COLE Publishing, which has brought you Pumper magazine for going on 32 years, is taking on a new and critical role in the liquid waste hauling industry. Starting in mid-May, COLE assumed executive administration duties for the National Association of Wastewater Transporters.

A NAWT search committee chose the publishing company to lead the trade group’s membership, promotion and programming efforts following the retirement of founding executive director Tom Ferrero. After working with a core group of committed pumpers to build NAWT programs and start the successful annual Waste Treatment Symposium, Ferrero is stepping aside to work in his son’s wastewater business. He will retain the position of NAWT secretary. You can read more from Tom on the changes in this issue’s NAWT News column.

BUILD ON PAST SUCCESSES

COLE has many plans in store to build on NAWT’s recent successes, including reputation building with officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the growing Waste Treatment Symposium. COLE’s aim is to grow NAWT membership through stepped-up marketing efforts, as well as develop new and innovative approaches to bringing high-value education programming to contractors across the country.

NAWT membership has represented a who’s who in the pumping industry over the years. Many of its esteemed members have worked diligently to raise the professionalism of the industry in the eyes of regulators and the general public. I have a tremendous respect for industry pioneers who saw a need to organize and build awareness of the critical environmental work performed by pumpers. The vision of these leaders put this industry in a better position for the future.

It will be exciting to see what NAWT members can accomplish with the marketing and technology support COLE offers. As editor of Pumper, I look forward to following all of NAWT’s new initiatives. This magazine has a history of supporting the trade association’s efforts through the NAWT News column and editorial coverage of training programs and the traveling Waste Treatment Symposium. I envision broadening those reporting efforts as needed in the future.

NEW ASSOCIATION MANAGER

You can look for COLE to name a NAWT association manager soon. This person will be responsible for carrying on the work started by Ferrero with oversight from the NAWT executive board. You can count on that appointment and future enhancements to the NAWT programs to be reported here as they happen. Stay tuned.