CSWEA Message From The Chair

Little Things Equal Big Things

By Chris Lefebvre

After I got home from the CSWEA Annual meeting, I had a conversation with a close friend about coaching 12 year old baseball players.  His coaching motto has always been “Little Things Equal Big Things.”  That conversation reminded me of all the little things we do as individuals and how those little things are what make this organization great.  We each do little things every day to improve our industry and normally we don’t even realize that we are doing them.  These little things might be guest speaking at a high school science class, giving a tour of your wastewater treatment facility, participating on a CSWEA committee, or talking through facility issues with a colleague.  As an association we consistently do the little things for our industry, and it has made CSWEA into one of the best member associations in the country.  As the State Section Chair my goal is to continue to foster an environment that encourages our members to do the little things to improve our industry and organization.

We are a few weeks removed from our last frost advisory, so it is safe to say mosquito and construction season has arrived.  The summer months are always filled with vacations, cookouts, and in my house lots of youth baseball.  There are also some great CSWEA events to attend this summer in Wisconsin. It all starts July 20-21 with the annual CSX meeting at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells.  This is a family friendly event so bring the kids along to enjoy the water park.  Then mark your calendars for the Northwoods Collection System Seminar in Marshfield on July 27.  The State Section meeting, Management Seminar with AWWA, and the YP Brewer Outing are all planned for the Milwaukee area on August 3.  Pick one of the meetings to attend during the day and afterwards come network with the future of our industry while watching the Brewers play the Pirates at American Family Field.  We will also be hosting another great in person event on August 17, the Industrial Pretreatment Seminar in Appleton.  I hope to see you at a few of these great events.

Summer also means that it is nomination season.  Central States recognizes over 20 individuals each year for doing a great job.  There are awards for excelling at everything we do as an organization.  Do you know anyone that is doing great things for their community, our industry, or the environment?  If you do, nominate them for an award.  The list of awards is located on the CSWEA website under the Recognition tab.  I think Troy Larson said it best at the annual meeting, “If people close to you aren’t getting recognized for their achievements it might be because you aren’t nominating them.”  I understand that the nomination process can be a little intimidating at first. I know it was for me the first time I went through it, but it is worth the effort to see a colleague get recognized for their hard work.  If you need some help as you go through the nomination process, feel free to reach out to me.  If I can’t help you, I will get you in contact with someone that can.

Have a great summer and thank you for your continued dedication to doing the little things.

-Chris-