About this episode
Get stuck in – Michael Bourgeois, CWT How do standards get written in ways that working water treaters can actually meet? In this conversation, AWT Past President, current Related Trade Organization (RTO) Committee Chair, and Chemco Products Company Operations Manager, Michael Bourgeois CWT, explains how AWT's liaisons collaborate with peer organizations, so guidance reflects field reality—operations, risk, and achievable compliance. From Field Bags to Board Rooms: Why RTOs Matter Bourgeois outlines the purpose of AWT's RTO structure: volunteer liaisons track and influence work at groups whose missions overlap with industrial water—CTI, ABMA, ASHRAE, AWWA, ASHE, and others. The aim is simple and practical: make sure member voices are heard so guidance advances health outcomes (e.g., Legionella control) and day-to-day feasibility for service providers and suppliers. Turning Reaction into Proaction Historically, the industry learned about new rules after they landed. Bourgeois details how AWT is shifting to co-authoring cooling-water guidelines with CTI and re-engaging ABMA, so boiler-water limits and methods reflect current technologies and operations. The model: clarify shared goals, contribute content expertise, and formalize collaboration so members get usable documents at member pricing. Concrete Moves: Boiler Water, Healthcare, and More Examples include AWT's role on ABMA's Boiler Expo steering committee (with a focused water-treatment training block) and early conversations with ASHE on pathogen control in building and healthcare water systems. He describes how liaisons feed updates into a formal committee cadence, so the AWT Board and members see progress—not just headlines. When working professionals help write the playbook, outcomes improve clients, operators, and public health—and members stop "reacting" to standards they had no hand in shaping. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 00:02:28 - Trace Blackmore shares his AWT excitement & community shout-outs 00:05:16 - Water You Know with James McDonald 00:06:44 - The magic of the Scaling Up buttons (why & how to use them) 00:20:25 - North Metal Quarterly Magazine (Grab physical copy by visiting Booth 212) 00:27:00 - Interview starts: Mike Bourgeois (Chemco; AWT Past President; RTO Chair) 00:33:58 - What is the RTO Committee and why it exists 00:36:31 - The 10 formal collaborators + 4–6 informal 00:36:43 - AWWA/ASDWA (Joe Hannigan); Premise plumbing link 00:38:19 - ASHE (healthcare engineering) early wins (Reid Hutchinson)
