Having Faith in Our Recession-Proof Industry

I’ve been in the sewer industry for decades, and I so often wondered when our industry would make headlines.

I picked up The Washington Post just a few days after President Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th president, and there, in black-and-white text on the front page, I saw the words “water and sewer” under a big bold heading — Infrastructure. Wow!

I’ve been in the sewer industry for decades, and I so often wondered when our industry would make headlines. I’m thrilled that the day has finally come. Lawmakers are finally realizing that we’re not effectively caring for our nation’s most vital public resource. Our industry is now at least getting some attention it deserves, and desperately needs. While time will tell exactly how much will be invested, we’re off to a good start.

Surrounding this headline were many other headlines on our suffering economy. Company layoffs, hunger rate increases and ways to spend less were a few other topics in the same issue. These powerful articles on today’s tough economy affect us all — what we buy, how we run our businesses and how we live our lives.

We in the trenchless technology industry are lucky. In fact, I would even go so far to say that we’re recession-proof. We have the EPA issuing consent decrees that guarantee work in densely populated cities throughout the country. We have thousands of shovel-ready projects waiting to start. We have a new president who promises to invest in our industry. And, we have increased public awareness of our issues.

And we’ve really only just begun. Our industry is relatively young and has much room for growth. Remembering that will help not only you and your business, but the entire trenchless technology industry.

I must admit I’m not happy when I pick up the paper and hear about a water main break or worse — when I’m stuck in traffic while one is being fixed — but a part of me knows that these problems are just what it will take to get the public’s attention. Since we’ve long been using our nation’s sewer system without properly maintaining and investing in repairs, the public will continue to experience these types of incidents as we slowly work to repair our pipelines.

And with every headline our industry gets, we’re just one step closer to making the out-of-sight industry top of mind for the public. Look beyond the negative headlines and see the opportunity for you, your business and your industry.

Irvin Gemora is executive director of NASSCO. He can be reached at director@nassco.org. The NASSCO headquarters is at 11521 Cronridge Dr., Suite J, Owings Mills, MD 21117.



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