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2005 Conference
The CWQA sponsored “Rocky Mountain Water Quality Conference”, held for the third time in a row in Estes Park, Colorado from September 23rd–25th, was a rousing success.
Increase over last year’s participation of WQA certification testing: 20% 
“Priceless” Jeff Spencer & Peter Waelti Estes Park was chosen again by its members, inviting also the neighboring States of Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, all of which do not have their own State association. 
It was a great opportunity to get away from the business for a weekend, recharging the emotional batteries and at the same time to learn more about the business. Many spouses joined our members and found time in between activities to visit picturesque downtown Estes Park for some shopping or sight seeing. Friday, September 23rd, 2005Friday morning Joe Harrison held a WQA Certification Review session to help attendees to get a feel of the questions asked in the tests. In the afternoon some participants had the opportunity to test for WQA certifications. Attendance was up 20% from last year. 
Others took advantage of the beautiful weather in the Rocky Mountains and opted for the CWQA golf tournament, sponsored by GE Osmonics and local Quality Wholesale Supply. 
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(Left to Right) Attendance for the golf event was up 33% from the previous year and herds of curious elks on the golf course doubled from last year! 
Because of high stakes in the game and possibly having to attend to “driving under the influence” golfers, Board members Greg Hazelett and Peter Waelti acted as CWQA’s golf police. 
In the evening 17 exhibitors treated us to a well-rounded vendors showcase. Hors d’Oeuvres and a cash bar made this a relaxed environment to visit with exhibitors, making new friends and revisiting with old ones. 
CWQA would like to thank the following exhibitors (in alphabetical order) for their participation and helping us making this a meaningful event for all:
The generosity of our vendors/exhibitors makes it possible for CWQA to provide the highest quality educational conference & convention anywhere. 
Most probably due to the great diversification of exhibitors a larger than usual crowd gathered Friday evening and there was energy in the room that was refreshing and contagious! There were not just distributors and manufacturers of brand name water treatment systems, but also distributors and manufacturers of special equipment applications. Welcomed additions were suppliers for fittings & tubing, plastic filter housings & filters, salt distributors and resin manufacturers. A well rounded “smorgasbord” for dealers were the presence of companies that offered further education for the water pro, financing alternatives for retail water treatment business and ideas for lead generation programs, marketing strategies as well as sales tools. There was something for everybody and the consensus was that one could “simply not afford not to be here”. 
“The “Rocky Mountain Water Quality Conference” was a great success for Clearwater Tech as it provided many contacts with water treatment professionals who show dedication to the industry by attending. The CWQA has provided a tool for vendors and dealers to discuss problems and find solutions as well as the opportunity for WQA continuing educational credits through the great group of speakers. Peter’s dedication to the industry is a true inspiration and it showed by the great increase in exhibitors and dealers who attended.” 
John Dittberner, CWS VI, CI 
Adam Nelson 
Mike Glodowski 
Isio P. Nelson “ CWQA 2005 was a great event for American FINCO to be involved with from a vendors standpoint. From the relationship building on the golf course (with fantastic views of elk sitting in the Fairways), to the vendor fair which was set up to spend quality time explaining our products to interested dealers. CWQA did a fantastic job and we will be back next year to continue building our presence in the Colorado/Western States water industry.” 
“I was thoroughly pleased in both how well it was run and by how well attended it was. From the fantastic golf outing, which was well attended by both members and elk, to the highly informative and effective exhibition display, everything was top notch and well worth attending. It was one of the better conventions I have attended in my 12 years with Water-Right, Inc.”
Jeff O’Callaghan (2nd from left) 
Ken Ciaccio 
John Rickert & Russ Harrison 
“As a new member and first time exhibitor, I met several customers that deal with a separate division within our company, and by doing so, was able to show them several pieces of new equipment that will hopefully lead to new business for us. I also learned more about our water and its treatment, which will help me in my overall sales endeavors. I look forward to next year.“
Rick Wray 
Brad Kooi (right) 
Dan Wagner, Cheryl Roberts, John Rickert 
“The 2005 CWQA conference and tradeshow was more like a family reunion than just another day at the office. As a first time participant and exhibitor, I was impressed with the warm welcome my products and I received. The seminar topics were relevant and the presentations were very informative. I’m looking forward to next year’s conference.”
Dennis Roberts (left) 
“I’m glad I attended the CWQA conference, because I feel much more informed about the business and the water business in general. The speakers and attendees added greatly to that knowledge. Everyone could not have been nicer to the “Water Lady” from New Mexico.”
Anne La Lopa 
Norb Bolda (middle/foreground) 
Olga Mater 
“Peter, thanks for the very productive and informative CWQA conference. The topics were varied and educational. WQA recertification credits made the day even more productive.”
Mike Schmitt (middle/foreground) 
CWQA Secretary Jeff Spencer was complimented by his wife Ida on how “handsome” he is. That prompted Jeff to make sure he was in as many pictures as possible. Although he pretended to be “cool”, his eyes were carefully focused on the photographer the entire evening. Even if it meant stepping right in front of the camera! 
Exhibitors and attendees alike had a super time, exchanging ideas, making new acquaintances and renewing old friendships. As the evening progressed, the bartender got busier and busier. For some attendees the night had just begun. What started last year casually, became a tradition this year: Midnight Poker! And some of us that did not pass the “sobriety test” (see example below) were smart enough to get some rest. Because if you “clearly” can’t see the people around you anymore and they appear to be “fuzzy”, its time to regroup and get ready for the next day. 
“CLEAR” 
“FUZZY” Saturday, September 24th, 2005Saturday early morning the “clear”, the “then fuzzy—now clear” and the “midnight poker players” rejoiced for a hearty breakfast. 
Saturday served as an extension of the vendors fair and offered a day of seminars, all of them earning WQA CEU’s for re-certification. The exhibitors displays were set in the back and on the sides of the room where the seminars were held. That enabled vendors to listen to the speakers, and the attendees to visit during breaks with the exhibitors. 
“Just wanted to let you know I thought the CWQA went very, very well. I like the fact that you had the training class combined with the vendors in one room, this maximized all dealer attention to ALL vendors, great idea! Food was great, location was spectacular, and I got to meet a lot of new faces...what more could I ask for. Thanks for the invite! Hope to see you next year!”
Greg Willis 
“ I really liked the format of having the vendors in the same room as the members and speakers. Each speaker jogged my memory about something I meant to ask about Friday night (during Vendors Fair). The short break after each speaker allowed me to get more information from the vendors on the spot. Thanks for the great line-up of speakers and vendors. ”
Ray Zinsmaster (far right) 
Current CWQA President Peter Waelti welcomed attendees and exhibitors to the conference. A moment of silence was observed for the victims of the gulf coast states. CWQA had encouraged members to donate to the cause and with matching funds from the association close to $3000 were collected for the American Red Cross on behalf of “Hurricane Katrina Relief”. Waelti continued to stress on the importance of bringing other dealers and suppliers that are not yet members of the CWQA into the fold. Attendance from last year was up by 50% this year and he urged the attendees to bring one more person each to next year's conference. That way we double the participation. It was rewarding to see that a good number of registrants came all the way from neighboring states to join the Colorado association. Waelti thanked the Board for supporting him and letting him run with it for the last 3 years. Generally a 2-year term, the end of the second year brought some challenges that required adjustments within the structure of the Board and its officers, that prompted Waelti to serve as President of the CWQA an unprecedented 3rd year. He recommended to the Board to create more depth by voting in 3-4 Board members. From that pool then every 2 years a member can be elected to serve as an officer of the CWQA Board of Directors. He also made a point to welcome attendees from the neighboring states and told them that they are the true pioneers to bring together individuals serving the water treatment industry as a larger entity under the umbrella “Rocky Mountain Water Quality Conference” and thanked them to support his original idea. Strength is in numbers! Joe Harrison of the national WQA opened the sessions by giving everyone an update on current WQA issues, including research for water waste solutions, water softener and the impact on septic tanks research. 
“It was a true pleasure for me to participate in the Rocky Mountain Water Quality Conference held in Estes Park last week. I was especially impressed with the increase in attendance since I last attended a Colorado WQA meeting about four years ago. It seems your growth has almost tripled since then. The member enthusiasm and camaraderie was superb. Everyone showed interest in the Water Treatment Seminar that I presented on Friday and also in the excellent program of speakers that you put together for all Saturday.”
Joe Harrison, P.E., CWS VI (left) The next speaker, Rich Hayes, is the President of the Colorado Rural Water Association and he explained the function of the CRWA and what role it plays in the water industry. 
Mike Glodowski of GE Water followed with the topic of “Water Treatment Fundamentals”. He covered the ion exchange process, softener seizing and various conversions and regeneration calculations. 
During lunch the group had the pleasure of learning from Robert W. Terry more about “Radiation Removal”. Mr. Terry is with the Colorado State Health Department and his topic triggered lots of questions from the attendees. 
Dean Lewis, immediate past President of the CWQA and past President John Rickert presented current President Peter Waelti an Appreciation Award for his contribution to the association during an unprecedented three years run as President of the CWQA. During his Presidency Waelti single-handedly re-worked and built the current CWQA web site, which was featured in WC+Ps January 2004 edition (see article under news) as the most consumer friendly state WQA site. Most states surrounding Colorado do not have their own state association. Peter approached the Board to invite Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming to join Colorado for this year’s “Rocky Mountain Water Quality Conference”. He personally called every dealer and supplier to extend an invitation to this conference. It was exciting to see not just exhibitors but also dealers from those neighboring states. 
“ The format of the show made it very beneficial for vendors and attendees alike. Having the tables in the same room as the speakers seemed to make it a more casual environment for everyone involved to network. The CWQA convention was one of the most well organized events I’ve attended. As a WQA professional the educational classes were very informative. As a vendor the exposure for our company was more than worth the investment. Thank you again Peter for your dedication to the CWQA. It is truly people like you that make these state organizations successful. ”
Russ Kraft 
After a short break the afternoon sessions started with Ken Ciaccio of ResinTech on “Activated Carbon Applications”, including a history of carbon and its role in liquid phase adsorption. 
Mike Glodowski of GE Water followed with his seminar titled “Chlorine Treatment Of Well Water”, covering the history of water chlorination and explaining among other things the benefits of chlorination both for agricultural and residential applications. 
The last session was a split session in as much as install and service interested attendees stayed in the same room and were treated by Aquion's Scott Harmon to the secrets of the “Perfect Installation”. 
To keep the end of the seminar portion of the conference totally “perfect”, Peter Waelti of RainSoft Of Denver covered in the adjacent room the sequence of the “Perfect Sales Presentation”. 
“ The conference was a great opportunity to meet and interact with both vendors and our peers in the water business. Of all the presentations, we gleaned the most value from Peter Waelti’s presentation on the “Perfect Sales Presentation” and both of Mike Glodowski’s GE presentations. Thanks for putting on a very professional conference. ”
Keith Warner, President During the day there were plenty of breaks for attendees to visit with the exhibitors and to stretch legs. Refreshments were served right by the exhibitor displays and created continuous traffic. Lastly President Peter Waelti asked attendees to fill out a questionnaire that was handed out at the beginning of the day to gain feedback and input from the members. After all, the association’s function is to serve its members. At the end of the seminars Liquid Soap Products held a drawing. Winner Jeff Truesdall of the Colorado Water Wizard in Boulder, CO chose the 22 piece waterless cookware set, valued at $1990.00. We are not sure whether Jeff is cooking some awesome recipes for his wife or whether he expects her to whip up some great ones. Either way, congratulations Jeff! 
“ The 2005 Rocky Mountain WQA Conference was a great success. The turnout was tremendous and it was very well organized. It was a great opportunity to meet dealers and vendors. Peter Waelti did a fantastic job organizing this event and motivating dealers & vendors to attend. ”
Nancy Conrow
In the evening close to 30 attendees joined together at “Claire’s At The Park” restaurant for a nice meal and camaraderie. Everyone felt that the seminars were nicely balanced where the topics were concerned. It offered something for everyone, from service related matters to sales techniques to technical information. The exhibitors blended nicely into the “family setting” and became part of the education by offering “hands-on” displays and solutions. 
Sunday, September 25th, 2005Sunday morning started the business meeting with the Board Of Directors present, which was open to all members of the CWQA. During that meeting the officers for the 2006/2007 rotation were elected. Larry Lewis of Pure Water Solutions in Castle Rock, CO will be the new President, Jeff Spencer of Rocky Mountain Water Company will be Vice-President and Greg Hazelett of Aquion Partners will serve as Secretary of the association. Treasurer Skip Ruedeman is a permanent fixture as treasurer of the CWQA. Both John Dittberner of Clear Water Tech Ozone and Jeff Truesdall of the Colorado Water Wizard graciously accepted their appointment as newest Board members. 
Incoming President Larry Lewis & Immediate Past President Peter Waelti Final thought from outgoing CWQA President Peter Waelti: After the “Rocky Mountain Water Quality Conference” I received a note from Chuck Davidson, our newest CWQA member and dealer of WaterMart in New Mexico: “Hello Peter—I’m so grateful for the experiences you provided for me and others at the conference last weekend. For years I’ve felt isolated and alone in my struggles as a New Mexican small business owner. As a result of the networking and professional certification opportunities your organization provided me in beautiful Estes Park. I’ve returned to New Mexico with a sense of confidence and pride in my business and its affiliation with the Rocky Mountain Water Quality Team. Upon my return to NM, I found 3 e-mail messages waiting for me from colleagues I’d met at the gathering. They all expressed a desire to develop business and networking activities with WaterMart. Talk about empowering...I’ll never be able to thank you enough. Sincerely, Chuck Davidson, Owner WaterMart.” 
That made the commitment to excellence and hard work all worthwhile. For those of you that shared time and knowledge with us, we thank you wholeheartedly. And those of you that thought they could not “afford” to come to this conference cannot afford to miss next year. Get involved with your state associations for the improvement of your bottom line. Open your mind and take a look at the “big picture”. Chuck in New Mexico just became part of the “big picture”. Isn’t next year your turn? 
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