Gledhill named Blue-White CEO
Blue-White Industries’ Board of Directors and stockholders have elected Robin Gledhill to the position of President and CEO. He began his Blue-White career over 40 years ago, while still attending college, in the metering pump division, eventually moving into the Sales and Marketing Department, where he became Blue-White’s International Sales Manager.
After many years of working closely with representatives and distributors on both a domestic and international level, he was elected company President in 1997. Gledhill’s product knowledge, interest in product development and improvement, and respect for all customers and employees, combined with exceptional business and management skills, made him the obvious choice for Blue-White’s CEO position.
NSPF instructors honored
Nine certified instructors with nonprofit National Swimming Pool Foundation® (NSPF) were recognized for exceptional performance and commitment to work together to keep pools safer, healthier and open. Robert R. Freligh (Nationwide Aquatic Consulting, Chestertown, NY) earned his award for the most certified individual ever by an NSPF Instructor. Taylor White (Langley and Taylor Pool Corp, Nashville, TN) set a record for the number of students who earned CPO® certification through his classes. Scott Ford (Tropical Aquatics Pool Education, Dunedin, FL) was honored for teaching and certifying the most number of pool professionals during the year. Connie Centrella (Connie Centrella Consulting, LLC, Nashville, TN) was recognized as the greatest supporter of the Pool Operator Primer™ online program. Instructors Phil Reynolds, Steve Lintz and Michael Freeman (Swim Pool & Spa Consultants, Reno, NV) received a Pool Math™ Workbook award for assisting in teaching for the company, which set a record for the number of students who have purchased and used this helpful educational tool. Shane Anthony Ince (Aquatics Information, Moana, Adelaide, South Australia) was recognized for his dedication to pool operator training, having certified the most individuals through the CPO certification program outside the US. Humberto Abaroa-Lance, Director of Education, (Asociacion de Profesionales de la Piscina, A.C., Mexico City, Mexico) accepted an award on behalf of his association for the most certified with the Spanish CPO certification program.
Mills promoted, Garcia named to WaterGroup team
WaterGroup’s Brian Mills will become the Global Director of Sales, assuming full control of all of WaterGroup’s worldwide sales activities based out of the Ontario headquarters. He will manage both the independent and wholesale sides of the business with both agents and company sales representatives reporting to him. Mills brings a strong background in water treatment sales, service and marketing from his most recent role as Director of Sales in Canada for WaterGroup and his prior experience running his own water treatment company.
Annette Garcia has joined the company as the California Regional Account Manager, responsible for outside sales in the state of California, focusing on the company’s independent water dealers in that market. She has 10 years of water treatment experience working as a Sales Representative, where her forte was servicing and developing large domestic and international customers. In this new role, Garcia will report directly to Mills.
Day appointed at Carbon Resources
Jessica Day has joined Carbon Resources as a member of its Sales and Marketing Department. She brings with her a great sense of professionalism, along with tremendous experience in customer relations and small business development. Day has had many proven successes throughout her career, including building profitable private practice medical groups throughout the West coast, increasing business profits while reducing costs and debt with efficiency audits and greatly improving customer service rankings by introducing modern strategies to traditional approaches. She will be assisting the marketing team with inside sales and customer support as well as focusing on other marketing efforts.
Russell, Ousley appointed at Water-Right
Water-Right, Inc. announced the addition of Mark Russell, CWS-I, as Regional Sales Manager for the west coast (Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah) and the appointment of Todd Ousley as their new Field Manager, Clear Choice Water Group. Russell has over 13 years of water treatment industry experience. Prior to joining Water-Right, he served as President and GM of Water Tech Industries and most recently was GM for Hanson’s Water Treatment. He will be responsible for providing sales and technical service training, program guidance and day-today general business needs for existing customers. Russell holds a Bachelor’s Degree in economics from Brigham Young University.
Ousley has more than 25 years of experience in the water treatment industry, beginning in sales and management for an independent, multiplesite franchised dealer and having held various regional and national positions with Culligan and US Filter. He brings with him hands-on sales, sales training, sales management and dealer development experience to the company’s professional level dealer
channel. Ousley has spent the last seven years in executive positions within the computer software industry. He will be responsible for sales training and developing sales and dealer-directed programs.
Daigger named to WERF board
CH2M HILL announced Dr. Glen Daigger, International Water Association President and CH2M HILL Chief Technology Officer, has been selected to join the Water Environment Research Foundation’s (WERF) Board of Directors. He is recognized worldwide as an expert in wastewater treatment technologies, especially the use of biological processes. Daigger has been involved with WERF and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) for years, serving as Chair of several committees. He was named a WEF Fellow in 2012. Daigger will officially begin his Board of Director role in December. He was also recently appointed co-Chair for the Science and Technology Commission, a new focus of the 7th World Water Forum (WWF).
New IDA President, awardee named
The International Desalination Association (IDA) announced Abdullah Al-Alshaikh, PhD, Deputy Governor for Planning and Development of Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) in Saudi Arabia, has been named President of the association for the 2013-2015 term. Emilio Gabbrielli, Vice President Business Development of Toray Membrane, has been named 1st Vice President and Miguel Angel Sanz, Director of Development and Innovation of Degrémont, 2nd Vice President. Al-Alshaikh holds a BS Degree in civil engineering from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia and a Master of Engineering Degree in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University, State College. In 2004, he was awarded a doctorate in business administration by Hull University, UK. Jim Birkett, PhD, was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award recognition of his extensive contributions in the fields of desalination and water reuse. The award was conferred at the IDA World Congress 2013 in Tianjin. He has more than four decades of experience in the study of desalination, advanced water treatment and membrane separation industries and technologies and was the first elected President of IDA. Birkett continues to consult, lecture and publish widely in his fields of interest. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College, where he earned his BA Degree and Yale University, from which he received his MS and PhD
Degrees in physical chemistry.
NGWA award winners announced
The National Ground Water Association announced the winners of its annual awards. They are: Steve Maslansky of Prescott, Individual Safety Advocate Award; City of Phoenix, Groundwater Supply Award; ARCADIS, Groundwater Protection and Groundwater Remediation Awards; Ron Peterson, Baroid Industrial Drilling Products, Ross L. Oliver Award; Chunmiao Zheng, University of Alabama, M. King Hubbert Award; Arthur E. Becker, Robert Storm Interdivisional Cooperation Award; Gregory Buffington, Layne Christensen Co., Dr. Leonard Konikow, USGS, Evan Nyer, NGWA Life Member Awards; Michael Gefell, ARCADIS, Technology Award and John Selker, PhD, Oregon State University and Scott Tyler, PhD, University of Nevada Reno, John Hem Award for Excellence inScience & Engineering.
WEF Trustees named
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) announced members of its 2013-2014 Board of Trustees as confirmed by WEF’s House of Delegates during WEFTEC® 2013. In October, the WEF ‘gavel of leadership’ was passed from President Cordell Samuels (Pickering, Ontario, Canada) to incoming President Sandra Ralston, an Associate Vice President with ARCADIS in Charleston, SC. During her term, Ralston will continue to help fulfill WEF’s three critical objectives—to drive innovation in water, enrich the expertise of water professionals and raise public awareness of the value of water—in part by calling on WEF members to be unified in purpose. In addition to President Ralston, the 2013-2014 Board of Trustees includes Immediate Past President Samuels; President-Elect Ed McCormick (Oakland, CA); Vice-President Paul Bowen (Atlanta, GA); Treasurer Rick Warner (Reno, NV); Secretary and Interim Executive Director Eileen O’Neill (Alexandria, VA) and Trustees Charles Bott (Hampton Roads, VA), Fran Burlingham (Walnut Creek, CA), Ralph Exton (Trevose, PA), Jenny Hartfelder (Denver, CO), Tom Kunetz (Chicago, IL), Garry Macdonald (Auckland, New Zealand), George Martin (Greenwood, SC) and Erin Mosley (Boston, MA.).