Leadership Awards Given for Contributions to the Water Treatment Industry
The Water Quality Association (WQA) honored ten individuals with leadership awards earlier this month. The awards were presented on March 15, during the Opening General Session of the 2016 WQA Convention & Exposition in Nashville, Tennessee.
- The Hall of Fame Award, given for lifetime dedication and service to the water quality improvement industry, was presented to Darwin Watts, MWS, from SEAS Capital Partners in Plymouth, Michigan.
- The Lifetime Membership Award, given for exemplary service to the Water Quality Association, was presented to Michael Mecca from Performance Water Products in Buena Park, California.
- The Key Award, for demonstrating the highest qualities of leadership, was presented to Scott Clawson of Culligan International Company in Rosemont, Illinois.
- The Ray Cross Award, given in recognition of a pioneer spirit and unwavering commitment to the industry, was awarded to Gregory Reyneke, MWS, of of Red Fox Advisors in Beaverton, Oregon.
- Regents Awards, given in recognition of significant contributions at the state or local level on issues affecting the industry, were presented to Jeffrey B. Hill, MWS, of Robert B. Hill Co. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Larry Casey of Aqua Science in Wyoming, Rhode Island.
- Awards of Merit, given in recognition of exceptional service to the water quality improvement industry, were presented to Michael O. Hanson, MWS, of Sterling Water, Inc. dba Culligan of West Central WI in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Michael Schaefer, PE, MWS, of Culligan Soft Water Service Co. in Herculaneum, Missouri.
- The International Award of Merit went to Guy De Mol of Pentair Water Quality Systems of Paris, France.
- The Honorary Membership Award, given in recognition of meritorious research, education or exemplary service, was presented to Michael Sennett from Jones Day in Chicago, Illinois.
Top Membership Recruiters Honored
Eight WQA members were recognized for their recruitment efforts by earning an invitation to the President’s Club for 2015-2016. The following individuals earned President’s Club status by recruiting three or more new members into the Association within a one-year period:
- Alex Duffine of Duff Company (Norristown, Pennsylvania)
- Daina Grace of the Texas Water Quality Association (Victoria, Texas)
- Douglas Haring, MWS, CI, CSR of Clack Corporation (Windsor, Wisconsin)
- Kurt C. Peterson of Water Conditioning & Purification Magazine (Tucson, Arizona)
- Nicole A. Reisdorfer of Allied Purchasing Company (Mason City, Iowa)
- Greg Reyneke, MWS of Red Fox Advisors (Beaverton, Oregon)
- Michael J. Urbans of Res-Kem General Water (Aston, Pennsylvania)
- Margaret A. Wichmann (Lenox, Massachusetts)
Special member recruitment awards were presented to President’s Club members. Margaret A. Wichmann was recognized with the Golden Circle Award for recruiting fifty new members into WQA over the course of her lifetime. Diana Grace was award the Master Craftsman award for recruiting 20 members. And Alex Duffine and Greg Reyneke were awarded the Builder Award in recognition of recruiting their third WQA member.
Receiving the 2015-2016 Team Award, the top recruiting team consisted of Denise Heskett-Al-Kharusy, MWS, of KDF Fluid Treatment, Inc. (Three Rivers, Michigan), Shanna Bucki of Aqua Finance, Inc. (Wausau, WI), Alex Duffine of Duff Company (Norristown, PA), Buzz Goldstein, MWS, of Charger Water Treatment Products, LLC (Elgin, Illinois), Daina Grace of the Texas Water Quality Association (Victoria, Texas), Cindy Gresham, CWS, of Thermax, Inc. (Houston, Texas), Kurt C. Peterson of Water Conditioning & Purification Magazine (Tucson, Arizona) and Nicole A. Reisdorfer of Allied Purchasing Company (Mason City, Iowa).