Deutsch named WQA Communications Director

As WQA works to raise public awareness about the water treatment industry, the association announced that Larry Deutsch was hired to fill the new position of Director of Communications, effective August 30. The position was recently created to focus more resources on reaching out to the public and to increase communication within the industry. He will oversee the association’s website and all public relations. Since 2008, Deutsch has served as Communications Director for the Southwestern Electrical Cooperative, responsible for communicating with more than 18,000 members. He oversaw the organization’s website, public relations and printed materials. Previously, Deutsch directed communications for the Missouri Credit Union Association and for Youth in Need, based in Missouri. He holds a Master of Arts in nonprofit management and a BA in Russian and business administration.

SIWI awards announced

Estay

Students Naomi Estay and Omayra Toro from Chile received the 2013 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for their work on how living organisms can help clean oil spills in extremely low temperatures. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the prize at an award ceremony during The World Water Week in Stockholm. The Chilean team traveled to Antarctica and managed to identify a whole dozen of bacterial strains with the potential to clean up oil spills by metabolizing it in extremely low temperatures. A Diploma of Excellence was awarded to Yeari Vigder and Noam Arye Nassi from Israel, for a project that proposes a cheap and easy way to use remote sensing system for farmers in developing countries. The innovation provides a plug-in and a smartphone application that delivers an immediate field condition feedback that allows for water saving. Dr Peter Morgan of Zimbabwe received the Stockholm Water Prize for his lifelong work to protect the health and lives of millions of people through improved water and sanitation technologies. Several of his most prominent innovations, including the ‘B’ type Bush Pump and the Blair Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine, have been adopted as the national standard by the government of Zimbabwe. Huge numbers of Blair VIP latrines, designed for both families and schools, have been built and serve millions of people in Zimbabwe alone, and many more are used worldwide. Dr Morgan also created the ‘Upgraded Family Well’ which now helps half a million people improve the quality of water obtained from traditional wells. HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented the prize to Dr. Morgan.

Culbertson named Rainwater

Harvester manager Rainwater Resources™ has entered the Nashville Davidson Metro market with the appointment of Susannah Culbertson as Territory Manager. She is based in Nashville and formerly was a Marketing Specialist at Turner Construction. Culbertson holds an MS Degree in civil engineering from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, is a graduate of the Nashville Young Leaders Council Class 55 and since 2005, a board member of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra League.

UV Pure CSA introduced

UV Pure appointed Lisa Vandepol to the position of Customer Service Associate. She has a strong background in both the practical and educational sides of the water industry. A graduate of Durham College with a Water Quality Technician Diploma, Vandepol is also a graduate of the Conventional Water Treatment Process from the Walkerton Clean Water Centre. She holds a Class G License and is certified as a Class 1 Wastewater Treatment Operator and a Limited Surface Subsystem Operator. Vandepol has been focused on water since she began her career, working as a wastewater operator as a summer student at the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in Pickering, Ontario and most recently as a Water/Wastewater Operator at Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities.

BASF Water Solutions team strengthened

Yen

Wright

BASF Water Solutions announced John Yen, Channel Partner Manager, joined the company to support business growth. Three current employees moved into new positions: Charlie Wright is now the Regional Territory Manager for the Northeast, Piera Eduardo is Senior Product Manager and Martin Riley is a Technical Service Representative for the East Coast. Yen’s responsibilities include defining, delivering and executing a strategy and associated processes to help enable channel partners of distributors, service providers and key resellers to deliver BASF Water Solution’s innovative product portfolio to all water treatment markets and applications. He has more than 21 years of experience in both the industrial and municipal water industry.

Merrigan named

new IAPMO Senior Engineer The IAPMO Group is pleased to announce Michael W. Merrigan, PE, Esq. has joined the Uniform Evaluation Service (UES) staff as Senior Engineer. He brings 31 years of experience in the fields of civil/structural engineering and building product development. Merrigan spent the past five years with ICC Evaluation Service, serving most recently as staff engineer responsible for masonry, veneer and building envelopes. Prior to that, he was a product-evaluation engineer for ICBO, worked as a consulting engineer and spent five years as an engineer with the Masonry Institute of America. A civil engineering graduate of the Oregon Institute of Technology, with a Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law, Merrigan began his career with the Department of Defense, then moved into construction activities. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Masonry Society and the State Bar of California.

Students awarded NSPF scholarships, fellowships Thirteen university students have been awarded a total of $20,000 (USD) in scholarships and fellowships by the National Swimming Pool Foundation® (NSPF®) Board of Directors for the year 2013-2014. The Scholarship Committee approved $15,000 in scholarships for eleven students who are pursuing higher education around the US in a variety of subject areas. The program awarded $5,000 to two doctoral students performing risk-reduction or health-benefit research related to aquatic activities and/or venues such as swimming pools, spas/hot tubs, therapy pools and waterparks. Lori A. Sherlock will pursue her final year as a doctoral student in education curriculum with a minor in exercise physiology from the School of Medicine at West Virginia University. Jacquelyn Nagle is entering her third year as a doctoral student in exercise physiology at University of Pittsburgh.

Shaver appointed Aquionics Manager

To meet increased demand for its new line of disinfection and water quality measurement systems, Aquionics appointed Dan Shaver to Business Development Manager for the new UV LED Pearl product range. He will build a network of distributors, consultants and OEM partners to provide customers with access to the company’s breakthrough technology. Shaver is the first Aquionics senior manager dedicated entirely to this product line. He has a background in water quality instrumentation sales, as well as sales channel development for technology companies IBM and Lenovo Canada. Shaver holds an Honors Bachelor of Commerce in sales and marketing from McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario).

Paro named to Calgon board

Calgon Carbon Corporation appointed John J. Paro to its Board of Directors. Since 2009, he has served as Chairman, President and CEO of the HallStar Company (HallStar), a privately held specialty chemical company he joined in 1986 as a Marketing Manager. During his career there, he has held positions of increasing responsibility including Vice President, Sales and Marketing and Chief Operating Officer. Paro was elected President and CEO in 2006 and Chairman in 2009.
He serves on the Board of the American Chemistry Council and is a member of its Executive Committee, and also chairs the Small and Medium Business Enterprise Committee of the ACC. Paro earned a BA Degree in chemistry from Bucknell University and an MBA from the University
of Chicago.

Recipient of 2013 Joseph K. Seidner Award named

Left: presenter of the diplomas, Connie Sue Centrella.

Shabbir Rawalpindiwala, Manager Codes & Standards, Engineering & Plumbing (Kohler Ltd.),  was presented with the 12th Joseph K. Seidner Award at the Canadian Advisory Council on Plumbing in Edmonton, Alberta in August. The award is in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Canadian plumbing codes and standards. Rawalpindiwala has been an integral part of the standards development community, participating on several US and Canadian committees, task groups and industry advisory bodies over the past 35 years. One of his most notable accomplishments was his pivotal role in harmonizing a number of bi-national consensus standards for plumbing fittings and fixtures between the US and Canada.

Keiser University confers degree on four students

Four industry professionals who work in different aspects of the pool/spa industry in the US and Singapore received the first university degree specific to the pool and spa industry. Keiser University eCampus conferred the Associate of Science in Aquatic Engineering Degree on Wendy Purser, Cynthia Burdett, Martha Galan and Terence Lei this summer. Burdett has worked as an Aquatic Engineer for the past 14 years. Martha Galan, having worked a number of years in civil engineering, plans to one day own her business designing and constructing contemporary swimming pools. Lei was already employed with Weei Ta Engineering in Singapore as a Project Engineer when he was encouraged by his supervisor to enroll in the two-year degree program.
Wendy Purser is an experienced pool professional, and like many others, began working while in high school and never received a college degree.

Eaton joins Canature sales staff

Canature USA Inc. announced the addition of Dennis Eaton to its sales team as Regional Sales Manager for Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, eastern Idaho and western Nebraska. He will provide hands-on expertise and field support to the company’s growing water dealer customer base. An industry veteran since 1984, when he accepted his first position as a salt delivery person for a local franchise dealership, Eaton eventually worked his way into a service and installation role before transitioning to sales and management. He will be based in Laurel, MT and can be reached at (406) 812-0392 or via email, [email protected]

Spinhirne named Desalitech VP

Desalitech appointed industry veteran Mike Spinhirne to be the company’s Senior Vice President of Sales, responsible for managing the company’s market strategy and overseeing US industrial sales. He began his sales career in 1981 as a district sales engineer for Betz Laboratories and held various management positions in the Midwest and Texas, with experience working for GE Water Technologies. Spinhirne most recently managed a team that coordinated the integration of  Siemens Water Technologies Corp. into the newly formed Siemens Industry Inc. and held the position of Vice President of Sales.