Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/482464
WWJ: Do you have any preconceived ideas of what the five best markets (countries) could be for U.S. environ- mental technology and products? Kevin: Not really. We've looked at groundwater use stats for nations around the world, but that doesn't al- ways necessarily translate to good mar- ket opportunities. The United States, while a world leader in products and services related to groundwater, is not the only nation with the capacity to mar- ket groundwater goods and expertise. Obviously, good trading partners with the U.S. overall are probably good potential targets. WWJ: In your vision of how best to contribute to the group, do you think there is greatest potential in second- tier countries with some infra- structure in place, or in developing nations? Kevin: The water distribution side of our membership largely characterizes it- self around the small diameter, low pro- duction volume residential-sized well. It's the bread and butter of the U.S. mar- ket. That probably transfers best to de- veloping nations of the lowest incomes, but lack of an electrical grid can be a handicap to selling jet pumps and submersibles. Certainly, drilling equipment can go about anywhere, but it requires a capa- ble workforce to operate and maintain that equipment, and that's not always readily available in the lowest income nations. Plus, mobilization of drilling equipment becomes more complicated in nations without adequate road infra- structure. On the other hand, most of those same firms that focus so heavily on the residential market also have products they actively sell for larger infrastruc- ture systems. In short, opportunity may exist in many places. WWJ: What do you think are some of the biggest things holding environ- mental companies back from export- ing their products? Kevin: Lack of information, limited marketing dollars, lack of confidence in overseas sales representatives, control, money exchange. All of those are factors. WWJ: The committee represents all environmental products, but do you see the growth potential perhaps greater for water-related goods and services? If so, why? Kevin: We've all seen the statistics on how population continues to grow. It takes water to grow the food for those people, as well as a lot of water to sus- tain other human-centric activities, such as good sanitation practices. While there's some reason to believe the planet's population will peak and begin to decline, we're a long way off. And, at least in the short term of recent years, it appears precipitation patterns are changing in many places. That will require new tools—both hardware and software—to manage water. WWJ: Do you think companies should be doing more digitally to pro- mote themselves and their products and services? Kevin: As much as I'm an old-school paper and ink kind of person, I also rec- ognize digital presence and digital ef- fectiveness are critical. The ease of use of Amazon, Google, and other platforms have created standards of performance we are all being measured by, regardless if we intend for that to be the case or not. At the end of the day, customers want what they want, when they want it, where they want it, for a fair price. Digital makes all of that easier but will not do it without good conceptual- ization, planning, execution, and fol- low-through. We are fortunate in the United States so much of the world speaks the same language as most Americans, which makes commerce somewhat easier. WWJ: What is your goal for your time on the committee? Kevin: To make things better for the members of the National Ground Water Association is my first priority. To do the same for all of U.S. firms is second. Twitter @WaterWellJournl WWJ April 2015 27 Mike Price is the senior editor of Water Well Journal. In addition to his WWJ responsibilities, Price produces NGWA's newsletter and con- tributes to the Association's quarterly scientific publication. He can be reached at mprice @ngwa.org. WWJ NGWA alone won't fix things, but with the collective power of this advisory committee , I believe we can make a difference. Plugge P l u g g e chase th Simply pur y ey T ot C the ehabi ell r of w e the gue ak T er w er w h t a ed w e d wate r w it est K Test K ey ot he C est Kit y T Test Kit tion with lita k out or ss w ell? ell? w well? w a tion - ommenda ec r eta pr er t , an in esults r o You will r o our lab - send it t our sample in e y plac chase th Simply pur o .c w w w (80 o le To learn mor t e w pric all for one lo ehab tion and a r a est e t eiv ec ou will r it and o the K t e in , it est K Test K ey ot he C o .c al chemic y e ot 00) 457-2096 all e c earn mor