465 From Classroom to Cooling Towers: Teaching Water Treatment with Dan Merritt (Part 1)
Release Date: 02/27/2026
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,...
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Industrial water training only works when the knowledge transfers. That means the material lands with the audience, survives the drive home, and shows up later in the field when decisions get made.
Dan Merritt, CWT, Sales Manager at CH2O, brings a rare perspective to that problem. He started as a teacher (chemistry, calculus, physics), entered industrial water treatment on February 5, 2002, and later became part of the AWT training team. This conversation follows the path from classroom instruction to boiler rooms and cooling towers, then uses that journey to examine what makes technical training “stick” for working professionals.
From educator to water treater, then back to educator
Dan shares how leaving graduate study, teaching high school and community college, and stepping into service work shaped his approach to explaining technical concepts. The throughline is simple: the instructor owns the clarity. When someone in the room does not understand, the response is not frustration. The response is translation.
Bridging the knowledge gap without dumbing it down
Trace and Dan describe a common failure mode in technical instruction: experts answering correctly, but not helpfully. They frame the goal as closing the gap between what the instructor knows and what the audience can realistically absorb in the moment, especially for attendees building competence over time.
Stories and demonstrations as tools for retention
The episode highlights why AWT trainers lean on stories and physical demonstrations, from an Archimedes fountain to static electricity experiments. Dan explains how the “light bulb moment” is the reward of teaching, and why trainers adapt when a method fails (including what humidity can do to a demo in a room full of people).
Keeping the CWT exam in proper context
The conversation also draws a firm boundary: training supports growth, but it does not replace the CWT experience requirement and recommendations. Dan and Trace emphasize accurate language around the credential and reinforce what the training can and cannot do.
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
01:38 — Setup for a two-part series to help listeners prepare for AWT Technical Training
02:24 — AWT Technical Training logistics: March 10–13 in Frisco, Texas (near Dallas)
03:10 — Trace shares why AWT Technical Training matters personally (mentorship, community, support)
05:51 — “Desert Pete” story: why instructors “fill the bottle” by giving back through training
11:53 — Words of Water with James McDonald: definition + answer (“flow rate”)
14:13 — Events mentioned for water professionals
18:42 — Trace introduces the guest: Dan Merritt (CH2O) and their history through AWT
19:39 — Dan’s background: 24 years in water treatment; former teacher (chemistry, calculus, physics).
22:44 — Dan’s entry into water treatment: Industrial Water Engineering ride-alongs + first field impressions
26:49 — Move to Pacific Northwest + start at CH2O (service tech) and why that timing mattered
31:40 — How Dan and Trace connected through AWT training; Dan begins teaching (service tech reporting).
34:17 — Dan’s AWT involvement expands: education committee + Intro to Water Treatment online course task force
35:31 — Dan asked to teach the chemistry class; Trace frames “know your audience” and confidence gap
36:50 — Teaching tools and learning from misses: demos (Archimedes fountain, static electricity + humidity issue)
37:49 — The key teaching principle: “you’re the instructor; it’s your job to explain it clearly” (adult learners)
41:31 — Bridging the knowledge gap: why brilliance can miss the audience, and why training must translate
44:48 — Why a math/calculations class helps: making the “bang, there’s your answer” steps teachable
50:19 — Troubleshooting reality: many forces in boilers/cooling towers; deeper understanding improves diagnosis
52:00 — Field story lesson: softener cleaning foam incident (why stories stick and prevent repeat mistakes)
56:19 — CWT clarification: training helps, but it cannot replace required experience and recommendations
58:31 — CWT wording matters: it’s an “exam,” not a “test” (Trace mentions Angela Pike’s correction)
Quotes
“It’s your job to explain the material in a way that we can understand it.”
“It’s our responsibility to take this information, to package it in a way so you, not me, you can understand it.”
“Math is the only known axiom that we have. And it kind of quiets the chaos.”
“And again, it’s not a test. Do not say that it’s a test. It is an exam.”
Connect with Dan Merritt, CWT
Email: dmerritt@ch2o.com
Website: .https://www.ch2o.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-merritt-cwt-18413819/
CH2O, inc.: Overview | LinkedIn
Guest Resources Mentioned
I Said This, You Heard That 2nd Edition by Kathleen Edelman
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
AWT Technical Training - Registration
2026 AWT Technical Training Schedule
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Words of Water with James McDonald
Today's definition is a measure of the volume or mass of a fluid (liquid or gas) that passes through a certain point or cross-section over a unit of time. Can you guess the word or phrase?
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.
