Editor’s Message – May/June 2020 – Heading West
I don’t know about you, but I was always a fan of Bob Ross. His happy little trees, happy little clouds and superb afro were high points, but really, I think it was his belief that there are no mistakes just happy little accidents.
While there were no mistakes made in putting together this issue of Pipe Cleaning PRO, there was the happy little accident that our two main features hail from the Golden State.
Our cover story features King Rooter and its owner Eduardo Quintero. The company is based in Pasadena, California and covers the San Gabriel Valley. When chatting with Eduardo, you can tell the pride he has in his company and the work he performs each day. He is all-in, so much so that he has a tattoo showing his loyalty to the profession.
Then there is the story of Santa Barbara-based Forward Lateral. That story focuses on a new software that enables the digitization and easy sharing of sewer lateral inspections. The company’s founder, Jesse Aizenstat came up with the idea while working through his own sewer lateral inspection issues. He has spent the last two years bringing the software to market and he is happy to report several California municipalities are on board.
PROs on the Road
When we started this magazine, one of the things we were most looking forward to was hitting the road and meeting with the industry in-person at tradeshows, manufacturer and distributor events and then highlighting our travels in “PRO on the Road.”
Curse you coronavirus!
We, like most of North America, have been on lockdown since March and travel for the foreseeable future has stopped. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other PROs on the road, who are essential to keeping sewers and drains inspected, cleaned and repaired. We salute you, both in word and photos.
We asked, and you listened, our “PROs on the Road” photo feature showing some of the essential work that has taken place since we went on lockdown. Take a look, let us know what you think, and be sure to submit your photos for future iterations.
Join us on LinkedIn
Just like you add a new tool to your toolbox to improve your offerings, we’ve added a new tool to ours. In our quest to further connect with our readers, we’ve joined LinkedIn at linkedin.com/showcase/pipe-cleaning-pro-magazine. If you are on LinkedIn, make sure to follow our page for the latest sewer and drain inspection, cleaning and repair news, stories and conversations.
Closing Thoughts
We want to incorporate more stories that focus on industry-related issues. These stories could include workforce development, safety, insurance, equipment funding, marketing/public relations, etc. If you, or someone you know, could speak to these or any other topics, drop me a note and I’ll add the contact info to my list.
Whether you are a contractor, utility owner, distributor or manufacturer, my door (well in this case e-mail inbox) is always open. Feel free to reach out to me with news and story ideas or other ways in which we can improve the magazine to better suit your needs.
While I am not sure what the future holds in terms of travel to shows for the remainder of 2020, I hope to be able to connect with you before the end of the year. If an in-person meeting is not in the cards, let’s connect virtually whether it be Skype, Zoom or any of the other video conferencing applications. I am always available to chat about this growing and ever-changing industry.
Just a heads up. If you haven’t already, visit pipecleaningpro.com/subscribe to sign-up for your free subscription.
