Fun story - one of my ancestors was designer/architect Gustav Halmhuber, who designed the Wasserturm in Mannheim, Germany - a water tower built in 1886-89. The water tower survived both world wars, and still stands today at 60 m high. One of my relatives gave me a picture of it last year, and here it hangs just outside my office:  Pardon my enormous glare - the picture is right by a window! And another better, glare free picture of it:  How cool is that? And especially amazing that it's still standing considering what the country has encountered in the last century. It might be just us, but we have a thing for water towers here at B&M. Check out another large picture that hangs in our front office:  Do you see your tower? This one is fun to have because we get to see a lot of familiar sites and we work in many of the places.Water towers serve an essential function in many of our communities, and we all work hard to ensure that the towers work efficiently and trouble-free. You can see how we can help you here. In some communities, however, water towers provide an outlet for a communities creativity. Here are some fun examples:  This has to give some kids pretty cool dreams.  The Peachoid is a four-story (150 feet tall) water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina, United States, that resembles a peach. The water tower holds one million gallons of water.  Tipton, Missouri: Tipton Missouri was home to a Billiard manufacturer. As an ad for the business, they painted the water tower that serviced the warehouse as a giant 8 ball. When the industry moved on, the water tower was painted over. After a period of 20 years, the townspeople decided they really wanted their landmark back, so in 1999 the water tower was re-painted, re-establishing a World’s Largest Thing.  Franklin Co - MO  Water towers in Kuwait There are so many, I could post more and more pictures. Do you have a favorite water tower? Share it below!
We're excited to be teaming up with WRWA as part of the Rural Water Calendar Sales Partnership Program! When I first heard about these raffle calendar, I knew I wanted one. What are they? For just $20, you'll receive a calendar and be entered into the raffle. Each weekday from May 1, 2012 to April 30, 2013, a name will be picked, and they will win a variety of cash prizes ranging from $50 to $2500. That's 260 chances to win, for just $20! If your name is drawn once, you go back in because there's no limit on the number of times you can win.
We'll have the calendars starting today, so just ask one of us at B&M to hook you up! We're looking forward to continuing to support WRWA and all the great work they do.
Can you believe that this week brought the Midwest Water Industry Expo? I can hardly believe that a year has went by since the last one. Last year at this time we were fresh off of a Packer Superbowl win and we had a whole bunch of snow. This year, we're celebrating a fantastic Packer season (albeit a very disappointing ending) and not so much snow. Don't try to predict anything in this state, because you will probably be wrong. I can't imagine where we'll be a year from now!This year Josh and I had a wonderful corner booth at the Expo. The show room at the Kalahari provides a different layout that allows for tables in the middle of the hall, and this is nice change to sometimes have compared to the normal rows of vendors. We really enjoy these opportunities to break up the week and have a change of pace. I moderated for a few sessions for the first time (opening/closing the door, watching the time, and taking attendance - how cool am I?) and Josh was filmed for a little promo video for the WWA conference - so watch for that! We were able to spend a lot of time talking to both old customers and new people we met this week. And it the end, that's the whole point, and we considered the show a success.
We're channeling Back to the Future (hence the quote) a little bit this month. Check out our new ad in the Clarifier for this month: We thought we would be safe to talk about snow still falling in February since we're in Wisconsin. Based on this week, I guess not. We should have probably said "Watch your costs melt like the snow"! Somehow it's just not the same.Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying this early February thaw - I know I am! The groundhog saw his shadow today, so I guess we're in for some more winter. Although perhaps not.Whatever the weather does, we're planning for projects right now. Check out our services, products, and past projects and let us know what your plans are for the spring. Perhaps we should schedule some pump checks? Maybe your can station needs to be checked out? Let us know!
Last weekend we were checking out the amazing Fox River Antique Mall and came across this old guy: It's a simplex water meter that was originally installed in West Bend, WI in 1931! We thought the chart recorder was really cool. It appears to measure the rate of flow and GPM. It looked to be in pretty good condition, but there was no indication of whether or not it was still functional. Anyone up for trying it out? Unfortunately there's no factory warranty...
Would you drink your wastewater? The National Research Council find that "wastewater is completely safe, if not safer than existing water supplies." Treated wastewater, that is. This article recommends a tap filter for "those seeking optimal wellness," though. I'm not sure what you should do if you're seeking that all-illusive sub-optimal level of wellness. Ah, privatization. We do it to prisons, schools, wars, NASA. Why not water supplies? Because it's working so well for the rest of the world.Wisconsin's looking a bit short on snowfall so far this year. For those missing it, you could take a leaf out of this ski lodge's book and start turning sewage into snow.There's lots of talking going on about fracking and natural gas drilling, and Popular Mechanics looks at the top 10 controversial claims surrounding the debate. Well-written, packed full of facts, and very balanced.More protests in Ohio, this time over fracking spurred on by recent earthquakes.The future of energy savings is finding ways to harness untapped sources of energy, like the pressure that builds up as water travels from the water tower to my faucet. Municipal water systems in the Northeast are tapping this energy to run their systems. Cutest video ever: Have a great weekend!
Today we have a bit of Wisconsin water history that I found quite interesting. Over a century ago, Chicago built the World's Columbian Exposition, a huge world fair that celebrated the 400 anniversary of Columbus' arrival in America. The "fair" had the goal of topping a French event that had featured the Eiffle Tower, and included the first (gigantic) Ferris wheel, many larger-than-ever-built buildings, new lagoons, islands, and (of interest to us) water system. One of the largest problems facing the fair was the dismal state of the water supply in Chicago at the time. As a result, the Director of Works Daniel Burnham decided to pipe fresh water down from Waukesha, Wisconsin. Waukesha residents weren't quite so into this idea. The following excerpt from The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson shares the story.
| "In the first week of May a powerful storm dropped an ocean of rain on Chicago and again caused the Chicago River to reverse flow. Again the sewage threatened the city's water supply. The decaying carcass of a horse was spotted bobbing near one of the intake cribs.
This new surge underscored for Burnham the urgency of completing his plan to pipe Waukesha spring water to the fair by Opening Day. Earlier, in July 1891, the exposition had granted a contract for the work to the Hygeia Mineral Springs Company, headed by an entrepreneur named J.E. McElroy, but the company had accomplished little. In March Burnham ordered Dion Geraldine, his chief construction superintenedenent, to press the matter "with the utmost vigor and see that no delay occurs."
Hygeia secured rights to lay its pipe from its springhouse in Waukesha through the village itself but failed to anticipate the intensity of opposition from the citizens who feared the pipeline would disfigure their landscape and drain their famous springs. Hygeia's McElroy, under mounting pressure from Burnham, turned to desperate measures.
On Saturday evening, May 7, 1892, McElroy loaded a special train with pipes, picks, shovels, and three hundred men and set off for Waukesha to dig his pipeline under the cover of darkness.
Word of the expedition beat the train to Waukesha. As it pulled into the station, someone rang the village firebell, and soon a large force of men armed with clubs, pistols, and shotguns converged on the train. Two fire engines arrived hissing steam, their crews ready to blast the pipelayers with water. One village leader told McElroy that if he went ahead with his plan, he would not leave town alive.
Soon another thousand or so townspeople joined the small army at the station. One group of men dragged a cannon from the town hall and trained it on Hygeia's bottling plant.
After a brief standoff, McElroy and the pipelayers went back to Chicago.
Burnham still wanted that water. Workers had already laid pipes in Jackson Park for two hundred springwater booths.
McElroy gave up trying to run pipes directly into the village of Waukesha. Instead he bought a spring in the town of Big Bend, twelve miles south of Waukesha, just inside the Waukesha County line. Fair visitors would be able to drink Waukesha springwater after all.
That the water came from the county and not the famous village was a subtlety upon which Burnham and McElroy did not dwell." |
For an excellent read on the World's Columbian Exposition, I definitely recommend The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson.
We always use this week between Christmas and New Years to reflect on the past year and prepare for the coming. We do our big shop clean out this week, and wrap up a variety of yearly tasks. While what we're doing this week really doesn't change that much next week (we're offering the same great services and products), it's nice to have the psychological close to the 2011 and fresh start for 2012. Of course, one of the best ways to start a new year is by making some goals and resolutions. By recognizing the business climate we're all in today, our goals can function as a guide to navigating the mounting pressures so many are facing in the industry.With this in mind, our goal for 2012 is: to continue to build lasting partnerships with our customers by addressing their needs as our own. "to continue" Providing great service isn't just a short-term goal for us. It's the very foundation of our business. We are going to continue doing what we've always done while actively looking for ways to improve and strengthen those areas that are weaker. "to build" There are good companies that exist to sell you something once without the expectation that you'll necessarily return again and again because of the great service or loyalty you feel. Most convenience stores are like this - they're there when you need them, but if you can't use them there's another store down the block. To these companies, there isn't much building involved. But we're not that kind of company. In order for us to be most effective, we aim to build understanding and trust. This enables us to find the best solution, not just the cheapest, quickest, or easiest solution. This happens over time, which helps us to create the many lasting relationships we have with our customers. "lasting relationships" We want our relationships to be long and diverse. Look at all the different services we offer. We're not the company that is only interested in just your big projects. Or just your calibrations. Or just your cross connection program. Or just your telemetry system. Or just your pumps. Or just your lift stations. Or just your troubleshooting. We're interested in all of it. We look at our relationships that we're building now as lasting relationships, lasting past the end of the project, the end of the warranty period, through all of your service needs, through your future projects, and fifty years into the future. When you think that far out, you can see that we're not going to put our name on any substandard work or products, because we know we'd have to answer for it down the line. "with our customers" Businesses have lots of relationships. We've got relationships with all sorts of contractors, cleaners, auto dealerships, insurance providers, industry associations, technical schools, professional service providers, and of course vendors and manufacturers. We work with these people every day, and we even like a whole lot of them. Our relationships with these people help make us effective. But our relationship with our customers is the most important relationship we maintain. This is an important concept for us. Even though we may like working with one manufacturer a little better than another, we use the product best suited for your needs. This differentiates us from some competitors. Have you ever felt like a salesperson was trying to make you fit their product? To use a non-industry example, this summer Josh and I went through our first timeshare sales presentation experience. It was fascinating, but something most interesting was the way the salesman tried to fit us to the timeshare. You see, the timeshare was nice but very children-orientated - there were kids everywhere with all sorts of features for kids. We don't have kids, and weren't really interesting in the kid-friendly features. Instead of recognizing this fact and that this timeshare wasn't really a good fit for us, the salesperson kept trying to fit us to the timeshare and sell us on these aspects. Not effective at all, and pretty annoying since it really felt like he just wasn't listening to us.
By building relationships with our customers and putting those relationships above any others we may have, we hope we can listen to you a whole lot better than the timeshare guy. We not looking for a customer to fit our product, and most certainly we won't try to make you fit a specific product. Our goal is to find a product that will fit your needs. "by addressing their needs as our own" A few weeks ago I wrote about how we've been picking up on the general anxiety of decreasing budgets, increased demands, and overall a greater amount of pressure on operators. As I said before, I don't have any magic bullets for the situation. I can tell you this - we ready, willing, and able to work with you. If you're willing to work with what you have, constraints often create opportunity for creative solutions. Despite the atmosphere, I'm optimistic for 2012. We're looking forward to working with you, addressing your needs (and constraints) as our own, and finding ways that work best for everyone. So there you have it: we're going to continue to build lasting partnerships with our customers by addressing their needs as our own. Honestly, it doesn't sound all that different from what we did last year or the years before. We're just using the fresh start of a new year to renew our basic principles. Because really, aren't the best resolutions are the ones that you know you can keep because you're already doing them?
We wish you a peaceful Christmas weekend, without any emergencies like the one below that happened a year ago. Rest assured, we're here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. So if this happens to you (or something else - hopefully we like to catch the problem before it leads to this!), just give us a call.P.S. This link is my Christmas present to you. I've watched it three times and laughed so hard I cried every time. You're welcome and merry Christmas!!
As I've been traveling all over the state (really - I feel like I've been everywhere this week), there seems to be a common theme running through all of my conversations with operators - tight budgets for the new year. This isn't much of a surprise, considering what many towns, cities, and municipalities are facing. Whether you like it or not, everyone can agree that the last year in Wisconsin has brought about many changes for both public workers and the budgets they have to do their jobs. While the political uncertainty brings a certain anxiety particular to Wisconsin, we're certainly not the only ones facing problems. Jefferson County, Alabama declared the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of our country this fall (source). The whole case is complex and I won't run it all down for you here (here's a good article for more information). What was most interesting to me, and brings a certain amount of warning, is the source of their major bankruptcy - a massive sewer project. A major part of the bankruptcy proceedings are centered on increases in sewer rates. We're all familiar with these issues in our own experiences; the high cost of infrastructure in a wastewater system vs. the need to keep water and sewer rates affordable for the members of our community.I don't have any magical solutions for your budgets; I don't think anybody does. Here's what I can do - I can offer you our promise to be your partner in these rough budgeting times. We've been offering lower cost solutions since we were founded in 2004. If you've been around our company at all, you've seen that we often use the phrase "Affordable Solutions." For some companies, that might just be a catch phrase. Not at B&M. This a pillar of our business and something we're conscientiously providing our customers every day. This doesn't just mean offering the least expensive products, although you'll find that we use identical products at a lower cost. When we offer affordable solutions, we don't forget the second word - solutions. We know that a so-called solution that is merely cheap and only works for a short time isn't affordable. We offer stable products that last and stand the test of time. We don't have a lot of the overhead that many competitors may have, so we can keep our service rates lower. This all adds up to savings for you.We recognize that this coming year may be tough on a lot of water and wastewater treatment plants. I look forward to partnering with you in order to get through it while maintaining your system. If we can have open and honest discussions about what you're facing and your needs, I know that we can help you. Here's my contact information,
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