Water Recycling Workshop/Laboratory Story, 2008

The idea for a water recycling workshop/laboratory arose from the problem of permitting a sewage system at the cabin Cathy and I bought in February of 2007.  At the time of purchase, i assumed that i could find some way to provide water treatment to this wonderful cabin at the junction of the Mahoning Creek and Allegheny River.  The more we dealt with DEP in trying to solve this [problem, the more we realized that a market opportunity might exist.  As we confronted the complexities of the law relating to sewage and water treatment, the more we realized that modern American society is facing significant water treatment problems that potentially could strangle its development aspirations.  Instead of being provided with reasonable options for using water on this scenic location, DEP kept referring to an acrimonious relationship with the previous owner and the legendary lawsuit that was central to it (to prevent an Eco-flow system proposed by the previous owner).  DEP's inflexibility, myopia and threatening behavior, long after we dropped the lawsuit, only served to emphasize the magnitude of the problem, which DEP refused to admit even existed.  Peter Senge points out that one of the surest signs of the need for change is the existance of "sacred cows".  Entrepreneurs like me are vigilant for such signs.

Dr. Camp (Dean of the Eberly College of Business) and I have often talked about the importance of identifying problems to be solved as the essence of entrepreneurship.  In 2004, our Management Services Group tried to partner with Dale Rapela (a benefatctor/small business owner from Erie) to actually develop a system for buying problems to initiate entrepreneurial inventions and enterprise.  Nothing really came of the strategy until i retired and faced my first real-live problem that demanded such an entrepreneurial effort.

Until I faced this problem, 2008 was to be a year of construction on a free-incubator at my home on  Warren Road (that was the key ingredient in my business plan for Nascent, which was to start business on my retirement - 1/17/08, and i had the surveying and preliminary planning done).  As retirement got closer, and the problem with sewage permitting heated-up, the business plan changed from building a free-incubator on Warren Road to building a water recycling incubator on Olean Road (workshop/laboratory is the official designation on the building permit).  I hooked-up with Steve McGraw to pursue this idea with full force in February 2008.  Ironically, Steve and I had talked about recycling water from sewage on several occasions over the many years he served as the engineer for the Indiana County Solid Waste Authority of which I've been Chairman of the Board for 15 years.  We developed a sound friendship and mutual respect.  In our casual discussions, we surmised that recycling water was a natural extension of solid waste recycling.  We basically discussed theoretical possibilities.  Little did we know that we would partner on an applied sewage problem at my cabin that begged for a recycling solution.   As we met and formulated a loose strategy, we decide on some basic values upon which we would build our relationship, as well as any future organization.  First of all, our efforts must be socially responsible.  We would endeavor to do good work and build good products that improve society.  Second, we perceived that transparency needed to be foundational.  No secrets and everything above board.  There should be transparency associated with every aspect of our work and products; everything we do should be as visible and observable as possible.  Third, if we are successful, we must give back.  Profit would be used with stewardship, not selfishness.  About this time, Dave Igo, an entrepreneur that I had been helping, came into the picture with a similar value system, and offered his enthusiastic support.  A team was forming to attack the problem.

Since much of the organization for the project was informal, Steve and I (mostly me, but he liked the hype) dubbed the organizational style as "The Kelly's Heroes Model of Organization (after the Clint Eastwood's movie)".  The basic idea was that I took the leadership and primary responsibility for keeping the endeavor moving forward  (like Kelly, this was my idea; furthermore, it was my property where we were building the R&D facility).  A central theme of the model was that participants agreed to contribute free time and effoert based on the possibility of a significant reward at the end.  I would handle most of the out-of-thepocket-expenses for construction of the laboratory and any direct expenses for participants, and the rest would be invested in the endeavor (e.g., I've paid Stiffler-Mcgraw for some things, but most have been donated; same can be said for Dave Igo's companies).   i have agreed to pay for just about anything, as long as I'm informed ahead of time, and agree to the terms.  The team needs to have a meeting soon to do some accounting and strategizing how this model fits future development work.

Steve's death was a major point of inflexion for the project (8/3/08).  We had just met about the project before he went on vacation, and he was enthusiastic and encouraging.  He left me with two instructions as we parted in the Robertshaw parking lot after the meeting on 7/11: Make the lab larger than the 250ft2 that i had proposed (he suggested a minum of 300ft2) and be patient.  Steve was a spiritual man; so, not only did the project lose a great deal of technical expertise and financial commitment; but it lost a piece of it's soul.  However, his Stiffler-Mcgraw team stepped-up and assured me that they would fill the void.  They have done so admirably, especially when it came time to design the concrete roof for the lab; but nothing can replace Steve.

Well, through it all, the lab was gradually constructed beginning at the end of July and running thru nearly Christmas.  The excavation was a nightmare.  The clay/sand that we had to remove was extremely slippery, causing several weather delays; and then there was the rock.  The massive rock we hit required the rental of a jackhammer, which caused about two weeks delay and was expensive.  Another big delay related to the roof.  The inspector insisted that he needed engineering plans.  I had to meet with the Stiffler-Mcgraw people to get this done quickly.  Even though they did a timely job, the project lost two weeks when it was all said and done.  The electrical was also a bit of a fiasco, because Allegheny power had to put a new transformer on the pole.  I had coordinate the Igo's, the inspector and Allegheny power, in the heart of hunting season.  i was ready the week before thanksgiving, and didn't get the electric inspected until 12/17.  Nevertheless, i set an objective to take occupancy before the year ended, and I did.

Now, the lab is housing the first product development work, a recycling shower.  The first prototype was installed on 12/31/08; just in time to ring-out the old year.  It's time to actually do real R&D.

1. Create a practical waste water recycling system for the cabin. The cabin needs a permit to handle its wastes. The DEP has denied previous application for Eco-flow system, and deemed water treatment with stream discharge as best technology. The cabin makes an ideal location to experiment with water recycling innovations, and Dr. Falcone has assembled a team of professionals that can drive the recycling industry – it’s a great opportunity to solve a major personal and societal problem with new products.
2. Create a facility capable of undertaking a range of waste water recycling and testing experiments. We found no evidence of a water recycling laboratory that has the capability to segregate and test different inputs (e.g., different soaps, types of waters, toilet papers, contaminants, etc.) or processing systems (e.g., filters, pumps, chlorinating approaches, ultraviolet lighting, etc.). The laboratory will have the capability to modify and test the cabin’s waste water recycling system (to optimize it), and to test a variety of products currently commercialized and that will be invented relative to established standards and benchmarks. The laboratory will have a variety of smaller sampling tanks built-in and a complex pumping and manifold system to segregate waste waters for analysis and testing. The laboratory will also support product development and prototype testing (e.g., a portable recycling shower is on the drawing-board), and be capable of accepting outside waste waters for testing and analysis.
3. Create a waste water recycling facility that is adaptable and incorporates state-of-the-act technologies. Wireless and voice activated technologies will be fully employed to provide control, data, warnings and ease of intervention. The latest products (filters, pumps, electronics, etc.) will be incorporated into the processes and infrastructure of the laboratory.
4. Establish a facility where a network of committed waste water recycling entrepreneurs can invent. The laboratory is intended to become a hub of waste water recycling activity. Demonstration projects and products will be developed, which will attract experts and interested public from around the world.
5. Develop water recycling ideas, concepts and products. Miniaturizing and enlarging waste water recycling technologies (e.g., recycling showers versus frac-water recycling at the well-head) will be explored for integration into a variety of products for a range of industries and markets.
6. Market some of the best water in the world. The guy from Culligan who tested the water from the spring said it was some of the best he’s ever seen. The old-timers on Olean Road rave about its quality. There may be a market for Olean water, bottled. There may even be a market for it recycled and then bottled, as a novelty and promotional product, notwithstanding the yuck-factor.