Register now and see an incredible display of products and equipment in the Expo Hall, including:
— High pressure waterjet systems and tools for industrial and municipal cleaning and coating removal
— High pressure pumps
— Environmental and waste management solutions
— Wet/dry vacuum trucks
— Drain and sewer maintenance
— Waterblasting and hydrodemolition equipment
— Precision waterjet cutting systems, software, and abrasives
“Live equipment demonstrations are the most effective way to show people how this equipment works,” says Conference Co-Chair Bill McClister, Veolia Environmental Services. “Eleven companies have signed up to demonstrate waterjet pumps, waterblasting, tube and bundle lancing, paint/coating removal, pipe cleaning, industrial vacuuming, and testing the effectiveness of safety equipment.”
Gather practical information, including new business ideas, safety recommendations, tips and techniques to improve workforce productivity and stay competitive in today’s marketplace during the Expo Boot Camp Sessions. Topics include:
— DOT Regulations for Trucks/Trailers
— Safety in Waterjetting
— High Pressure Waterblasting
— Reducing Hydroblasting Risks and Incidents Through Partnership and Technology – A Special One-Hour Presentation by Kathy Krupp of Dow Chemical and Sam Harkins of Veolia ES Industrial Services
— Hose Fittings, Pressure Testing
— Is Cold-Cutting Really Non-explosive?
— Waterjet 101 – The Capabilities and Benefits of Precision Waterjet Cutting
— Video Inspection of Pipelines
— Hydro-Excavation
— Nozzle Selection for Sewer Cleaning
— Static Electricity – Causes, Effects and Solutions
— Plant Safety
“Knowledge really is one of the keys to success. The more contractors and end users shop and compare equipment, learn about safety and business issues, and network with colleagues, the more productive their business operations will be,” says WJTA-IMCA Chairman Bill Gaff, Environmental Solutions Group of Federal Signal Corporation. “The WJTA-IMCA Expo is the only program I know of where so much technology and information is available under one roof for the benefit of contractors and end users.”
To register online or obtain additional information, visit www.wjta.org, or contact WJTA-IMCA by email: wjta-imca@wjta.org, telephone: (314)241-13445, or fax: (314)241-1449.

In the case of WRS Environmental Services, the vision CEO Michael Rodgers had for his business required that he and his partner, WRS president Thomas Arabia, revise the direction in which they were headed and institute major changes. That strategy is still paying dividends as the eighteen-year-old company successfully weathers the economic downturn and heads into its future with a strong tailwind.

“About seven years ago, we started a ground-up re-creation of the company,” Rodgers explains. Because they believed their employees were key to everything they wanted to accomplish, WRS made a commitment to unionize the company.

“We’re the only environmental company in the region that has a unionized work force—unionized because we wanted a vehicle to attract the best.” WRS’s wages and benefits packages continue to be an enticement that provides the company with a huge block of talent from which to choose.

Ralph Ranghelli, Executive Vice President, adds, “Development of your workforce is key. The extensive training we provide is one of the factors that I think distinguishes us. We have a talented workforce that has been with us a long time, and we’re competing in a market that is 99.9 percent non-union.”

Visionary Leader
WRS Environmental Services was formed in 1992, as Waste Recycling Solutions; but when the limitations of the term “waste” got in the way of how the company saw itself, the name was changed to incorporate its new image of its future. Today the ninety-person-strong company has its headquarters on Long Island in Yaphank, New York, and comprehensive satellite offices in Brooklyn and outside of Utica, New York, in Poland. It provides a broad range of specialized and customized services—from 24/7 land and marine environmental emergency response, hazardous remediation and training and security, to water treatment and de-watering systems management and maintenance, vacuum excavation, pumping and vacuuming, and transport and disposal. It has strategic partnerships with all the utilities in the Northeast region: Consolidated Edison, National Grid, and New York Power Authority.

Ranghelli doesn’t hesitate to boast of Rodgers’s capabilities as CEO in charge of all daily operations. “Mike is sort of a visionary—he can look at opportunities and portray in his mind a strategic plan that can be executed to keep us in the forefront of the industry. Without that, this company would not have grown and expanded as it did.”

Challenges that Distinguish WRS
“One of the first challenges was changing the company, and it goes on today,” says Rodgers. “The second one was building strategic partnerships with the utilities in the region. The third was attracting employees, giving them a lot of power in the hiring and training, and not being afraid to look for perfection. And then we stepped it up to the equipment. We definitely have the best equipment in the industry.”

When Rodgers began to see what his own limitations were, he went looking for people who could advise him. “And that’s where Ralph came in.” Ranghelli’s extensive background is in the utility business and has included several years’ direct involvement in union relationships. WRS’s CFO, Anthony Nozzolillo, held a position overseeing thousands of employees at another utility company.

“We believe that people are the way to get to the right people,” says Rodgers.

And the Difference Is…
“Another thing that distinguishes us,” Ranghelli says, “is that we can improvise—we can customize—any of our services. We often find ourselves confronted with situations beyond the norm. We have the nimbleness and agility to tailor operations to meet their requirements.”

However, the extremely high level of service and capabilities that WRS offers its clients doesn’t come cheap.

“Because of the direction we chose, we took an environmental company and made it one of the more expensive companies out there for utility companies to use,” Rodgers acknowledges. “The only way we could overcome that was to give quality of service. We’re the furthest thing from the cheapest, but when everyone is cutting costs, we still have the ability to grow because of the services we give. ‘Value added.’ Everyone in the company knows that term.”

WRS responds to more than 1,200 emergencies a year including environmental spills, vehicles hitting utility poles, hazmat incidents, and more. The company guarantees a response in two hours or less, which it handles using a finely tuned, multi-stage process that operates 24/7. From the customer, the report goes directly to the supervisory group, where they are intimately familiar with the steps to develop the response plan. The on-call duty supervisor dispatches the appropriate teams, which might include hazmat technicians and highly trained specialized equipment operators.

“It’s never dull,” Rodgers happily concedes. “There’s always excitement. And every single day there’s a new challenge, with opportunities out there to strategically plan where the company is going to go.”

Looking Ahead
“We’ve had to look very closely at our internal expenses to bring them down as low as possible,” says Rodgers about the changing economic landscape. “Anyone who is willing to make the commitment we’ve made, they will be fine. The weaker companies will have a more difficult time of it. We’ll have to restructure a little bit.

“The part of our business where we support the general contractors who work with the utilities has slowed because utilities have postponed some capital expenditures. However, that’s temporary. They can’t put off those projects indefinitely.”

WRS’s future appears to be pretty green in other ways, too.

“We’re looking into ‘green’ technology, which is really the buzz word in the industry. Utilities will be the driver, and we see ourselves as supporting them in that. Through our union affiliations, we’re putting people through specialized training on such things as solar panels.”

WRS uses fourteen very quiet vacuum trucks—each one a $300 thousand to $425 thousand investment, and each with slightly different capabilities—that meet acceptable noise pollution standards set by the New York Power Authority. The trucks also conform to diesel regulations for emissions.

Rodgers recognizes the need. “It’s hard to be in an environmental corporation and have a vehicle that’s polluting…right?”

To learn more about WRS Environmental Services, visit www.WRSES.com.

Story by Anne Biggs

Story by Marie Elium

Many successful companies operate on the premise that coming up with a new idea is virtually the same as giving the customer what he or she wants. Tom Aerts, General Sales Manager for Imperial Industries based in Wausau, Wisconsin, has noticed that the call is increasing for specialization in the custom tanks that they manufacture. “Orders for stock units are going down. Every year, people want equipment that is more specialized and customized.”

As a result, Imperial Industries manufactures a specialized six-inch aluminum debris filter that is available as an accessory attachment for tanks used in land application. The comb that filters solids in Imperial’s Ultimate Debris Collector comes in two spacing options to meet state regulations, and application is much cleaner and more efficient.

“The Ultimate has become very popular this year,” says Aerts. “It saves a lot of time and effort in the field.”

Along with customized equipment, Aerts has also seen an increase in orders for self-contained, slide-in tanks that were originally designed for the back of a pickup truck or a small trailer to service portable restrooms. Imperial Industries offers these portable service units in painted steel, aluminum and stainless steel and in 300-, 450-, 550- and 650-gallon total capacities for waste and water or for waste only.

Gayle Humphries, Owner and President of Best Enterprises in Cabot, Arkansas, has been designing and fabricating stainless steel pumping trucks and tanks for more than thirty-four years. That means he’s spent a lot of time thinking up ideas and innovations that benefit the portable toilet and septic pumping industry. In a time of increasing call for specialized equipment, Best’s ability to customize has given the company an advantage.

Humphries believes wholeheartedly that high-quality, well-maintained equipment is the surest way to make a profit in this industry, and he’s proud of the custom trucks and tanks his company has put on the road for his customers. He won’t hesitate to tell you about the first stainless steel tank he built in 1978, which is still on the job in Phoenix.

“About the year I built my first tank,” he says, “we perfected a system for putting a clutch on a vacuum pump and operating it from a switch on the dashboard similar to the air-conditioner switch.”

Hydraulic systems were developed soon after, but Humphries didn’t forget the air-conditioner switch from 1978, and the ease of operation.  “We now have developed a system of electromagnetic clutches that can be installed on a jetter or a vacuum pump [and] that allow you to run them either simultaneously or with a remote control. With this, one man can do it all. He runs the jetter and uses the remote to turn it on and off.

“It’s a whole lot easier to maintain than hydraulic systems,” Humphries says. “Since not many companies have people who can work on hydraulics, it means that a hydraulic unit would have to sit until someone can get to it. Our system, repairs can be made quickly, and you can be back in operation without a lot of down time.”

“Plants are continuing to pressure the contractor to reduce his hourly rate or improve productivity,” says Sales Director Tony Fuller of Federal Signal Solutions.

Headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, Federal Signal is the parent company of Guzzler, a world leader in industrial vacuum technology. Along with sister companies Vactor Manufacturing, Jetstream and Elgin Sweeper, the four make up Federal Signal’s Environmental Solutions Group. 

In response to the pressure, Guzzler has developed the Guzzler NX vacuum loader next-generation air mover. Where a standard vacuum loader will require emptying when only three-quarters full, the Guzzler NX allows operators to pump more and dump less.

“This is a highly efficient, low-noise-level machine, designed to overcome any lack of air conveyance,” explains Fuller. According to specs on the company’s website, the NX features the “industry’s quietest blower,” better fuel economy and improved loading with vacuum recovery technology, which allows for cleaning the baghouse while still vacuuming material.

Fuller also speaks of Federal Signal’s extensive training platform. Along with an array of Haz-Mat courses and OSHA training, the company provides training from job set-up to all aspects of operation.

“What’s a vacuum? It’s an equalization of pressure. The objective is to create negative pressure in the debris tank. Our training shows how to understand the process better and learn the tricks on how to make it more efficient.”

Jack Doheny Supplies oversees what it bills as the world’s largest selection of sewer cleaning truck equipment, street sweepers, and vacuum trucks from its corporate home in Northville, Michigan. It services what it sells from eleven key facilities around the country that are available to customers twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

“We view our customers as being in an emergency business,” says company President Dan Weber. “A fuel spill or a leak or sewage overflow that affects the health and welfare of the community, that is an emergency situation, and we will respond [to] and support our customers.”

While this commitment is not innovative, the way Jack Doheny Supplies implements its services may be considered fresh. “What we bring to our customers is a multitude of ways of getting equipment into customers’ hands,” Weber explains. “We do it through multiple financing approaches, including in-house financing, rental-purchase approaches, and having a very diverse rental fleet.”

This cross-section of trucks provides Doheny’s clients with access to rent or lease equipment to handle a variety of specialized jobs—“when they haven’t yet developed the core business to support the investment.” Should that aspect of the business prove profitable in the future and should the client be capable of making the investment, Doheny offers his customers fair and reasonable lease-purchase terms.

“Our customers are able to create equity in the units and acquire the assets,” says Weber. “And no one else does it like we do. It allows them to enter markets that limited capital might not have allowed them to enter.”

Jack Doheny also offers “the most comprehensive and complete equipment overhaul in the industry” for worn sewer cleaning and industrial vacuum trucks. The company’s “remanufacturing” process rebuilds each piece to original equipment standards, so that the equipment works like new and can be warranted like new. The company promises to “systematically go through every component of your truck” and bring it back to “original performance standards.”

In an industry that often focuses on what we human beings discard or wish to get rid of, it is refreshing to find so many innovators who are committed to finding ways to build equipment for decades of use and who then provide service or will rebuild as a way to extend the lifetimes of these products even further.

Story by Anne Biggs

By Jim vonMeier
Right now, the spotlight is on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Obviously, no one wanted this to happen in the first place, and no one wants it to continue, but people will give different reasons why it needs to be stopped.  Some are worried that it will drive up the cost of gas (which it will); others see the pictures of oil-soaked birds and say innocent animals are dying.  Still others say their summer vacations at the Louisiana beach will be ruined. 
Regardless of the reasons people give, most do not realize how far into the future and widespread this damage is going to reach.  Even if it were stopped today and BP provided the 20+ billion dollars to help restore the region, the reality is that no amount of money is going to fix it, at least in our lifetime.
The damage is already hitting me in Minnesota.  I like shrimp, but the cost of these tasty little morsels has already gone up $2 a pound.  In Louisiana, people are canceling their vacations to the beaches. But the damage won’t be limited to the Gulf Coast, because the current will push that oil all the way around Florida and up the East Coast.  That will not only hurt the Atlantic fishing industry, but their tourism industry as well.     
The sad part is that we already had a solution to this problem more than thirty years ago: solar panels and tax credits for alternative forms of energy, proposed during President Carter’s administration. Unfortunately, the solution was short-lived, and many quickly abandoned these alternatives.
We ignored the oil/energy crisis; instead of building smaller, more energy-efficient homes and business buildings, we put up huge glass and steel monstrosities because they were attractive and all those windows allowed a better view.  We bought bigger and more powerful SUVs and glossy pick-up trucks.  At the same time, we put solar, wind, fuel cell and battery technology on the back shelf.          
The President at the time (Regan), reassured America that this was a good thing, because it was what we needed; but maybe, just maybe, if he had kept those tax breaks in place, there would have been enough incentive for us “little guys,” to come up with efficient alternative energy sources, and we wouldn’t have more than 50,000 barrels of crude oil pumping into our ocean today.   
Unfortunately, that is one of the negative effects of big business…the corporations sell what they have available and not necessarily what is the best solution—and because they have a lot of money, they can use that cash to influence the politicians who make the choices. The politicians, in turn, push big business’ products while stifling the competition. 
But the oil disaster isn’t the only crisis we are facing; our water quality and supplies are in serious jeopardy, the public just hasn’t heard that much about it.  Just as there were alternatives available then, there are currently alternatives that can help our situation now.
Large-scale treatment facilities are big business, and, like any big company, the goal is to get as many customers/sales as possible Just like the energy industry, however, these companies don’t always look beyond their year-end earnings report.  The massive discharges from our sewage treatment facilities are contaminating our lakes, rivers, and oceans.  And, because most facilities operate on the “take it from local sources and flush it downriver to the ocean” process, our aquifers are suffering. 
But you already hold the solution—a septic system.  When properly designed, installed, and maintained it will not only treat wastewater better, it will also return water to the aquifer where it originated.  
Every week, I get emails from homeowners around the country asking how to fight the big-pipe projects; two weeks ago, when I got a technical question from a woman who lives on one of the many barrier islands off the East Coast, I assumed this was the case.  So I answered her question, but I continued to tell her what would happen if the projects didn’t stop: over-development, environmental damage, depleting her local water supplies, etc.  
She responded to me and said, “You don’t understand, this project is already underway.  It was started a few years ago and is now about two-thirds done, but you are wrong on your timetable.  You said we would start seeing the problems in five to seven years.  Guess what? Everything you said would happen already has begun; the development, the tax increases, our wells…and it isn’t even completed yet!”     
This is a worldwide problem, but it is those of you in the industry who can fix it.  These homeowners who are calling me should be contacting you…or you should be contacting them before these projects get started.  I can help you fight them, but to be honest, often by the time I get the call, it is too late and they have already spent a huge amount of money on their environmental impact and engineering studies. 
The Gulf oil spill is the main focus in the media right now, but we (you) can use this environmental tragedy to show the world that big business is not always the answer…the small family-owned businesses can often fix things better, faster, and cheaper.   
Jim vonMeier performs educational programs directed at homeowners, teaching them the health and environmental need for proper septic systems and how to find a certified septic professional to inspect/design/install/maintain their systems.  He has also represented homeowners in their fights against public sewer projects and speaks at contractor programs around the country on the subject of customer service. He can be contacted at 763-856-3800 or jvonmeier@sepicprotector.com      

Story by Marie Elium

1-763-856-3800  jvonmeier@septicprotector.com

• You give others the satisfaction of learning a new task
• You reward others with more responsibility
• You free up headspace to allow you to focus on other strategies
• You empower those around you to achieve more

Here are a couple of tips to help you delegate.
Trust people
One of the biggest reasons you don’t delegate is because you don’t trust other people to complete a task or activity your way. Once you accept people will not do things exactly like you (and maybe your way is not the best way…) you will be better equipped to trust others. Accept that sometimes 80% (not 100%) completion is better than 0% completion.
Trust yourself
Believe you will give people the best instructions on how to complete tasks, know that you are the best person to delegate activities. Trust what you know.
Try delegating small tasks first
To build your trust when delegating, start with small and less important tasks to build up your confidence that people can follow your instructions.
Create a template for task delegation
Write down specific details of the action, the date and time required, relevant documentation that relates to the task and the interested parties in the task. Explain this to the person you are delegating to, then check off the completed task against your template or written instructions.
Asks the person to repeat their understanding to you
Once you have delegated the task ask the person to describe back to you (in their own words), what the task is and how it is to be completed. At this point you can clarify any misunderstandings.
Communicate your expectations
People don’t read minds. Be clear if you have expectations, explain these in detail and once again get the person to repeat them back to you. If you have a certain way of doing something and you want that repeated – make that very clear.
Set clear timeframes
Be specific about when you want the task or activity completed. Be specific about the date and time and provide the reasons why this is required. Often when delegating we get frustrated because people don’t complete things in the same time we do, understand while people are learning it may take more time.
Give feedback
Once the task is completed let the person know how they performed according to your instructions, expectations and timeframes.
Reward the delegate and congratulate yourself
Take time to recognize their achievement through praise or an appropriate reward. Congratulate yourself for trusting someone else to complete activities or tasks you would normally complete yourself.
Release control
Recognize you can’t do everything all the time and you may benefit from the help of others – learn to delegate. Remember delegating will help boost your productivity and help you focus on more important tasks while still achieving results – challenge yourself to delegate something today.
Story by Neen James
Neen James is an International Productivity Expert. She demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing results. She is a dynamic keynote speaker, author and executive coach and business mentor with a unique voice, high energy, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense. Find out more at www.neenjames.com – P.O. Box 1764 • Doylestown, PA 18901 • 215-230-0835