229 The One About Women In The Water Treatment Industry
12/10/21 • 35 min
Scaling Up Nation, I cannot wait to introduce you to my lab partner this week Tammy Phillips of HOH Water Technology, Inc. Tammy and I met at one of HOH’s business events a few years ago, and the thing that immediately impressed me about her was how she was able to leverage her degree in Building Construction to become a powerful sales person who seeks out water treatment opportunities in healthcare and new construction jobs.
Tammy Phillips is a Business Development Manager who specializes in bringing in new business and sales, and expanding existing partnerships. She has more than 20 years of sales experience, and today she is going to share fantastic advice on cold-calling, how to handle rejection, and the importance of joining a local organization.
In addition to her job at HOH, Tammy serves on the board of the Central Illinois Chapter of Healthcare Engineering (CICHE). CICHE offers professional development, access to national trends, codes and standards updates, and facility management solutions to their members through educational programs and events.
Bottom line: If you are a woman considering a career in water treatment, Tammy’s professional journey might inspire you to apply to work in the best industry in the world, industrial water treatment.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.
-Trace
Timestamps:
James’ Challenge: “Thoroughly dig through your company's website.” [01:52]
Introducing Business Development Manager, Tammy Phillips [04:46]
Being a persistent salesperson [07:25]
Tammy’s water treatment industry career journey [08:09]
Women in water treatment [9:00]
Cold-calling [10:39]
Involvement in CICHE and other organizations [13:28]
Mentors, leadership, and professional development [15:38]
Working as a team, the importance of core values, and trying new things [20:35]
Advice for women starting in the water treatment industry [24:08]
Lightning round questions [24:54]
Quotes:
“Don’t be afraid to walk in. Everybody gets turned away at some point.” - Tammy Phillips
“I love what I do.” - Tammy Phillips
“Challenging. Fun. Well-worth it.” - Tammy Phillips
“Continue being persistent, and going in. You’ll eventually get comfortable doing it.” - Tammy Phillips
“Leadership is all about helping others.” - Tammy Phillips
“The only way you learn is trying to do it, and asking questions along the way.” - Tammy Phillips
“Anyone can hold any position with the right mindset.” - Tammy Phillips
“If you don’t ask, you’ll never get good at it.” - Trace Blackmore
Connect with Tammy Phillips:
Phone: (217) 208-9464
Email: [email protected]
Website: hohwatertechnology.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tphillips06
Central Illinois Chapter of Healthcare Engineering
Links Mentioned:
166 The One Where We Celebrate Halloween (reading “The Raven”)
Scaling Up Nation, I cannot wait to introduce you to my lab partner this week Tammy Phillips of HOH Water Technology, Inc. Tammy and I met at one of HOH’s business events a few years ago, and the thing that immediately impressed me about her was how she was able to leverage her degree in Building Construction to become a powerful sales person who seeks out water treatment opportunities in healthcare and new construction jobs.
Tammy Phillips is a Business Development Manager who specializes in bringing in new business and sales, and expanding existing partnerships. She has more than 20 years of sales experience, and today she is going to share fantastic advice on cold-calling, how to handle rejection, and the importance of joining a local organization.
In addition to her job at HOH, Tammy serves on the board of the Central Illinois Chapter of Healthcare Engineering (CICHE). CICHE offers professional development, access to national trends, codes and standards updates, and facility management solutions to their members through educational programs and events.
Bottom line: If you are a woman considering a career in water treatment, Tammy’s professional journey might inspire you to apply to work in the best industry in the world, industrial water treatment.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.
-Trace
Timestamps:
James’ Challenge: “Thoroughly dig through your company's website.” [01:52]
Introducing Business Development Manager, Tammy Phillips [04:46]
Being a persistent salesperson [07:25]
Tammy’s water treatment industry career journey [08:09]
Women in water treatment [9:00]
Cold-calling [10:39]
Involvement in CICHE and other organizations [13:28]
Mentors, leadership, and professional development [15:38]
Working as a team, the importance of core values, and trying new things [20:35]
Advice for women starting in the water treatment industry [24:08]
Lightning round questions [24:54]
Quotes:
“Don’t be afraid to walk in. Everybody gets turned away at some point.” - Tammy Phillips
“I love what I do.” - Tammy Phillips
“Challenging. Fun. Well-worth it.” - Tammy Phillips
“Continue being persistent, and going in. You’ll eventually get comfortable doing it.” - Tammy Phillips
“Leadership is all about helping others.” - Tammy Phillips
“The only way you learn is trying to do it, and asking questions along the way.” - Tammy Phillips
“Anyone can hold any position with the right mindset.” - Tammy Phillips
“If you don’t ask, you’ll never get good at it.” - Trace Blackmore
Connect with Tammy Phillips:
Phone: (217) 208-9464
Email: [email protected]
Website: hohwatertechnology.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tphillips06
Central Illinois Chapter of Healthcare Engineering
Links Mentioned:
166 The One Where We Celebrate Halloween (reading “The Raven”)
Previous Episode
228 The One About How To Attract and Hire The Next Generation Of Water Treaters
The job market is competitive these days, to say the least. If your company has been trying to hire younger water treaters and you haven’t had much success in the recruiting process, I have the perfect podcast guest for you to learn from.
Her name is Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang, and she is a college professor turned entrepreneur, education consultant, and career and life coach with more than 15 years of experience in education. For most of her life, Dr. Ai has been teaching and because of her innate ability to inspire Millennials and Generation Z, she is uniquely qualified to educate water treatment hiring managers and business owners on what we need to know before we schedule interviews with individuals from these two generations.
Dr. Ai founded Classroom Without Walls (CWW) in 2017 to normalize learning beyond the four walls of a classroom. CWW created a new model in learning that includes the elements of online learning (classes + digital mentors), certification earning, and in-person enrichment. Dr. Ai is also the host of the two live-streaming shows: Classroom Without Walls which focuses on social media and digital marketing; and What Is School For? which was inspired by Dr. Ai's interview with author and entrepreneur Seth Godin, and aims to discuss, debate, and disrupt education.
Today’s interview focuses on how we should attract and recruit Millennials and Generation Z to work at your company so that it is a win-win relationship for you and your new hires.
Bottom line: Dr. Ai is going to share how we can attract and hire the next generation of water treaters.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.
-Trace
Timestamps:
Goal setting [01:44]
Get to know college professor turned entrepreneur, Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang [09:50]
Preparing yourself for real-life as a student [16:18]
Storytelling and Story-selling [24:21]
Tailoring interviews for the younger generation [27:18]
Preparing students to join the workforce [29:31]
What is the next generation looking for in a job [35:53]
Mentors [38:40]
LinkedIn tips [42:51]
Lightning round questions [47:12]
James’ Challenge: “Calculate how much heat energy goes down the drain with boiler blowdown and how much it costs.” [58:33]
Quotes:
“Showing up consistently makes a big difference.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“GPA is inversely related to innovation.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“The best way to connect with each other is storytelling.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“If people are not applying, it is time for you to study who you want to attract.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“This is a “Show me” economy. Show me what you created based on your skills.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“When you don't have purpose, you don’t have drive.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“When they (applicants) choose your organization they need to know your mission and vision and know that what they will do is important and is part of the bigger picture.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“Instagram and Tiktok: those are the places where young people actually congregate. You need to go where they are as opposed to [telling them where you are].” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“It is very hard to find 1,000 people who are really passionate about what you do, but it is not that hard to find one single person.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“Most kids are allowing social media to use them, as opposed to, they are using social media to serve their own career needs.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang
“It is okay to realign your goals when you learn new information.” - Trace Blackmore
“Your day to day is never going to get any better unless you start making changes; unless you work on the outside of what you consider comfortable.” - Trace Blackmore
Connect with Dr. Ai Addyson Zhang:
Live Streaming Sho...
Next Episode
230 The One With A Water Strategist
I got to know this week’s guest over LinkedIn and it was a blast to have him on the show. Walid Khoury is a water strategist, investor, and influencer and has such a wealth of knowledge to share with the water treatment industry.
Walid has 20 years of industry experience having worked for GE, Nalco, and Danaher. Over the years, Walid built and led diverse and inclusive water teams, selling technical solutions, developing strategies for direct and indirect sales channels, re-allocating resources, and driving sustainable and profitable growth.
In 2020, Walid founded Desalytics, a company that offers a diverse portfolio of water testing and water treatment consumables in Sub-Saharan Africa. Desalytics helps municipal and industrial customers produce reliable water, optimize processes, maximize returns at a competitive cost through expertise, technologies, and local footprint. For this, Walid is partnering with, coaching, and mentoring young African entrepreneurs to grow Desalytics' presence across the African continent and be close to customers.
Desalytics was established in 2020 to help municipal and industrial customers produce reliable water, optimize processes, maximize returns at a competitive cost through expertise, technologies, and local footprint. Desalytics’ innovative business model relies on an impact investing approach where the company partners with young African entrepreneurs, and helps them start or scale their businesses, through working capital injection, mentoring programs, and global supplier relationships.
Walid is an active LinkedIn thought leader, inspiring engaging and insightful discussions with his 26,000 industry followers. He holds a bachelor's degree in water and environment, a master's degree in water sciences, and lastly a master's degree in management from Harvard University.
Bottom line: Walid Khoury is going to inspire you to think about water treatment on a bigger and more global level.
Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.
-Trace
Timestamps:
2021: the year that water treaters around the world came together to learn and grow [0:30]
James’ Challenge: “Make time for your family, friends, and you.” [7:17]
Introducing water strategist, investor, and influencer Walid Khoury [9:10]
Desalytics in Africa [15:57]
Attending WEFTEC 2021 [18:15]
Walid’s water treatment career journey [20:47]
The value of coaching [27:30]
The importance of diversity in the workplace [32:00]
Continuous improvement [39:00]
Lightning round questions [42:45]
Quotes:
“Optimize your water footprint.” - Walid Khoury
“It’s not a straightforward job; it is interesting and exciting because you are trying to solve tough challenges. If it wasn’t a tough challenge they wouldn’t need us.” - Walid Khoury
“Find women engineers and help them grow in their careers and retain them.” - Walid Khoury
“Don’t get stuck, there is always a constant challenge. Keep developing yourself.” - Walid Khoury
“One of the best ways to learn is to teach.” - Walid Khoury
“If you are bored at your job, you are not learning. It’s time to move on to the next one.” - Walid Khoury
“Africa is a similar market to other places.” - Walid Khoury
“I’m passionate about water.” - Walid Khoury
Connect with Walid Khoury:
Phone: +971 56 5362147
Email: [email protected]
Vlog: walidkhoury.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/walidkhoury
Links Mentioned:
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Books Mentioned:
What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter
Hot Seat: What I Learned Leading a Great American Company by Jeff Immelt
Africa's Business Revolution: How to Succeed in the World's Next Big Growth Market by Acha Leke
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