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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475 Inside the Boiler: Inspection, Failure Analysis, and Photography with Cheryl Heiser
Scaling UP! H2O
A boiler failure can create pressure quickly: production is down, emotions are high, and the water treater may be the first person blamed. of . joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to walk through a more disciplined way to evaluate boiler issues by looking beyond chemistry alone. Why Boiler Failures Need a Broader Lens Cheryl brings field experience from the OEM boiler side, conventional water treatment, and purified tannin boiler treatment. Her perspective is rooted in the idea that no two boilers are the same. Design, operating conditions, fuel, history, circulation, steam...
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Boiler performance rarely depends on a single decision. It depends on design, controls, maintenance, workforce capability, and, as this conversation makes clear, the quality of water treatment. Scott Lynch and Shaunica Jayson explain how American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA) is addressing those realities by connecting manufacturers, representatives, suppliers, and field stakeholders around education and practical guidance.
Why ABMA still matters in a changing boiler market
ABMA has been in place since 1888, but this discussion is not about preserving old structures for their own sake. Scott and Shaunica describe an association that has expanded beyond traditional manufacturer membership into a broader supply-chain view of the boiler room. That includes boiler, burner, deaerator, and economizer manufacturers, component suppliers, service providers, consultants, and manufacturer representatives.
That broader view matters because boiler performance does not begin and end with the vessel itself. Decisions made across installation, controls, service, and water treatment shape efficiency, reliability, and long-term asset life.
Education that reaches the people actually running boiler rooms
A strong theme throughout the conversation is education. ABMA is reaching beyond its own meetings to speak with healthcare engineers, food processors, facility engineers, and other sectors that rely on boilers every day. Scott outlines the practical angle of that work: what operators should be doing on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis to keep boiler rooms safe and efficient.
Shaunica adds that ABMA is building toward a larger resource center, on-demand materials, and expanded access to white papers and best-practice guidance. They also discuss partnerships with trade schools and Maritime Academies as part of a larger workforce strategy. For water professionals, that matters because better-informed boiler operators create better conditions for treatment programs to succeed.
Water treatment is not a side issue
One of the clearest takeaways is that water treatment remains central to boiler performance. ABMA’s work with the Association of Water Technologies is helping align deaeration and chemical treatment perspectives into a single, co-branded guidance document. That effort is meant to reduce finger-pointing, improve technical clarity, and give end users a more unified message.
Scott is direct about the operational stakes: poor water treatment drives scaling, damages equipment, and undermines efficiency. The discussion also pushes back on outdated assumptions about boiler rooms, highlighting gains in efficiency, modern controls, remote monitoring, retrofit options, and emerging technologies such as hydrogen, dual-fuel, and hybrid systems.
Boiler systems may be longstanding infrastructure, but the thinking around them cannot stay static. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
01:18 - Trace introduces ABMA, explains its relevance to water treaters, and previews the upcoming ABMA Expo
03:11 - Trace gives a concise history of boilers, from early steam vessels to modern high-efficiency systems
07:36 - Scott Lynch and Shaunica Jayson join the show and introduce themselves and their roles at ABMA
08:18 - Scott explains how ABMA has evolved from a manufacturer-focused association into a broader industry organization spanning the full boiler supply chain
10:27 - Shaunica outlines ABMA’s four membership categories, including manufacturers, associate members, consultants, and manufacturer reps
33:18 - The discussion shifts to the ABMA–AWT partnership and the co-branded water treatment guideline
34:58 - Scott explains why deaeration and water treatment need to be addressed together to produce useful technical guidance
36:31 - Shaunica shares what ABMA learned from attending the AWT conference and why the partnership helps reduce finger-pointing between disciplines
38:19 - The conversation moves to Boiler Expo, including why ABMA launched it and how it is designed to serve the full boiler community
40:49 - Shaunica explains the co-location with the Biomass Conference & Expo and highlights ABMA’s BUILT and WIBI communities
45:18 - Scott and Shaunica close with their key takeaways: the boiler industry is evolving, and ABMA is a resource for the field
53:50 - Words of Water with James
Connect with Shaunica Jayson
Email: Shaunica@abma.com
Website: American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA)
LinkedIn: Shaunica Jayson | LinkedIn
Connect with Scott Lynch
Email: scott@abma.com
Website: American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA)
LinkedIn: Scott Lynch, CAE | LinkedIn
Quotes
“Our official mission is to lead, advance and provide solutions to the boiler industry.”
“Our vision is boilers are recognized for advancing energy sustainability and powering people's lives.”
“The boiler industry continues to evolve and innovate.”
“We love our members. We love our operators. We love our water treaters.”
Guest Resources Mentioned
The Association of Facilities Engineering (AFE)
The ABMA Boiler Expo Registration
ABMA – Free Boiler Maintenance Schedule
ABMA Boiler Expo 2026 Pre Conference (Boiler Water Treatment Workshops)
ABMA - Boiler Industry Leaders of Tomorrow (BILT)
Women in the Boiler Industry (WIBI) Professional Community
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Words of Water with James McDonald
Today's definition is a salt solution, generally sodium chloride, used during the regeneration process in ion exchange. Can you guess the word?
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.
