The Water Council Fall 2018 Member Meeting Recap
Thank you to MSOE University for hosting The Water Council’s final Member Meeting of 2018.
StormGUARDEN – A Pilot Program Success Story
Carrie Bristoll-Groll
Principal/CEO, Stormwater Solutions Engineering
Stormwater Solutions Engineering, a Pilot Program winner in 2017, over the past year deployed their StormGUARDen, a planter style stormwater management system across southeastern Wisconsin. StormGUARDen combines a bioswale and cistern into one modular footprint that matches the capacity of 6.5 rain barrels. StormGUARDens enable homeowners to disconnect their downspouts that feed into the combined-sewer system, rerouting stormwater to the natural groundwater basin at a slower, timed-release.
Innovation Opportunities in Water
Steve Glynn
Director of Innovation, The Water Council
The BREW Accelerator and BREW Corporate Accelerator powered by A. O. Smith Corporation has been refreshed just in time for the latest cohort. The 2019 program has been shortened from six months to three and a half months to make participation more feasible for foreign and out-of-state startups. This is also the first year that the competition is focused on a single key area; in this case various technological concepts that would address nutrient runoff and ultimately benefit agriculture in Wisconsin. Finally, the curriculum is moving from being business model canvas-centric to using customer discovery to lead participants through the process of refining their value proposition and understanding their future customers. Applications are open until November 30, 2018 on WaterTechHub.com.
The newest innovation initiative introduced this year is the Tech Challenge. Tech Challenge is a global competition designed to identify cutting-edge freshwater technologies, ideas or concepts with high potential for commercialization or implementation. Anyone, anywhere can apply with their innovative tech idea. Tech Challenge applications are open until January 13, 2019 on WaterTechHub.com.
BREW Accelerator Case Study: PlasmaE
Paul Goudy
Chief Research/Development Officer, PlasmaE
BREW Accelerator graduate, PlasmaE showcased their device that is designed to mix 500 gallons of water with 100 to 200 cubic feet of air per minute. When PlasmaE initially entered the BREW Accelerator program in 2017, their focus was on a similar technology, but through the discovery process, they found that there really was no market for the original concept. PlasmaE had to pivot their strategy, make a few design modifications and now are currently looking to take their new design to market.
Global Connections, Growing Opportunities
Beverley Ferrara
European Representative, The Water Council
Karen Frost
VP Economic Development, The Water Council
Over the past year Beverley has worked to strengthen relationships with TWC’s Global Partners located in the European Union, specifically the Water Alliance (Netherlands), Aqua Valley (France), German Water Partnership and Catalan Water Partnership (Spain), who recently signed an MOU with TWC at WEFTEC in New Orleans this past October. Four new European companies have joined The Water Council’s member network:
- Blucher GmBH (Germany)
- Raedlinger Primus Line (Germany)
- SIGMA DAF Clarifiers (Spain)
- Condorchem Envitech (Spain)
Thank you to all that attended TWC’s final member gathering, both in person and remotely via GoToMeeting.
If you’d like to host a future member gathering, or have ideas for topics to be included on a future agenda, contact Isaiah Perez at iperez@thewatercouncil.com or 414-988-8761. Stay tuned for information on the next member meeting coming your way early 2019.