A fair amount of my wastewater education over the years came from attending the largest trade show serving the wastewater industry, now known as the WWETT Show. When I started as an editor for COLE Publishing more than 20 years, ago, one of my much-anticipated annual rituals was spending a week at what was then called the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo.

My first show — and many thereafter — was held at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. Most of you have fond memories of heading to Music City every February to see the latest in vacuum trucks, portable restrooms and other products related to your businesses. Since then the show moved to Louisville, then to its current home in Indianapolis, where it is scheduled a little earlier this year.

The 2024 WWETT Show will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24 to Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Indiana Convention Center. The first day of that run is for education only. The exhibit hall opens 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday.

WELCOME FRIENDS

If you’re anything like me, you have established many great friendships and business relationships at the WWETT Show over the years. In those earlier days for me, I was helping the founders of COLE Publishing pull off the enormous task of putting on a huge show with a small crew of can-do staffers. Led by COLE founder Bob Kendall, we kept running all day and into the evening to serve the needs of exhibitors and attendees. It was exhilarating and exhausting!

Many pumpers have told me those enduring networking friendships have been instrumental in building their businesses. It’s great to have far-flung friends in the pumping world to share ideas and compare notes.

Early on, I was fortunate to meet many industry pioneers, including folks like Ralph Macchio, the namesake of the Ralph Macchio Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor bestowed upon a pumping industry luminary every year at the convention; and Barry Gump, one of the portable sanitation visionaries and son of Andy Gump, founder of Andy Gump Temporary Services. And I have had the great pleasure of meeting hundreds of you, loyal Pumper readers, to learn about your businesses, your families and the types of stories you want to read in the magazine.

The WWETT Show continues to grow and offer a wide variety of exhibits, education and networking opportunities. Last year, under the current management by Informamarkets, the show had more than 12,000 attendees from 46 countries and more than 500 exhibitors. It will have an estimated 600 exhibitors this year.

HIT THE CLASSROOM

A tradition started by COLE Publishing many years ago continues to offer an extensive slate of educational seminars running over three days, many of them qualifying for continuing education credits. Every year I read through nearly 100 course descriptions and recommend intriguing sessions aimed at septic system pumpers. To get your WWETT Show planning started, I offer the following suggested seminars:

Confined Space Entry Training

Jan. 24, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The course follows OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 training requirements, with topics covered including air monitoring alarm points, effects of exposure to low and high oxygen, toxic gases, sampling equipment, ventilation, PPE for entry, attendant and supervisor responsibilities, review of confined space permits and common hazards. Instructor Ed Fitzgerald, of Ed Fitzgerald Consulting, has 40 years of experience in safety training in the sewer-cleaning industry.

Locating System Components – Tips and Tricks

Jan. 24, 10:30 a.m.-noon.

The session is aimed at helping contractors become more efficient at locating septic system components during inspections. Topics covered include understanding onsite systems and their components, identifying key structures of onsite systems, and recognizing common signs to help in location. The session will be led by two experienced septic professionals, Casey Fiedler, owner/operator at Michigan Septic & Michigan Well & Septic Inspection; and Jeff Seipp, owner/president of High Plains Sanitation Service.

Pump Sizing 102: The System Head Curve

Jan. 24, 10:30 a.m.-noon.

The seminar will cover pump-sizing topics including static head, friction loss, operating head, pump curves and the “design point.” It will delve deeper into design elements and how to analyze applications including simultaneous operation, piping design, VFDs, varying design conditions and conservative vs. expected performance. Instructor Michael Kelley, PE, is licensed in Kentucky and is a senior applications engineer for Zoeller Company working with customers on technical issues and system design.

Inspections 103 – Advanced OWTS Inspections

Jan. 24, 1-2:30 p.m.

Advanced inspection techniques and the importance of advanced inspection training will be covered. This will include an overview of recognized inspection standards and explore a variety of case studies to cover evaluation techniques and procedures that determine the health and safety of onsite systems. This will give attendees an understanding of different types of OWTS inspections and the importance of following consistent inspection standards. The session will be led by Ray Erb, president of Thomas H. Erb & Sons, who has 50 years of experience in designing, inspecting, installing and maintaining onsite systems. Erb helped write training for the Pennsylvania Septage Management Association and National Association of Wastewater Technicians.

Best Practices and Troubleshooting Onsite Electronics

Jan. 24, 3-4 p.m.

This is a deep dive into how control panels work and best practices to safely and correctly identify problems in the field. The session will cover physical and electrical differences in floats and how they work together with a variety of control panel components. The operation of residential and light commercial onsite panels will be explained, as well as details like how to read schematics and wiring diagrams, troubleshooting, and a review of electrical terms. The session will be led by Jim Felker, regional sales manager, and Joe Zimmerman, sales manager, at SJE Rhombus.

Accounts Receivable and Debt Collection Best Practices

Jan. 24, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

The seminar will be a guide to best practices for accounts receivable billing, including when to begin the collections process, collecting from slow- and no-pay customers and approaches to improve the rate of paying customers. Among topics covered will be defining the accounts receivable process and timeline, the most critical factors to getting invoices paid on time, the best way to communicate with nonpaying customers, and meeting the guidelines of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The presenter is Jason Archibeque, chief revenue officer for A.R.M. Solutions.

Challenges and Opportunities When Handling 

Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG), Jan. 25, 9:30-11 a.m.

This panel discussion will focus on the challenges of FOG from the perspective of both private hauling companies and municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Speakers will train on the latest technologies for recovering FOG and discuss grease trap and wastewater chemistry, grease trap interceptor inspection and software utilized for FOG management. It will also cover potential commodity markets for FOG and tools to make hauling grease more efficient. The panel is members of the nonprofit U.S. FOG Alliance: James Luebke, president of FilterShine Midwest; Peter Rehage, principal at Protein Matrix LLX; Rachel Burton, senior project engineer at Processwerx LLC; and Sam Mcleod, executive vice president of FOG BMP.

Septage Screening Made Easy – A Summary of Automated Screening Types

Jan 25, 11 a.m.-noon.

Simple bar screens have been used to screen trash for more than a century. This session will cover the challenges and product types used for screening septage today. It will explain how pumpers can evaluate screening products as part of the buying process. The presenter is Tim Matheis, business developer for Hydro-Dyne Engineering, who holds seven patents for wastewater treatment apparatus and methods.

ON WITH THE SHOW

For many of you, it’s destination Indy coming right up. If you haven’t registered already, you can learn more about the upcoming convention by going to wwettshow.com.