlorine Dioxide Insights with Greg Simpson
420 Tapping Into Tech: How Ben Frieders Uses AI to Elevate Water Treatment Marketing
422 Inside the Association of Water Technologies with John Caloritis
423 Pushing the Boundaries: Jacob Deak on Innovating Water Treatment Systems
446 Leveraging the Culture Index for Business Success with Danielle Scimeca and Conor Parrish
447 Unlocking Team Potential with Culture Index with Randi Fargen
179 Another One that Teaches Us to Communicate Better with Others
Water You Know with James McDonald
Question: What is the molecular formula for hydroxide ion?
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.
