Working Internationally

Cleaning up wastewater isn't just an issue we face here at home. There are many places around the world that would benefit from having cleaner groundwater. Our international team works with our dealers and partners around the globe to participate in projects that will enhance the local ecosystems and keep communities safe from groundwater contamination. Join us as we talk with Brian, Holda, and David about the things that make their jobs unique and how they work to overcome obstacles we don't often face in our domestic markets. 

If you have comments or questions about our podcast, you can reach us through this link. To discuss a project or talk to one of our engineers, call 800-348-9843.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:30 Regulations
• 2:15 Logistical Issues
• 5:33 Communication
• 8:46 Things We Take for Granted
• 10:01 The Strange and Unusual
• 13:06 It's Rewarding Work
• 15:36 The End Result is Worth the Effort
• 17:23 Conclusion

Transcript

00:08

Angela: Hello and welcome to Make It Clear, a conversational podcast about all things related to water and wastewater. I'm your host, Angela Bounds, and I'm joined by my co-host, Shawn Rapp. In each episode, we'll tackle a relevant topic with facts and expert opinions and make things clear. 

Hello and thanks for joining us again. Today, we're gonna talk about our international team. Something that some of you know, some of you may not

00:38

is that we actually do business worldwide. So we have a number of projects that are installed around the world, dealers in place in multitude of countries. So we thought that it would be informative and fun to bring on our international team. So today we're joined by Brian Cohen. Hi, Brian. 

Brian: Hi, Angela. 

Angela: Holda Crocker. Hi, Holda. 

Holda: Hello.

01:08

Angela: And David Nelson. 

David: Hi Angela. 

Angela: Hi David. And so we're gonna talk with them a little bit about what it's like to do business internationally, some of the stuff that they've run into, some of the issues that they deal with that maybe we don't deal with here in the States. So to kick it off, let's talk about regulations. How do regulations differ when we're working outside the US?

01:36

Holda: I think one of the first things you'll notice is that some of the markets, there may not be regulations at all. So you're kind of figuring out a balance between performance and price and just common sense of how to get clean water. And in some places there are great regulations, but they may not be enforced.

02:05

That's a whole other challenge. 

Angela: For sure. So this next question is, it's always interesting to me, the logistic issues. So for those of you that don't know, most of the time, if you're leaving the US, you're on a boat or the product is on a boat. I'll never forget reading a case study for a project that was somewhere in the Caribbean. And it said, straight from the factory by truck to 

02:34

the location. And I was like, we might want to take that out because I'm pretty sure that that truck had to get on a boat at some point and could not just drive to that island. 

Brian: Right. 

Angela: And when I read it, I was like, wait a minute, there's no bridge there. 

Shawn: Not like the keys. 

Angela: It's not like the keys. So what are some of the logistical issues that you run into?

David: That's a good way to start, Angela. Because one of the things that I was thinking about is

03:03

when we manufacture something, one of the important things that we think about as a team is what are the inside dimensions of that container that we're loading the product in and how important that is. And for a company like ours or other companies, when you exceed those dimensions, then you're adding considerably to the cost to get the product to the site. So that's one of those unique logistical things.

03:33

It’s just the size of the product that you're shipping. After a container is loaded and it leaves Orenco, oftentimes we run into a lot of problems or things that are beyond our control. So things that happen at the terminal, holidays... We had some communication recently where one of the terminals that we send containers to regularly

04:02

has Fridays off so they don't receive containers on a Friday because Friday is the day that the longshoremen are loading the containers on the vessels. Once the ship sets sail, there are other factors, whether it's weather and mechanical problems with the vessel that can change the ETA considerably. 

04:32

Angela: Yeah. I'm sure weather can be a huge consideration. 

David: Yeah, and we ran into a unique situation last year with the Panama Canal. So it was an unusual thing that I think a lot of people didn't even realize how the drought in Panama in 2023 actually changed the amount of traffic that could go through the canal. And we were shipping product to

05:01

St. Vincent at the time. And there was a question on whether we were going to continue with that route versus trucking it over to Florida and then going to St. Vincent that way.

Angela:  Yeah. 

Brian: As you can see, we don't like, we don't like to keep schedules, right? We have projects where they're like, we need it installed by X date and like, we get it out the door, but oftentimes, you know, the rest of the process we have no control of. Yeah. 

Angela: Right, right. So,

05:31

you mentioned communication, David. So how do you guys communicate effectively with engineers, installers, government agents, when the project's located across the globe?

Holda:  Well, that's a pretty loaded question. You know, you could have something basic, like keeping in mind the units that are used in that country because they don't go by gallons like we would here. Or. Of course there's

06:01

in certain parts of the world, you may be needing to use a different language than English. We do have some cases where we do business conversations in Spanish, for example. Also being thoughtful about the time zones when you cover the globe. Making sure that you're setting up meetings or responding to people in a way that makes sense for where they live.

06:31

And, you know, I think just in general, trying to be culturally aware, culturally sensitive, and, you know, as anyone would in a business environment, you know, just kind of making light talk or joking around, you have to be really thoughtful about the different cultures and norms of the place that that person is from. 

Angela: Yeah. So...

06:57

what kind of tips or tricks do you have? Like what have you found that works really well? And what have you found that has maybe frustrated you? And so you've had to course correct or do something differently because of frustrations. 

Brian: Well, from a communication standpoint, we have gotten pretty darn good with different communication methods. Like WhatsApp is used a lot in Latin America. Libre is used in parts of Asia.

07:24

We Zoom, Teams, and that's one positive of the pandemic. We couldn't travel, right? So we had to figure out ways to communicate and do that effectively other than face to face. So that's been, I guess, you know, for, for, for our standpoint, we're becoming very computer and phone, you know, savvy with when it comes to communication, you know, the frustration is sometimes it's still, you know, communication, it's still, you know, we… Holda is being very humble because Holda speaks multiple languages.

07:52

Dave speaks Spanish as well, but when you have those languages that we don't necessarily speak and they're not a hundred percent fluid in English, Google Translate does a decent job, but it's still not a hundred percent when it comes to wastewater terminology. 

Shawn: Sure, sure. 

Angela: Yeah. Just a little tidbit. Holda, how many languages do you speak now? 

Holda: Probably, it depends on whether you say speak or can read, but six or seven. 

Angela: Yeah. She, in her spare time, loves to learn languages. So...

08:22

Speaking to her means speaking. She can understand probably many more than that. Because linguistics is kind of her thing. 

Brian: And I can say, where's the bathroom in about five languages? So that's about it.

Shawn: That's the main meaning you know anyway, right? 

Angela: Right. Airport might be handy. Just saying. All right. So what kinds of things do you think

08:51

we take for granted when working domestically versus internationally? 

David: That's a really good question because the, oftentimes people won't think about just simple things like availability of electricity, availability of water and plumbing fixtures and parts. We have a lot of locations where

09:19

we would be shipping or we will be sending an engineer or someone to a site where we want to make sure that every single part and piece is accounted for before doing work on a site or helping customer with the work that needs to be done on site. 

Angela: Right. 

David: Safety concerns is another thing that people may not think about. We have OSHA standards here in the US. 

Angela: Right.

09:48

David: You may travel to another country and they wouldn't have those same standards. It doesn't mean that you don't have to be safe, but you have to be careful about the standards that other people have when you're on a job site. 

Angela: Right. Things that we don't really think about. So have you encountered anything strange or do you have a story about something funny that's happened on a project that we wouldn't

10:17

necessarily see here? 

Brian: Well, I've got a couple and I'm probably dating myself, but I've been doing international for about 25 years and I've seen a lot. I don't… I'll keep it, you know, PG here, but… 

Angela: Thank you. We have… everybody appreciates that. 

Brian: I'd say the coolest one was I was on a site and it was, it was stop actually just flat out stop. So half of the treatment plant was being built and then

10:46

I said, what's the deal with this delay? And they found some prehistoric like archeological dig stuff. So they had to bring in the local university, you know, they're the big, it was like Josh Gates expedition, unknown what they're under covering. And that was really cool. So they, they gave me the privilege of actually asking some questions and overseeing that. But, you know, we go to some, we go to a lot of countries. I think we were talking before we're in over 70 countries with products and

11:13

you know, some of them are just critter related, you know, I saw one where Wallaby went by in Australia, seeing some exotic snakes and stuff. 

Angela: Oh no, hard pass. 

Brian: No, exactly. But it's really cool because you know, you come home from these trips and you try to explain to your friends who don't travel what you see and it's like, they think you're making it up, but this is what happens. 

Shawn: Right. 

Angela: See, you had me excited to go

11:41

to an international site when you talked about an archeological dig. Because that would be, when I was a kid, I wanted to be an archeologist. I thought that that would be the coolest job ever. But then you lost me at snakes. 

Brian: Sorry. 

Shawn: It had to be snakes. 

Brian: Put the pin in that balloon, Angela. 

Angela: No snakes. Heard that. 

Holda: It can also be fun figuring out how to get to these locations because, of course, they're rural, but they’re rural in

12:10

sometimes developing countries. 

Angela: Oh, yeah. 

Holda: And so I had an instance a couple of years ago where I was flying to an island in Central America and riding in a very small plane that had several gauges missing. 

Shawn: Lovely. 

Holda: And I just thought, well, I hope this thing makes it. Pretty sure it would not have passed FAA inspection. But you can just make do.

12:40

Shawn: Mm hmm. 

Brian: See, we talked about regulations to start with, right? 

Shawn: This is where everybody who has an Indiana Jones fantasy really wants to be part of this. 

Angela: I don't have an Indiana Jones fantasy, just the archaeological part. Not the snakes or missing gauges on an airplane part. Next you're going to tell me there was a boulder rolling towards you. 

Shawn: An idol in the jungle or something like that. 

Angela: Right.

13:09

Right. What do you find most rewarding about selling and installing an international project? 

Brian: Yeah, it's, I mean, the serious part of this really is about treating wastewater. And oftentimes, these are areas that have never had any secondary treatment or, you know, real treatment, if you will. So to see...

13:36

the smiles on people's faces once you see the actual effluent and you can put it in a bottle and see how clear it is. And they're like, wow, you know, this is, they've been waiting for it for years. Another part of our business, which is pretty an underrated part is we do a lot of what we call like rescue installation. So somebody else had installed something, subpar standards, never worked. They ditched it, they took the money and run. And we come in and we actually fix that for them.

14:04

Just to see, you know, in 12 months, they go from this look of like doom to, Oh my goodness, Orenco, you guys saved our days. Thank you so much. And those usually are best referrals, right? Because they experienced the highs and lows of the wastewater treatment process. So it is really great at the end of the day, when you go home, you know, from a trip and an installation to reflect on the work and it's not just us, right? It's

14:30

the people building it, it's the people in marketing it, it's the whole company contributes to this awesome gift, you know, really overseas. So it is, it's really, we totally really enjoy it, love doing our job because of that. 

Angela: Yeah. Or the work we've done around natural disasters. 

Shawn: Yeah. 

Brian: Yes. 

Angela: Putting in systems following a hurricane.

Brian: Absolutely. 

Angela: Getting places up and running in the islands, the Caribbean comes to mind. Or we've helped after a natural disaster

15:00

that nobody could even foresee. 

Brian: Yeah. And we actually, that's one of our value props, right? We're very low profile. We're not, you know, the equipment, it withstands disasters really well. And Holda actually recently went to a disaster relief event and that was one of the talking points, which really is, you don't want to think about it, but let's face it, you know, with global warming or climate change, whatever

15:26

It's occurring more frequently, especially in the Caribbean and areas closer to us. So it is something that we do have to factor in and design. 

Angela: Right. Right. So is there anything else that you want to add? Any other safer work stories you would like to share? 

Brian: Well, I would say that, you know, everyone says that we are like the, like you say, Indiana Jones, we have this cool, cool job, but there are a lot more steps involved with what we do. Right?

15:56

And it is, it does require a lot of work, a lot of patience, right? And because we can't to get a concept over the phone and explain it. Sometimes what would take us five seconds in English might take 10 minutes. So really it is, it's a lot of work, but the relationships and what you learn about other places in the, around the globe, a lot of times in, in, in TV, we only see the U S news, but when you travel these places and you hear these magnificent stories, it is so cool. So,

16:26

It's really fantastic to work internationally. We truly enjoy it. 

Holda: I think it's also interesting, the education component of our work, because it's not just talking about our products, but there's a conversation that you have to have to understand how a particular culture approaches the problem of wastewater. For example, in a lot of developing countries...

16:56

the idea of purifying your drinking water, that makes sense. You're going to pay for that. You're going to purify it so you can drink and be healthy. But the concept of treating your wastewater, let alone paying to treat your wastewater may not culturally even be a real concept there. So how do you approach a market when the idea of the problem you're solving is not even a problem in the minds of the people that you're talking to? 

Angela: Great.

17:25

Well, thank you so much for joining us today. I think that we learned a lot and I hope that it helps the listeners to kind of understand what it's like to work internationally. Thank you all for listening and we'll see you next time. 

We want to thank you again for joining us today. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe where you listen to podcasts so you're notified when new episodes are posted.

17:50

Also, you can leave your comments or suggestions through the contact link on our website, www.orenco.com. Until next time, have a great day!