463 Mapping the Future of Water Innovation with Paul O’Callaghan
Release Date: 02/13/2026
494 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 2
Scaling UP! H2O
A strong convention outcome starts before the first session and continues long after the exhibit hall closes. Association of Water Technologies Executive Director Matt Coffindaffer explains how deliberate preparation, wider professional relationships, and volunteer service can turn AWT 2026 into practical value for an industrial water treatment career or business. Find the Right Place to Volunteer AWT offers yearlong committee service, shorter task-force assignments, and opportunities across technical research, marketing, membership, regulatory affairs, business resources, young...
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493 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 1
Scaling UP! H2O
Strong professional associations do more than provide programs and credentials. They create an environment where members can exchange knowledge, build trusted relationships, and prepare their businesses for what comes next. As the Association of Water Technologies enters a new operational chapter, Executive Director explains how AWT is strengthening that environment without losing the culture that makes it distinctive. From the Arts to Association Leadership Before entering association management, Matt built a career behind the scenes in theater. His...
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492 AI for Water Treaters: A Thought Partner, Not a Replacement
Scaling UP! H2O
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491 Environmental Microbiology and Legionella: Managing Building Water Risks with Dr. Rajiv Sahay
Scaling UP! H2O
Reliable Legionella results begin long before a sample reaches the laboratory. of explains how building conditions, field collection practices, and laboratory methods influence the quality—and usefulness—of the data water professionals receive. Building Water Conditions Shape the Risk Modern buildings rely heavily on controlled mechanical systems, yet water can remain an overlooked part of the indoor environment. Stagnation, low flow, dead legs, temperature, pH, disinfectant residuals, corrosion, and accumulated organic material can all influence biofilm development and microbial...
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490 From Plans to Prevention: Water Management Insights with Dr. Abe Cullom
Scaling UP! H2O
A water management plan protects people only when the facility uses it to guide decisions. Dr. Abe Cullom, Director of Water Safety & Management at Pace Analytical, joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to examine why Legionella programs break down—and how testing, communication, and consistent implementation can strengthen them. Implementation Is the Bottleneck Five decades after Legionella was identified, researchers understand much more about the organism, its ecology, the conditions that support its growth, and the interventions available to control it. However, Dr....
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489 Copper-Silver Ionization Technology and Legionella Control with Tory Schira
Scaling UP! H2O
Copper-silver ionization offers building operators a persistent approach to Legionella control—one designed to carry an active disinfectant residual throughout complex plumbing infrastructure. LiquiTech CEO Tory Schira explains how the technology works, what operating data matters, and why successful implementation requires more than installing equipment. How Copper-Silver Ionization Works Copper and silver ions are introduced through a flow chamber containing sacrificial electrodes. A controlled electrical charge releases the positively...
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488 Managing Legionella with confidence: A Conversation with Patsy Root
Scaling UP! H2O
“Our goal is not zero Legionella pneumophila bacteria. Our goal is zero cases.” – Patsy Root Legionella risk becomes harder to manage when building teams treat every detection as equivalent—or collect samples without first deciding what a positive result will trigger. , Senior Manager of Government Affairs at , explains how a clear water management program can replace uncertainty with defined responsibilities, routine monitoring, and proportionate action. Focus Testing on the Organism of Concern Patsy distinguishes between the broader...
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487 The 60‑Minute CFO: Tracy Bech on Making Business Finance Less Scary
Scaling UP! H2O
“Our gross profit margin is truly the battle we have to win in order to win all of the downstream wars.” - Tracy Bech Financial statements become useful when leaders can translate the numbers into decisions. , founder and author of , explains how business owners, managers, salespeople, and field professionals can develop financial fluency without becoming accountants. Turn Financial Data into a Meaningful Scorecard Tracy teaches finance through stories and relationships rather than isolated numbers. Revenue alone does not reveal whether a company is...
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486 Meter Optimization: Air in the water with Anthony Giudice
Scaling UP! H2O
Water meters register the volume passing through them, but what happens when that volume contains both water and entrained air? Anthony Giudice, president of AquaFlow, explains how turbulent flow can influence meter readings and how AquaFlow’s calibrated valve is designed to help meters reflect what he describes as true water consumption. Why Flow Conditions Matter at the Meter Anthony connects entrained air to the pressure required to move municipal water and the turbulence created as water travels through piping, changes...
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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,...
info_outline“If you say something over and over often and enough, it becomes true because perception is reality.”
Paul O’Callaghan has built a career at the intersection of water science, wastewater realities, and the practical question every operator and executive eventually faces; what actually moves innovation from idea to adoption.
As Founder and CEO of BlueTech Research, Paul explains how his team helps decision-makers put capital to work more efficiently in water by reducing uncertainty and separating signal from noise. He describes patterns he’s watched repeat across water entrepreneurs, pilots, and product market fit, and why “innovation” often breaks down simply because utilities, investors, and founders are using the same word to mean different things.
Capital, fit, and the language gap 
Paul unpacks what it takes to align an investor’s expectations with a technology’s true pathway to scale. He contrasts different “types” of innovation and why matching the right investor, entrepreneur, market, and timeline matters as much as the technology itself. The conversation also highlights why solving a problem someone has today is often a safer starting point than betting everything on a problem that might arrive tomorrow.
Regulations as a driver and a risk
Regulation matters in water and wastewater, but Paul cautions against building an entire business on the hope that rules will create a market on schedule. He walks through timing risk, enforcement uncertainty, and why tracking policy momentum matters as much as tracking the text of the regulation itself. He also notes a shift toward more “aspirational” regulation focused on reuse, regeneration, and systems-level outcomes.
Storytelling that changes adoption
From Brave Blue World to Our Blue World, Paul shares what he learned about making water personal and compelling without reducing it to doom-and-gloom narratives. The stories he tells connect to a core professional challenge: technologies enable outcomes, but adoption accelerates when people can see and want the “better” future those outcomes create.
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
02:33 - Trace’s message on finding “your next love” through learning
09:25 - Words of Water with James McDonald
11:25 - AWT connection and the importance of being challenged by community
13:06 - Industrial Water Week dates for “this year” (Oct 5–9)
14:02 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals
19:15 - Interview with Founder & CEO of BlueTech Research, author of The Dynamics of Water Innovation, Executive Producer of Brave Blue World and Our Blue World
22:20 - Pivot moment into water as a career (Malaysia, Edinburgh course, “living machines”)
25:15 - What BlueTech Research does (reducing uncertainty, helping capital work efficiently)
27:50 - How startups connect with BlueTech and why storytelling matters
30:09 - Matching investors, entrepreneurs, and markets (alignment and “different languages”)
33:00 - The role of regulations (timing risk and market realities)
35:15 - How BlueTech keeps up (themes, emerging areas, and using AI for tracking legislation)
36:30 - Paul’s book: The Dynamics of Water Innovation (why he wrote it and who it’s for)
40:49 - Documentary storytelling origin and Discovery Channel experience
44:22 - How celebrities got involved and why the outreach worked
45:30 - Why they made a second film and the goal of making water personal
48:03 - Viewer feedback, education impact, and grassroots screening stories
50:08 - “Water 2050” video game inspired by the films
51:21 - Additional ripple effects and “halo” projects (curriculum, photography competition, water walks)
53:06 - Where water innovation is going (desirability, storytelling, and “leaving water”)
56:07- Advice for people with ideas (talk to people, generosity of the sector, ikigai, long-term view)
58:08 - Ostara / Crystal Green story (finding the operator’s “today problem”)
59:54 - One point Paul wants to leave: “It’s a journey, enjoy it.”
Quotes
“We do our best to help people put capital to work more efficiently to solve water challenges.”
“Try and find a problem that someone has today, ideally.”
Connect with Paul O’Callaghan 
Email: paul.ocallaghan@bluetechresearch.com
Website: BlueTech Research – Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence
braveblueworldstudios | Instagram | Linktree
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/o2environmental/
Guest Resources Mentioned
Watch Brave Blue World: Racing to Solve Our Water Crisis | Netflix
Braveblueworldstudios | Instagram | Linktree
“Wastewater Technology Fact Sheet: The Living Machine” – U.S. EPA
“Brave Blue World” film – Science on Screen synopsis
“Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey” – IMDb overview
“Water Reuse for Industrial Applications Resources” – U.S. EPA
“ANSI/AAMI ST108:2023—Water for the Processing of Medical Devices” – ANSI Blog
“Key EPA Actions to Address PFAS” – U.S. EPA
“The Philosophy of Ikigai: 3 Examples About Finding Purpose” – PositivePsychology.com
Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters Paperback by Brian Klaas
Rivers of Power: How a Natural Force Raised Kingdoms, Destroyed Civilizations, and Shapes Our World Paperback by Laurence C. Smith
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
415 Green Building Updates: What You Need to Know
004 It’s Not Easy Being Green!
032.5 The One That Takes You to AWT’s 2018 Technical Training]
280 The One About Retaining Top Talent
368 Adapting to the New Workforce: Attracting Top Talent
413 Charting the Future: Mastering the Art of Strategic Planning
Words of Water with James McDonald
Today's definition is a single, reactive molecule, usually an organic compound, having the ability to join with a number of similarly defined molecules to form a polymer.
2026 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.
