We’ve recently wrapped up our final SwiftSummit for 2023, and we think it might just have been the best yet!
For those who might be familiar, our SwiftSummit is a quarterly webinar series that aims to bring you the latest news from SwiftComply and provide an update from the around water and wastewater industry. And, with the team at SwiftComply attending almost 40 water and wastewater industry events this year alone, we have a unique perspective on the hot topics that are affecting water utilities right now!
So, let’s do a quick recap of what we discussed at the event.
SwiftComply’s journey is full steam ahead!
We kicked off our summit with a presentation from our CEO, Mick, who gave a little bit of background into who we are and what we do at SwiftComply.
The last few months have been a whirlwind, as we continue to grow as a team, a company, and a partner for our customers. Included in some significant milestones for our businesses have been:
- We’re now the chosen and trusted partner of over 400 water utilities across the US.
- We’ve welcomed 11 new members to the team at SwiftComply (make that 14 as of writing!)
- The launch of our Industrial Pretreatment module in 2023
There was also a big announcement as we look ahead to 2024;
We plan to host our first live and in-person SwiftSummit in June 2024 in IRELAND!
Many of our customers have been telling us about their wish to visit Ireland, and we thought what better opportunity to give you that excuse than by hosting our first in-person user group and workshop at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin?
We’ll be letting you all know a little bit more about it in our newsletter shortly, but if it sounds like something you’d like to attend, get in touch with us for more details!
Hot Topics and Trends in Water Compliance
Change and transformation have continued apace since COVID-19 greeted us in 2020. Like in many other industries, it served as a reality check that the old way of doing things had become obsolete and that we need to adapt to the modern, digital way of doing.
Some of the trends that Mick discussed in his presentation included:
- Awareness and adoption of AI
- Concerns about PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) Regulations
- Sustainability and social impact
- Uncertainty about the future of compliance and what it looks like
We gathered the thoughts of attendees on these topics through a series of polls throughout the presentation, and we saw some interesting results. We’ll be sharing these with you over the coming weeks.
Panel Discussions on Backflow and Industrial Pretreatment
We were lucky to have some leading lights from the water industry join us for panel discussions on a range of topics in the field of expertise.
Backflow
Our very own Bobbi Winterowd hosted our Backflow Panel, and she was joined by Brian McDaniel, Efrain Torres, and Mike Anderson who brought the perspective of both water utilities and testers respectively.
Brian and Efrain shared insights into a host of topics such as the digitalization of backflow and cross-connection compliance, and how solutions like SwiftComply are helping their utilities to improve their processes in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and compliance rates.
Mike offered a unique perspective from the testers’ side of things, including the influence of increased regulation on his workload.
Industrial Pretreatment
Our Pretreatment Panel was led by Eric Snell, one of our most experienced industry experts here at SwiftComply. He was joined by Josh Ballantine, who is one of the most experienced pretreatment professionals in the United States.
As our own Rich Prinster commented; ‘these two people probably represent the most exposure to different pretreatment programs in the world!’
They covered a range of topics in the 45-minute chat, including PFAS, local limits and plant sizing, EPA oversight, electronic reporting, and more.
Product Workshops
As we move into the final stretch in 2023, there’s lots of excitement for updates to existing modules, as well as our new Pretreatment module, and plans for even more new modules in 2024.
It’s been super busy, and with our team continuing to be bolstered with great people, it shows no signs of stopping!
Our product workshops were interactive sessions on FOG, Backflow, and Pretreatment, led by their respective Product Managers.
It was a great opportunity for both our customers and ourselves to get a sneak peek at these features and modules, learn from the Q&A sessions with peers from around the water utility world, and bounce ideas around.
It’s never too late to get involved!
If you missed this SwiftSummit, we’d still love to hear your feedback and suggestions.
Whether it’s something you’d like to add to the discussion that you think we missed (we’re always happy to ask our community), something you’d like us to discuss in our next edition, or even just some feedback on how we can make our summits or products even better, we’d love to hear from you.
If you have any questions or need any guidance around your compliance programs, our team is always at hand to offer some helpful insights, so feel free to get in touch.