Life Lessons for Future Engineering Leaders with Bushnak Group Chairman

WATER LEADERS
JULY 2017
ISSUE NO. 003
Chemicals | Controls | Desalination | EDR | Filtration | Finance | Membranes | NF | Plumbing | Pumps | Pipes | RO | Storage | Valves
LIFE LESSONS
FOR FUTURE
LEADERS
Dr. Adil Bushnak
Chairman & CEO
Bushnak Group
Sustainable Water Supply:
Turning Asia’s Flood Challenges
Into Opportunities
Osmoflo’s Latest Technologies,
Innovations and Social Impact
Special FeaturesProductivity Hacks
For Every Engineer
25 Time Management Hacks
That Every Engineer Should Follow
The Unpopular Productivity Tip That Might
or Might Not Work With Engineers
Is Your Engineering Job Eating You Up?
7 Traits to Transform You from Regular
Engineer to Master Engineer
Sustainable Water Supply:
Turning Asia’s Flood Challenges
Into Opportunities
Osmoflo’s Latest Technologies,
Innovations and Social Impact
Special FeaturesProductivity Hacks
For Every Engineer
25 Time Management Hacks
That Every Engineer Should Follow
The Unpopular Productivity Tip That Might
7 Traits to Transform You from Regular

MadTreeBrewing
Craft brewer to incorporate
Veolia’s Sirion™ Mega technology
to produce high purity water
Fast growing and critically acclaimed
Cincinnati craft brewer MadTree
Brewing has chosen Veolia Water
Technologies’ Sirion Mega technology
solution to ensure water quality control as
the brewer undergoes a planned expansion.
The 100 GPM (gallons per minute) RO unit
produces high purity water, removing up to
97% of dissolved inorganic and more than
99% of large dissolved organic material,
colloids and particles—providing consistent
water quality for MadTree’s beer production
process. Any excess output from the RO will
be directed to the boiler as water make-up
thereby further delivering increased water &
energy efficiency in operations.
Currently producing approximately 25,000
barrels of beer a year, the brewery expansion
will increase production to 35,000 barrels
annually. Furthermore there is enough
room to support future growth by adding
potential capacity to boost output to
180,000 barrels.
According to co-founder Jeff Hunt,
maintaining product quality was the
brewer’s over-riding objective when it
contemplated expanding production to
meet increased customer demand. "Since
water makes up 95% of beer, water quality
plays an important part influencing our beer’s
flavor profile. As we planned for our new,
expanded production facility it was critical to
us to be able to control the incoming water of
our brewing process to insure we maintained
consistent quality and taste of the beers. As
such, we didn't want a standard RO unit.”
Hunt continued: “What we found most
appealing about Veolia's RO technology was
its ability to provide feedback, which will
allow us to fine-tune the incoming water as
needed to be able to produce the high quality
of beers our customers expect. Moving ahead
we are fortunate to be able to call upon
Veolia's industry experience and technological
expertise to help make sure we maintain the
high quality standards that have fueled our
growth.”
As part of the largest water company in the
world, Veolia Water Technologies enjoys a
commanding presence in the beer brewing
industry with more than 150 – and growing
– brewery customers globally. Veolia’s more
than 350 proprietary technologies support
its solutions and service value across the
entire spectrum of the brewing process
– from product & process water, to water
recycling and wastewater solutions.
“We’ve seen the explosive growth in the craft
brewing sector of the market, particularly in
the U.S.,” said Ted Lawson, Marketing Director
for Veolia Water Technologies, “and we
recognize the growing needs these brewers
have for improving both process water and
wastewater treatment. We are committed
to leveraging our technical knowledge and
experience to add value by helping emerging
brewers grow and succeed.” �
MAINTAIN
PRODUCT
QUALITY
Sponsored Article

Sponsored Article
The Paulaner brewery is one of the best-
known German breweries, with a long
tradition of the finest Munich art of brewing.
The annual production exceeds 2 million
hectoliters. The popularity of Paulaner beer
has always extended beyond the city limits of
Munich, both nationally and internationally.
Paulaner beer is enjoyed in more than 70
countries worldwide.
The challenge
Due to the increasing popularity
of Paulaner beer the existing
production site Nockherberg
in the center of Munich
reached its limits. In order
to secure ample capacities
for future growth, Paulaner
decided to move the production
to Munich-Langwied. The new
site has sufficient space as well as
excellent connections to the highway.
The new brewery had to be built with an
emphasis on modern and environmentally
friendly brewery technology as well as an
energy and emission-optimized infrastructure.
The solution
The beer production process generates
organically loaded wastewater streams which
are easily biodegradable. With conventional
biological treatment, biological degradation is
achieved by using aerobic organisms. These,
however, need to be fed with oxygen, resulting
in high operating costs and CO2
emissions.
Paulaner selected an environmentally friendly
anaerobic treatment. The degradation
process does not need oxygen, so the energy
consumption is considerably reduced. Another
advantage is the production of energy-rich
biogas, which can be used on site in the boiler
house.
To ensure a high level of operational
reliability for their future
wastewater treatment, Paulaner
chose the proven Biobed® system
supplied by Aquantis, a German
subsidiary of the leading Veolia
Water Technologies group. �
Paulaner
brewery
Environmentally friendly
wastewater treatment
Key Figures
• Wastewater volume:
2,800 m³/d
• Load:
23,500 kg COD/d
• Biogas production:
385 Nm³/h

Sponsored ArticleSponsored Article
CREATING VALUE FOR INDUSTRY 21
Did you know that HYDREX™
covers all
your water treatment chemical needs?
Boiler Water
Treatment Products
HYDREX 1000 SERIES
Cooling Water
Treatment Products
HYDREX 2000 SERIES
Drinking Water
Treatment Products
HYDREX 3000 SERIES
Membrane
Treatment Products
HYDREX 4000 SERIES
Maintenance and
Cleaning Products
HYDREX 5000 SERIES
Wastewater
Treatment Products
HYDREX 6000 SERIES
Biocides Products HYDREX 7000 SERIES
Industrial Application
Products
HYDREX 8000 SERIES
Thermal Desalination,
bulk chemicals & Others
HYDREX 9000 SERIES
Veolia Water Technologies provides a full
range of water treatment additives but also
associated services (expertise, audit, quick
laboratory analysis, technical assistance,
emergency responses, etc.). You can also take
advantage of our AquaVistaTM
monitoring tools
and on-line scanners; as well as equipment
such as tanks, dosing systems, etc. If you
need water treatment chemical assistance,
Hydrex™ has the solution.
AquaVista - Level 3:
manage your automated control and monitoring system via your smartphone

Ems Bagatsing
Sales & Marketing Director
Ems@LincolnMartin.com
Robert Bagatsing
Editor-In-Chief
editor@GineersNow.com
Engr. Alice Hernandez
Senior Editor-At-Large
Disclaimer: The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or
omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and
views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers.
Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information
contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be
appropriate for the readers' particular circumstances.
The Copyright Law of the United States of America, Chapter 1, Subject 107, called the “Limitations on
exclusive rights: Fair use” states that, “Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the
fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any
other means speciϐied by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching
(including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copy-
right. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be
considered shall include—
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for
nonproϐit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.”
John Vauden
Senior Editor
Asia-Paciϐic
Hina Sapra
Senior Editor
South Asia
Therese Matheren
Senior Editor
North America
Charity Bagatsing
Senior Editor
North America
Engr. Dion Greg Reyes
Junior Editor
Engr. Cielo Panda
Junior Editor
Raymond Gerard del Valle
Junior Editor
Goran Ćulibrk
Marketing and IT
Manager
Video Editor
Creative & Layout
GINEERSNOW TEAM
Anthony Lucero
Engr. Randy Williams
Guest Editor
North America
Engr. Aaron Kesel
Guest Editor
North America
Engr. Emmanuel Stalling
Guest Editor
North America
Amanda Pelletier
Guest Editor
North America
Margaret Banford
Guest Editor
United Kingdom
Patricia Eldridge
Guest Editor
United Kingdom
Afsana Alam
Guest Editor
United Arab Emirates
Publisher
GineersNow Inc.
Level 10-1 One Global Place, 5th Avenue
& 25th Street , BGC, Taguig, Philippines
Tel: +632 2242 000
Global Sales Ofϐice
Lincoln Martin FZE
Level 14, Boulevard Plaza Tower 1,
MBR Boulevard, Emaar Square, Downtown Dubai.
P.O. Box 334036 United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 50 4289684

EDITOR’S
NOTE
Engr. Alice Hernandez
Senior Editor-at-Large
As they say, experience is the best teacher to guide us in
every path we take. However, the most valuable lessons
we can learn don’t have to come from our own experiences
but from other people as well. For the leaders from different
industries today, they often leave us intrigued and amazed
on how they made it to where they are now. With every story
they share, we learn important lessons we can apply in our
own careers.
In this month’s cover story, Dr. Adil Bushnak, the Chairman
and CEO of Bushnak Group, shares the life lessons he
wants every future leaders want to know about. These
lessons are supported with several personal stories, which
not only help one in his career path but also on relationships
and other aspects of one’s personal life. Read this exciting
exclusive story and find out what his advices are on leading
and helping more people in the coming difficult future.
We have also included special features from Osmoflo and
Black & Veatch. Find out how Asia can have sustainable
water supply by turning its flood challenges into
opportunities. Also, don’t miss out on Osmoflo’s latest
technologies, innovations and social impact!
GineersNow has also prepared productivity hacks every
engineer can use at work. If you’re having trouble managing
your time, follow these easy 25 time management hacks
and learn whether your job is eating you up. Read about a
specific yet unpopular productivity tip that may work for you
but not for everyone else. Lastly, how do you transform from
a regular engineer at work into a master in your own field?
These traits will help you become one.
So sit back and learn something new in this industry today.
Keep up with the latest trends on the water industry with
GineersNow: Water Leaders.

ContentsOsmoflow’s Latest
Technologies, Innovations and
Social Impact
H2
O Innovation Updates Its
System Performance
Monitoring Program And Aims
at Developing A Suite of Digital
Solutions Software
Abengoa Signs New Contract
To Build A New 275,000 m3
/Day
Desalination Plant In The Agadir
Region Agreement
Emefcy And RWL Water
Announce Binding Sale And
Purchase Agreement
25 Time Management Hacks That
Every Engineer Should Follow
Toilets To Meet The Highest
Requirements
This Unpopular Productivity Tip
Might Or Might Not Work With
Engineers
Sustainable Water Supply: Turning
Asia’s Flood Challenges Into
Opportunities
Caleffi Meets Turkey
Falling Into Place: 7 Traits To
Transform You From Regular
Cover Story: Life Lessons For
Future Leaders
Is Your Engineering Job Eating You
Up? This is What You Should Do
A Drink That Cures Hangovers
8
14
16
18
21
22
24
26
32
34
36
46
48

Osmoflo’s Latest
Technologies, Innovations
and Social Impact
Osmoflo CEO and Managing Director Emmanuel Gayan believes
that meeting the global demand for effective and resourceful water
treatment processes will require new ways of thinking and new
technologies we can only imagine today. Emmanuel also believes
that Osmoflo, in Australia and around the world, is at the forefront
of these developments, continuously striving for new and innovative
solutions that benefit customers, and having the expert minds to
produce technologies that constantly push the boundaries of water
treatment.
8 Water Leaders • July 2017

LATEST TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIONS
Osmoflo Brine Squeezer (OBS)
One of the most recent technological
advancements that Osmoflo has introduced
to the market is the patented Osmoflo Brine
Squeezer (OBS).
Brine concentrate and effluent management are
huge concerns the world has over, with minimal-
liquid-discharge (MLD) technologies being the
way of the future. The effective and safe disposal
of salt–laden reject water from reverse osmosis
aand operators, and this is particularly important
in the face of increasingly stringent, penalty
backed environmental regulations around the
world relating to its disposal.
Traditional methods of brine management are
expensive to build, maintain and operate, and
can be adversely affected by severe climatic
conditions such as seasonal rainfalls. The
introduction of a breakthrough technology to
reduce the volume of brine concentrate from the
reverse osmosis process is a significant step, and
one that Osmoflo has succeeded at.
How does OBS work?
• OBS technology concentrates the reject from a
reverse osmosis plant using special
membranes and increases recovery to 95% or
more, significantly reducing the volume of brine
that needs to be disposed.
• Utilising a high to ultrahigh pressure circuit,
OBS operates above the scaling threshold
of sparingly soluble salts and concentrates the
feedwater up to a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
level of up to 150,000 mg/L..
• A unique, standalone system, the Brine
Squeezer can be easily retrofitted to almost any
existing RO system, has a small footprint and is
energy efficient.
Osmoflo began developing this technology in
response to the special needs of the coal seam
gas industry in Queensland, Australia, which
displaces vast quantities of water during the
production process; water that requires treatment
before it can be returned to the environment. A
1,000 m3/day OBS plant has been successfully
commissioned recently at a coal seam gas site.
Another 1,000 m3/day OBS plant at a brewery has
been installed ready for commissioning.
Benefits of OBS include technical flexibility, and
reduced capex and opex costs through:
• Minimising brine volumes resulting in lower
costs for all downstream brine concentration
processes
• Effective foulant/scale mitigation and removal
techniques
• Advanced automation
• Modular and self-contained for simple and
rapid deployment

OsmoView App
In combination with technological
advancements being made by Osmoflo,
the company is also leading the way in the
innovative delivery of its services with the
recent development of its smartphone app
‘OsmoView’. Rolled out mid-May, the app is
available on all mobile devices.
The app allows customers to have fast
and convenient access to key operational
information for their water treatment plants.
It provides customers with an innovative
new way to access critical alerts and
operational data for their Water Treatment
Plant that is operated and maintained by
Osmoflo. Designed with a user-friendly
interface, customers can view plant operating
status, key performance indicators, alarm
response reports and performance reports.
The performance reports vary in detail from
basic production summary to comprehensive
performance analysis and recommendations
for optimisation, depending on the level of
service with Osmoflo. The app also allows
for easy communication with Osmoflo’s 24/7
Control Centre for operational support.
OsmoView forms one part of Osmoflo’s
proprietary operations and maintenance
(O&M) system, PlantConnect, which acts
as a platform for all of its O&M activities.
PlantConnect incorporates the OsmoView app,
the company’s internal software and hardware
interface, maintenance and asset management
system, 24/7 control centre and Osmoflo’s
expert technical support. Incorporating these
components enables:
• Easy access to plant performance data
(particularly now through OsmoView)
• Reduced site operator attendance
• Support for the life of their plant,
and beyond
• Fast response and high plant availability
• Optimised life cycle costs
List of projects and how many people
benefited from these projects:
Barka Project, Oman – 56.8 MLD MF/
SWRO plant providing potable water for
250,000 people.
Santa Rosa, Chile – 17.3 MLD
Ultrafiltration plant for potable water
supply to growing population of 95,000
Marshall Islands – 1.6 MLD desalination
plant providing potable water for island
community of approx. 15,000 people
Mt Isa Water Treatment Plant – 25 MLD
membrane filtration plant to provide water
for population of 22,000.
Broken Hill Water Treatment Plant – 6
MLD RO plant providing potable water for
population of 20,000.
Santos Leewood (OBS) – 1.5 MLD SWRO/
MF/OBS for treatment of coal seam
gas produced water for irrigation and
beneficial reuse.
Windibri Water Treatment Plant – 6 MLD
MF/RO desalination for mine dewatering
Santos Pony Hills – 6 MLD MF/RO plant
for treatment of coal seam gas water for
environmental discharge
Bechtel Wheatstone Project – 13 MLD
seawater desalination for process water
for construction needs and potable
water supply for one of Australia’s largest
infrastructure projects.

SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
OF OSMOFLO
In its day to day operations, Osmoflo is
dedicated to minimising its impact on the
environment and the communities in which
they operate. Their state of the art head office
facility, located at Burton South Australia,
makes use of recycled water on site for
irrigation, as well as encouraging waste
reduction and recycling procedures throughout
all their global offices. An example of the
company’s social commitment is the donation
to trees-for-life, an Australian not-for-profit
community organisation that is dedicated
to revegetation and conservation, For each
project over A$1 million that Osmoflo are
successfully contracted for, they donate a
portion of profits to fund tree planting activities
in local communities around Australia.
Through Osmoflo’s innovative technologies
and offerings, countless communities have
benefitted from potable water supplies made
available through the treatment of water
using Osmoflo solutions. The company has
also contributed to the increase of water
recycling and reduction of water discharged
from industry, and in the reduction of brine
concentrate being discharged into the
environment. Osmoflo water treatment plants
are located around the world at remote mine
sites, oil and gas fields, power stations, city
breweries, townships and coal seam gas fields;
they have provided water treatment solutions
for over 450 clients around the globe.
For the Barka water treatment project in
Oman, Osmolfo’s largest project to date, the
company provided a 56.8 MLD desalination
plant for ACWA Power Barka. The plant
included microfiltration, reverse osmosis and
post-treatment systems to provide excellent
quality potable water for up to 250,000
people in Oman. The project provided an
invaluable water source for this community,
in an environment where water is scare and
consumption has increased rapidly in recent
years.

Emmanuel Gayan, Osmoflo CEO and Managing
Director, is well known and respected in the
international water market, with over 18 years of water
industry experience and senior leadership roles. His
experience has been gained working across Central
and Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle
East. Emmanuel’s previous roles include leading major
EPC projects up to the value of $100m and managing
water businesses with turnovers of up to $350m.
Emmanuel joined Osmoflo in April 2016 as Chief
Executive Officer and joined the Board as Managing
Director in December 2016. Emmanuel has a Masters
Degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering, with
a specialisation in Infrastructure Projects Economy
& Planning from École Nationale des Ponts et
Chaussées, the prestigious French Grandes Écoles.
About Osmoflo
Osmoflo is a progressive water treatment company
that provides tailored, turn-key water and wastewater
solutions across the industrial, resources and
municipal sectors globally.
Having built its reputation as the largest Australian
headquartered designer, constructor and operator
of reverse osmosis desalination systems, Osmoflo
continues to diversify its impressive portfolio of
products and services. Today, with the support of
its shareholders, Hitachi Zosen Corporation and
Marubeni Corporation, Osmoflo’s innovative process
and commercial solutions are provided to clients
around the globe.
Osmoflo’s experience covers the full range of
seawater, brackish, waste and contaminated
feedwaters for applications in process and
potable waters, demin and high purity process
water, dewatering, water recycling and reuse, and
environmental discharge. This includes one of the
largest rental fleets for temporary and ‘emergency’
water treatment and desalination.

Emmanuel Gayan
CEO and Managing Director
Osmoflo

H2O Innovation Updates Its System Performance
Monitoring Program And Aims At Developing A
Suite of Digital Solutions and Software
H2O Innovation Inc. (“H2O Innovation” or the
“Corporation”) announces that it is launching an
updated, higher-performing version of its system
performance monitoring program, previously
known as SPMCTM, now renamed IntelogxTM.
The system performance monitoring program,
developed by H2O Innovation over the last four
(4) years, enables remote access to operating
parameters of the water plant in order to collect,
normalize and analyze data, all displayed on a
comprehensive dashboard. The program helps
operators to optimize their plant, generate periodic
reports and graphs automatically, and to analyze
trends.
“As its name implies, IntelogxTM brings intelligence
and logical interpretation to operating data
and uses the knowledge H2O Innovation has in
membrane technologies to monitor system health
and predict maintenance requirements. IntelogxTM
helps operators determine when to perform
maintenance and cleaning of their membrane
plant based on the intelligent interpretation of
data”, stated Greg Madden, Vice President of the
Specialty Products and Services business pillar of
H2O Innovation.
Users can now create their own dashboards and
customize the visual appearance, so they can see
the data in a way that makes sense to them. The
interface now features a similar look and feel of a
SCADA system, where the user can view “read-
only” process and instrumentation with graphical
representations of valves, instruments and
equipment. For example, in order to quickly resolve
maintenance issues, the user can directly access
its plant-specific operation and maintenance
manuals.
According to the Global Water Intelligence report,
more than $2.4 B (operating & capital expenses)
will be spent in 2017 on automation & control
equipment in Canada and the United States, and
that figure should reach $2.8 B by 2020 (GWI
Report, 2017). H2O Innovation is changing the
name of its remote monitoring program to more
accurately reflect its focus on system intelligence
and strategy to develop smart digital solutions
to enhance membrane plant operations. The
Corporation plans to develop a suite of digital
solutions and software to serve membrane process
equipment, water and wastewater treatment
plants. The Corporation’s existing Clearlogx®
coagulation control technology is included in this
digital platform, and there are more solutions to
come.

Abengoa Signs New Contract To Build A New
275,000 m3/day Desalination Plant In The Agadir
Region, Morocco
Abengoa, the international company that applies
innovative technology solutions for sustainability
in the energy and environment sectors, has signed
contracts to develop a desalination and irrigation
project in the Agadir region.
The project, valued €309 million, involves the
construction of a desalination plant with a 275,000
m3 total production capacity of desalinated water
per day which will be the largest plant designed
for drinking water and irrigation. The contract also
provides for the possible capacity expansion to up
to 450,000 m3/day.
This is a single project for the two clients; Office
National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE),
the Ministry of Agriculture, Sea Fisheries and
Rural Development and the Ministry of Waters
and Forests of Morocco, which has been created
from the mutualisation of two projects. The first
one requires a 50 % expansion of production
capacity under the contract that Abengoa has
been developing for ONEE, thereby increasing
plant capacity to 150,000 m3/d of drinking water.
And the second project calls for the additional
production of 125,000 m3/d of irrigation water
as well as the construction of the corresponding
irrigation network for a total of 13,600 ha,
promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The project, which also provides for the option of
being operated on wind power, meets the demand
of water for domestic use in addition to irrigation
water needs in the area of Agadir. At the same
time, it will contribute to the development of the
main economic drivers, the agricultural and tourism
sectors, and the conservation of the aquifers in the
area, therefore preventing their over-exploitation.
As specified in the terms of the original
contract, Abengoa will continue to undertake
the engineering, construction and operation and
maintenance for a period of 27 years. Abengoa
and the Moroccan company InfraMaroc will be
investment partners and responsible for the project
financing.
Abengoa has been present in Morocco since
1977 and has offices in Rabat and Casablanca. It
has carried out major large-scale projects in the
country, such as the world’s first ISCC (Integrated
Solar Combined Cycle) plant located in Ain Beni
Mathar. With this project Abengoa consolidates
itself as a major player in the desalination sector
in the world with a global installed capacity of 1.5
million m3/d, to which we can add the recently
awarded contract to build a 250,000 m3/d
desalination plant for ACWA Power in Shuaibah,
Saudi Arabia.

Emefcy and RWL Water Announce
Binding Sale and Purchase Agreement
Emefcy Group Limited (ASX: EMC) (“Emefcy”) and
RWL Water LLC (“RWL Water”) announced that
they have executed a binding Sale and Purchase
Agreement (“SPA”) pursuant to which the two
companies would combine. Following closing,
the merged company would be renamed Fluence
Corporation Limited (“Fluence”).
Pursuant to the terms of the SPA, Emefcy will
issue 100.5 million new ordinary shares as the
purchase consideration for all of RWL Water’s
equity interests and pay US$10,000 in cash. Those
shares will be subject to a voluntary escrow for 2
years following closing. RWL Water’s current sole
member, an entity owned by Mr Ronald S. Lauder,
has also committed to acquire an additional
US$20M of Emefcy’s ordinary shares in a private
placement at an issue price of A$0.85 per share,
which is estimated to be for an additional 31.4
million Emefcy shares. Mr Lauder’s ownership
of the combined entity after completion of the
acquisition and the private placement is expected
to be approximately 34%.
The closing of the merger by acquisition under
the SPA and the private placement are subject to
shareholder and regulatory approval, among other
customary closing conditions.
The merger is intended to create a global provider
of innovative, decentralized water and wastewater
treatment solutions for both municipal and
industrial applications. On a pro-forma basis, the
combined company has been growing at an annual
compounded rate of revenue growth in excess of
20% for several years and anticipates revenues of
over US$90M (A$120M) in CY2017, 71% of which
is committed as of April 30 2017. The combined
company also anticipates increasing gross margin
Combined company to be renamed Fluence Corporation Limited and provide a
comprehensive suite of decentralized water solutions for a rapidly growing global market

and recurring revenue by adding Emefcy’s
disruptive technological innovations to RWL
Water’s standardized solution suite.
Mr Ronald S. Lauder, Chairman, Founder and
sole owner of RWL Water, stated:
“We set out in 2010 to create one of the leading
water and wastewater treatment companies
in the world. Seven years later, I am incredibly
proud to have achieved more than we could
have imagined. By creating Fluence, we are now
taking RWL Water and Emefcy to the next level
through the unique combination of breakthrough
innovations and rapid deployment of
standardized solutions by proven teams. I look
forward to remaining a significant shareholder of
Fluence and seeing the fulfillment of the legacy I
set out to create in the water space by originally
establishing RWL Water.”
Both companies believe that the proposed
merger by acquisition will enable Fluence to
quickly capitalize on several key opportunities,
including:
• Fluence’s broad set of water and wastewater
solutions would be focused on the rapidly
growing market for decentralized treatment,
projected to grow from $13billion (A$17 billion)
in 2016 to $22 billion (A$29 billion) in 2021
• The companies believe that Fluence can
become a key player in this market, which
today is served mainly by regional providers
that cannot offer full, turn-key solutions
• Fluence would combine Emefcy’s disruptive
pipeline of innovation with RWL Water’s
proven global and rapid deployment of
standardized solutions. It is anticipated
that the combined company would accelerate
penetration of the massive China rural
wastewater treatment market, projected to be
worth US$15 billion (A$20 billion) over the
next five years
• Fluence would be positioned to capture
numerous opportunities in other key markets
such as water stressed regions (particularly
the United States, the Middle East and Latin
America), and segments including commercial
and industrial sites and tropical island resorts
• It is expected that Fluence would create
substantial sales synergies between Emefcy
and RWL Water products and systems
• It is anticipated that Fluence’s strong market
19Water Leaders • July 2017

position will result in even faster revenue
growth, improving gross margins and growing
recurring revenue streams.
After Completion of the merger (by acquisition)
and private placement, the Company expects
to have sufficient working capital to carry
out its objectives. In particular, the raising
of US$ 20,000,000 through a placement to
RWL Water’s current sole member (which is
subject to shareholder approval), combined
with the anticipated combined cash balances
at Completion are anticipated to be sufficient
to fund the combination of the two groups and
execute the Merged Group strategy.
The Company will continue to evaluate growth
opportunities as they arise together with available
funding sources, particularly off-balance sheet
funding for recurring revenue projects, and
funding offered by value added sources.
Henry Charrabé, President and Chief Executive
Officer of RWL Water and proposed Managing
Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fluence,
stated: “Fluence will merge two experienced
professional teams in the global water and
wastewater treatment space. These teams know
how to deploy solutions quickly, reliably and
globally to solve any water problem in any market
segment worldwide. I believe Fluence will be the
first company that can focus globally on meeting
the world’s increasing need for decentralized
water and wastewater treatment with highly
engineered and quick to deploy packaged
systems. With over 7,000 references in more than
70 countries, we believe we have the track record
and platform to deliver disruptive technological
innovations and systems to meet our ambitious
goals.”
Upon completion of the merger, Fluence will
offer a diverse suite of water and wastewater
solutions. Fluence will be an innovative business,
with its highly-differentiated Membrane Aerated
Biofilm Reactor (“MABR”) that saves 90% of
the energy used in wastewater treatment and
thereby reduces plant OPEX by 50%. In addition
to this established technology, Fluence will
implement a well-defined roadmap of more
disruptive technological innovations changing
the economics of water treatment. Fluence will
feature a strong management team and Board of
Directors with decades of experience in the water
industry and capital markets and the proven
ability to scale young companies into global
leaders.
Richard Irving, Emefcy Executive Chairman and
proposed Executive Chairman of Fluence, said:
“I believe that the combination of our MABR
technology and pipeline of upcoming
innovations, together with RWL Water’s strong
global execution platform, has the potential to
significantly increase our share of the US$13
billion market for decentralized solutions, and
allow us to become a leading supplier to China’s
current US$15 billion deployment of rural
wastewater treatment solutions.”
Both the merger (by acquisition) and the private
placement are subject to a number of conditions,
including regulatory approvals and Emefcy
shareholder approval. Closing of the merger
of Emefcy and RWL Water and the creation of
Fluence Corporation Limited is expected to occur
in July 2017. UBS is acting as financial advisor
to Emefcy and Hall & Wilcox is serving as legal
counsel. Mr Ronald S. Lauder and RWL Water
are being advised by Spencer D. Smith, RWL
Water’s General Counsel, Debevoise & Plimpton
LLP and Clifford Chance.

25 Time Management Hacks That Every
Engineer Should Follow
You don’t have to burn your midnight candles
if you just know how to manage your time.
Perhaps it has become a norm for engineers and
engineering students to juggle all tasks together
in meeting deadlines and preparing for exams.
By trial and error, it can all be figured out; almost
always it entails working late nights with the work
and projects rushed. If only they know what true
time management is, this will not be the case.
Etienne Garbugli, a product design and
marketing consultant based in Montreal, outlined
time management hacks that engineers and
engineering students can make use of:
• There is always time. It’s all about priorities.
• Only plan for 4-5 hours of real work per day. The
days always fill up with other stuff.
• Work more when you’re in the zone.
Relax when you’re not.
• Respect your time and make it respected.
• Multi-tasking is a bad idea is it only kills
your focus.
• Make a work routine that you can commit to.
Your body will adapt.
• Think that you only have limited time since that
gives us more focus and productivity.
• Start with short tasks.
• Work iteratively. Expectations to do things
perfectly are stifling.
• More work hours doesn’t mean more
productivity. Use constraints as opportunities.
• Separate brainless and strategic tasks to
become more productive.
• Organize meetings as early as possible.
• Group meetings and communication to create
blocks of uninterrupted work.
• Run tasks throughout the day that are in the
same context. Switching between projects and
clients is often unproductive.
• Work around procrastination. You can
procrastinate between intense sprints of work.
• When things are unreasonable, break them
down into reasonable pieces for the goal to be
achieved.
• Prioritize. Always! There are no two tasks with
the same importance.
• Always know that one thing that needs to be
done for the day.
• Break tasks into hour increments.
• Delegate if possible. Make use of other people.
• What’s done is done yesterday. Stop thinking
about it and focus on today and tomorrow.
• Set deadlines for everything. Tasks with no
definite deadline will always take longer.
• Always take notes.
• Writing down anything that distracts you will
stop them from popping up once you are in the
zone.
• Take a break sometimes.

With its ingenious, innovative toilet technology,
Duravit offers everything that today’s consumers
want from a toilet: easy to clean, hygienic and
fitted with a shower function for the utmost
comfort.
To meet growing demands, in recent years, the
toilet has been continuously honed in terms
of flushing technology, design, sustainability,
comfort and hygiene. Today, only 4.5 instead of
9 liters of water are required for flushing. Special
new ceramic finishes are also environmentally
friendly. They are easy to clean and this helps
to reduce the use of both water and cleaning
agents. Antibacterial glazes, which effectively kill
bacteria, meet consumers’ demands for greater
hygiene. The addition of a shower-toilet seat
offers even greater comfort: the warm water
cleanses gently and thus meets the need for
hygiene and cleanliness.
Open rim and efficient flushing technology
With its Rimless® technology, thanks to the
successful interaction of geometry, optimized
flow and design, Duravit has created an example
of pure efficiency. The open design of the toilet
rim enables an innovative and efficient flush. A
dynamic and powerful flow of water describes
a horizontal arc, before the water runs down,
flushing the entire inner surface of the bowl. Of
course, the applicable standards with regard to
possible splashing are also observed and, in part,
even exceeded.
Small flushing volume, easy to keep clean
Hygienic flushing results are achieved even with
small water volumes of just 4.5 liters. Thanks to
the open, easily accessible rim area, the bowl
is also particularly easy to keep clean, and this
reduces cleaning times considerably. The tried-
and-tested WonderGliss coating makes the toilet
even easier to keep clean. The optional coating
that is baked into the ceramics, doesn’t give dirt
and limescale a chance: deposits cannot adhere
and are therefore flushed away more easily with
the water.
Hygienically clean
The alternative use of HygieneGlaze 2.0 further
improves the hygienic properties of the toilet.
The new development is not a surface coating
but an antibacterial ceramic glaze that provides
almost indefinite effectiveness. The optimized
combination of four different metal ions and other
components forms the basis for the effectiveness
of HygieneGlaze 2.0, which kills bacteria and
Toilets To Meet The Highest Requirements

germs. HygieneGlaze is integrated into the
ceramic glaze during firing. Fired into the
inside of the toilet as far as the rim, it kills the
unwanted bacteria that are often concealed in
toilets and urinals: after six hours, it eliminates
up to 90 percent and, after 24 hours, 99.999
percent – an unprecedented level. HygieneGlaze
2.0 is available for all toilets and urinals in the
P3 Comforts, ME by Starck and Vero Air ranges.
Greater comfort with the SensoWash®
shower-toilet
The symbiosis of toilet and bidet is becoming
increasingly popular all over the world.
Because nothing is as thorough, as hygienic,
as natural and as refreshing as cleansing with
water. Duravit has looked into this in depth.
The result: shower-toilets, which are perfectly
matched to the respective design series. The
technology has been ingeniously concealed to
create a perfect look. Thanks to their balanced
proportions, the extremely flat SensoWash®
shower-toilet seats are difficult to distinguish
from a classical toilet. They thus meet the
customer’s needs for elegant aesthetics but also
offer every comfort of modern toilet hygiene and
thereby greater quality of life.
All of the SensoWash® functions are operated
by remote control. After using the toilet,
simply select the desired function – Rearwash,
Comfortwash or Ladywash – and enjoy the
pleasant and gentle cleansing with warm water.
Water temperature, water volume and nozzle
position are individually adjustable. There is
also a convenient night-light function, with an
LED that illuminates the inner basin providing
orientation in the dark. The motor-operated
toilet lid and toilet seat open and close by
remote control. Thanks to the soft closing
mechanism, they can also be closed gently by
hand. The shower-toilet unit, which is made of
an especially rugged material, is very hygienic
thanks to its scratch-resistant, pore-free
surface. For the first time the seat and shower-
toilet technology are completely separate:
The entire SensoWash® shower-toilet module
can be removed and replaced with a single
movement. This makes it quick and easy to
clean. In addition, the sturdy attachment to the
ceramic prevents the seat from shifting.
A streamlined and more economical shower-
toilet variant, the SensoWash® Slim model
makes hygienic comfort available to a broader
public. It is available in different design versions
and is thus compatible with the eight Duravit
series Vero Air, P3 Comforts, ME by Starck,
DuraStyle, Happy D.2, Darling New, Starck 2
and Starck 3.
Those wanting even greater comfort should
select the top-of-the-range SensoWash® e by
Starck model. This intelligent variant also offers
a pulsating jet and can store two different user
profiles to meet individual preferences. A safety
device to protect the drinking water supply is
also integrated. This toilet seat has additional
functions that help save resources: a flow
heater warms the water as and when required,
and only in the necessary quantity. In energy-
saving mode, the integrated seat heating can
be deactivated for eight hours during the night.
SensoWash® e by Starck is available to match
the five series DuraStyle, Happy D.2, Darling
New, Starck 2 and Starck 3.
By combining the innovative SensoWash®
shower-toilet seat with the efficient Duravit
Rimless® flushing technology, Duravit
has created a toilet that meets the highest
requirements.

This Unpopular Productivity Tip Might
What do you think?
Much has been said about creating lists,
scheduling, or making a plan to get everything
done within a work day. It’s about preparing
yourself on what to do and when to do it, you
know, for organization. Engineers are traditionally
taught this since each accomplished task has an
effect with the others.
If you are after finishing tasks as soon as possible,
Josh Zerkel begs to disagree with that style. He
is the director of global community and training
at Evernote, as well as a certified professional
organizer. That latter part of himself should give
him the credibility of what he is talking about.
Rather than the popular “I will make my to-do list
in the first hour of work and get all of them done
within the day” mindset, Zerkel prefers the “I will
do this now” rule, whatever that task or job is.
He suggests that you do not need to think about
doing things later when you can do it now.
“If you can do something right now in the moment,
without having to close it and then reopen it again
later, get it done now,” he said.
It is related to the “two-minute rule” of the best-
selling author David Allen. That rule can be
summarized as: if a task will take two minutes or
less to complete, you do it now.
Zerkel argued that the “do it now” rule should
apply regardless if the job is doable in two minutes
or five. Waste no time by completing tasks head
on, he believes.
He mentioned two primary reasons this rule
works: preventing procrastination and building a
sense of productivity and momentum.
“I’m not a big fan of look at your stuff, review it,
methodically plan it,” Zerkel said, referring to the
first reason. “If something is short, just take care of
it.”
One more thing, doing a task at the moment it is
remembered works because it “can lead you into
getting to the bigger things that might be more
challenging.” Zerkel mentioned that thinking you
are getting a job done should push the engineer a
little bit more in future tasks.
He spoke about this in the general context of an
employee. But because engineers are taught to
plan things out first before tasks are completed so
this might or might not be an effective productivity
tip for us.

Utilities throughout the Asia Pacific region are
steadily investing in advanced stormwater
management strategies to improve water resource
resilience and overall sustainability.
The changing dynamics of weather patterns,
urbanization, population and the economic/
social environments are prompting the region’s
utilities to enhance investments in advanced
stormwater management strategies. This urgency
is underlined by increased urban development in
Asia that is putting pressure on available land, and
by rising seawater levels and increased frequency
of intense rainfall events.
Utilities in the region are analyzing climate
change impacts on existing resources, key
risks and opportunities, and the steps they can
take to ensure water portfolio resilience while
mitigating risks. Through such proactive efforts,
they understand that diverse infrastructure
and management strategies are necessary to
holistically manage wet weather events, land use
and the changing economic/social environments.
For example, findings from a 2016 Black & Veatch
survey of stormwater utilities in the United States
show that regulatory compliance, flood control,
safety, and community expectations are the key
drivers of stormwater infrastructure investments
(Figure 1).
Adequate and dedicated stormwater funding
is critical to comprehensively address the
operational and capital needs of stormwater
management. In the absence of distinct
stormwater service tariffs in the Asia Pacific
region, funding and prioritizing stormwater
infrastructure and management strategies
remain challenging. However, advances in
asset management as well as the emergence of
stormwater fees are facilitating change.
Figure1
Source: Black & Veatch
Asia Pacific is exploring advanced
underground solutions
Rather than digging deeper drains, interception
and temporary storage facilities can function as
the stormwater system’s release valve. Solutions
being built today are integrating more responsive
storage schemes.
Drainage Services Department (DSD) of
the Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region’s award-winning Happy
Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme
(HVUSSS) project reflects how cities facing
greater impermeable areas and more land
reclamation are rethinking the way they plan and
manage intense rainfall in crowded urban spaces.
The objective of the HVUSSS, which won the
2012 International Water Association’s (IWA)
Project Innovation Awards in the Planning
Category, is to provide off-line flood retention in
the Happy Valley catchment during a 1-in-50 year
rainfall event.
Sustainable Water Supply
Turning Asia’s flood challenges into opportunities
By James Currie, Prabha Kumar and Andy Kwok, Black & Veatch
Please rank on a scale of 1 to 5, how the following
issues drive infrastructure investment planning and
decision within your stormwaterautility.
Regulatory
Compliance 4.3
Community
Expectations 4.1
Grants and
Incentives 4.0
Critical Emergency
resilience 3.5
Safety and
reliability 3.2
Waterways/
habitat restoration 3.2
Flood Control 4.0

Major components include an inlet structure,
twin cells diversion box culvert with overflow
side weir system, an underground storage tank
of 60,000m3 and a pump house with a pumping
rate of 5,400m3/hr.
A movable crest weir system, Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) realtime
monitoring of water and tidal levels and
intelligent data feedback are critical components
ensuring that the volume of water within the
storage tank is monitored and adjusted to
prevent either premature or late overspill of
stormwater.
The adoption of this movable overflow weir
system ensures the storage tank is filled at the
most optimal time, avoiding premature or late
overspill. As a result, the design capacity of the
storage tank can be reduced by as much as 30
percent. The environmentally-friendly design also
minimized the amount of excavation and the
volume of materials required for construction.
This shortened the total construction time and
reduced costs considerably.
The HK$1 billion (US$128 million) project
was implemented through two contracts. The
advanced contract commenced construction
in October 2011, whereas the main contract
composing the major components as mentioned
above commenced in September 2012. The
latter was carried out in two phases with the first
phase completed in March 2015.
Following the completion of the second phase
in March 2017, the scheme has since been
fully commissioned. New technologies used
at HVUSSS are now being considered for the
optimization of the existing Tai Hang Tung
Stormwater Storage Scheme (THTSSS), Hong
Kong’s first large-scale underground storage
scheme, which has helped alleviate flooding for
the central Kowloon area.
Proactive stormwater management
Singapore’s national water agency Public
Utilities Board (PUB) is evaluating the feasibility
of an integrated Underground Drainage and
Reservoir System (UDRS). The study looks into
the possibilities of constructing an underground
stormwater conveyance and storage system to
mitigate the impact of climate change and flood
risks.
With highly urbanized tropical cities often
facing the challenge of having too much or too
little water, the study is looking into leveraging
existing technologies in new ways to meet
multiple requirements – flood mitigation, storing
water for other possible uses and generating
power. The objective is to build tunnels to
convey excess stormwater into underground
reservoir caverns for storage. Water stored
underground could then be circulated within the
system to generate power. The study is ongoing
and is scheduled for completion in 2018.
PUB has adopted a holistic stormwater
management approach since 2012 to
introduce flexibility and adaptability to the
nation’s drainage system. It went beyond
implementing pathway solutions (e.g., drain
capacity improvements, new diversion canals
and centralized detention tanks) to work with
developers to install source solutions (e.g.,
decentralized detention tanks and retention
ponds) and receptor solutions (e.g., flood
barriers, minimum platform and reclamation
levels) in order to better manage stormwater
runoff and protect developments from floods.
Mitigating increased risks from aging water
infrastructure
Recognizing that proper maintenance would
be necessary as embankments could collapse
and cause more severe flooding downstream,
Melbourne, Australia, has started investing in
retarding basin upgrades.
Utility provider Melbourne Water, which
maintains these retarding basins, views them as
essential features of the city’s drainage system
that help to reduce flooding. They are designed

to catch heavy rainfall and hold it in the basin,
a reserved low lying area of land. The basins
are critical in built-up areas because pavement,
driveways and other hard surfaces restrict
infiltration and create more stormwater runoff.
Enhancing the value of drainage assets
Regional governments are optimising their
physical infrastructure to enhance cost benefits
while achieving multi-benefit outcomes.
In Melbourne, retarding basins not only help
manage stormwater but also serve the community
as recreational areas.
Singapore launched the Active, Beautiful, Clean
Waters Programme (ABC Waters) in 2006 to
enhance its water infrastructure. The aim of the
program is to integrate its pervasive network of
waterways and waterbodies with the surrounding
environment to enhance the recreational aspects
of streams, rivers and lakes for the community to
enjoy so that they, in turn, help keep the waters
clean.
For the HVUSSS project in Hong Kong, DSD plans
to include the reprovisioning of sports pitches
with a state-of-the-art turfing surface as well as
developing other community amenities aimed to
enhance quality of living.
Optimizing stormwater reuse
In the HVUSSS project, the storage system
facilitates collection of a considerable amount of
runoff, irrigation water and groundwater via the
sub-soil drainage system. This water is reused,
aligning with the overall water management
strategy of Hong Kong.
Distinct stormwater service tariffs in the Asia
Pacific region would help to fund and prioritize
stormwater infrastructure and management
strategies. Key factors that would facilitate the
success of integrated stormwater management
strategies include the following:
Public Awareness: Stormwater services are
as critical as water and sewer utility services
in ensuring public health, safety and quality
of life. Therefore, for sustainable and resilient
stormwater management, it is critical to enhance
public awareness of (i) the value of stormwater
management, (ii) the need for dedicated funding
and (iii) effective approaches to equitable cost
recovery.
Sustainable Stormwater Funding: A user-fee
funded stormwater program has a greater
potential to build fiscal and operational
resilience through revenue stability, a dedicated
funding stream and a stronger nexus between
stormwater management costs and user fees.
Equity of Cost Recovery: Stormwater user fees
are typically based on the impervious area, which
directly correlates to the demand a property
places on the stormwater system. However,
taxes are often based on aspects such as a
property’s value or the level of sales, which
have no direct correlation to the stormwater
contributed to the system. According to Black
& Veatch’s 2016 Stormwater Utility Survey, a
more equitable cost recovery can be achieved
when utilities strive to recover their full cost of
stormwater service through stormwater user fees
rather than recover costs through a combination
of “user fees,” and other “non-user fees” such
as taxes. When the fee reflects the full cost of
a service, customers can better understand
the true costs a utility incurs in providing that
service.
On-Site Stormwater Management: Establishing
a stormwater credits and incentives program in
conjunction with a dedicated stormwater user
fee will give utilities the ability to encourage and
incentivise decentralised private stormwater
management practices that reduce the
stormwater contribution to the public system.
The Next Frontier: Valuing Stormwater as a Service

Possible strategies for stormwater management
in Asia Pacific include:
1. Expansion and improvement on existing
drainage systems (pipe and/or river system) to
increase the flow capacity and facilitate more
effective collection of surface runoff.
2. Interception and diversion of storm flows from
upland catchments (e.g., tunneling works) for
direct discharge into the sea, thus avoiding the
storm flows from overloading the downstream
drainage system.
3. Creation of stormwater storage facilities to
temporarily retain storm flows from upland
catchments to attenuate the peak runoff loading
on the downstream drainage system.
4. Stormwater pumping schemes to pump storm
flows from floodprone areas directly to the sea.
5. Village flood protection schemes comprising
a protective bund to stop storm flows from
entering into low-lying villages and stormwater
pumping stations to pump away storm flow
collected within the villages.
6. Creating stormwater tariffs that reflect the
true costs utilities incur in providing stormwater
services.
Six Stormwater Management Strategies to Keep Asia Dry
In Australia, utility provider South East Water
is collaborating with a property developer to
create Aquarevo, a residential development in
Melbourne where homes will feature a range
of water-saving features. Aquarevo homes will
be supplied with three types of water: drinking,
recycled and rainwater. According to South East
Water, each water type has been specifically
chosen to reduce reliance on drinking water. The
homes will include a high-tech rain-to-hot water
system for bathing and showering that includes
screening, filtering, treatment and temperature
sensing devices. The system connects to a
pressure sewer system that pumps wastewater
to a local water recycling plant, treats the water
to the appropriate standard and sends it back
to each home for use in the garden, toilet or
washing machine.
In China, the State Council issued a guideline in
October 2015 on building “sponge cities,” which
would enable buildings, streets and wetlands in
cities to absorb, store and release rainwater to
better serve the country’s urban development.
Under this guideline, cities in China will collect
and use 70 percent of rainwater, with 20 percent
of urban areas meeting the target by 2020. The
proportion will increase to 80 percent by 2030.
“The aim of constructing such cities is to flexibly
control the rainwater, address waterlogging in
cities, thus achieving a city development mode
during which the rainwater can be naturally
stored, permeated and purified,” a State Council
water leader explained.
Moving forward
The trends in the Asia Pacific region clearly
point to a stormwater management opportunity
leveraging integrated water resources as a key
driver for institutional reform. These efforts serve
to manage water resources in a cooperative
manner that encourages sustainability. By better
coordination of land and water use, surface water
and groundwater, water quantity and quality,
upstream and downstream use, and freshwater
and coastal waters, water leaders in this region
can acknowledge the interconnections between
each factor in planning for use of alternative
sources of water.
This article was first published in the 2017 Black
& Veatch Strategic Directions: Water Industry
Report. Download the report here.

James Currie is a Project Director of Black & Veatch
in Australia. He has over 30 years of experience in
planning, studies, design, construction, supervision
and project management of diverse multi-
disciplinary water resources, water supply, water
treatment, wastewater management, environmental
and infrastructure projects in Australia, Singapore,
South-East Asia and the U.K.
Prabha Kumar is a Director for Black & Veatch
management consulting. She leads the water,
wastewater, and stormwater utilities offering within
the Advisory & Planning group. Kumar specializes
in stormwater utility feasibility studies, utility
development, and implementation and helping
utilities with both internal stakeholder education
and engagement and external public education and
outreach.
Andy Kwok is Director of Black & Veatch Hong
Kong. He has 23 years of experience in civil
engineering including planning, feasibility studies,
design and contract administration of infrastructure
projects for government and private sectors. His
expertise encompasses hydrology, hydraulics and
drainage works design. Kwok is also an accredited
New Engineering Contract (NEC) Engineering and
Construction Contract Project Manager.

The company gathered with business partners
and friends on May 17 at The Ritz Carlton Hotel
Istanbul. As Serkan Sungun, General Manager of
Caleffi Turkey, stated, the company considered
this event as a proper introduction of the Caleffi
Group to the leaders and the opinion holders of
the Turkish HVAC sector.
Addressing more than 100 distinguished
project designers, mechanical engineers and
business partners, Caleffi called attention to the
importance of warm relationships, transparency
and values in the business world.
Obviously, the HVAC sector also requires the
technical ability as well and Caleffi considered
this event as an opportunity to explain the
company’s overall technical capacity and the
high class manufacturing means of the premium
quality goods the company produces.
Participants also had the chance to see some
of the products themselves with big size
scaled demos and inspected the performance
of some of the products by the help of living
system panels which was present and working
throughout the event.
Some of the innovative and interesting products
such as DYNAMICAL®, DIRTMAG®, PICV and
Fan Coil Hook Up Kits were also presented at the
foyer of the event.
Caleffi Meets Turkey
Caleffi Hydronic Solutions, who will celebrate the first anniversary
of the Caleffi Turkey branch in July, organized a Launch Event in İstanbul.

In the meeting opening, Caleffi Turkey General
Manager Serkan Sungun introduced the Turkish
team, described the vision of the new branch and
revealed some of the planned key actions regarding
the local branch.
Sungun explained the means of the technical support
the local engineering team provides while stating that
this is not the only factor behind the high confidence
of Caleffi Turkey and that headquarters Caleffi SpA
is showing committed and tremendous effort in all
areas to support the young branch.
Before leaving the floor to the CEO of Caleffi SpA,
Giovanni Monti, Sungun mentioned that Caleffi
Turkey also recognizes the crucial “human factor” in
business life and announced that they have every tool
and resource to create a successful business setup
which preserves the warmth of a family just as Caleffi
SpA does in the rest of the World.
As the CEO of Caleffi SpA, Giovanni Monti began his
presentation giving historical data concerning the
establishment phase and described the successful
evolution of Caleffi SpA, first in Italy then worldwide.
Later Monti listed the reasons behind the decision
of entering the Turkish market and gave information
about the process.
Caleffi SpA Market Analysis and Research Manager
Domenico Mazzetti took floor and talked about the
technical trends in HVAC industry - both global and
local - and explicated where Caleffi stands regarding
these topics, furthermore explaining how the
company sees this industry requirements. Mazzetti
also presented gripping facts and figures about the
brand technical abilities and potential in this sense.
Following a short coffee break, journalist/writer, tv
programmer and new generation life expert Serdar
Kuzuloğlu gave a very interesting speech, presenting
mind-blowing data to demonstrate the change our
world in general is going through. Kuzuloglu also
talked about eye opening non-sector developments
– mostly about trends in technology and innovation
– giving the audience a surprising new perspective,
remarkable insights and wonderful time.

Falling Into Place: 7 Traits to
Transform You from Regular
Skip the bitter part of adamant failures and get
back on track from this set of traits to become a
legitimate master engineer!
If you don’t want to start out your career
as an ultra noob and wait for yet another
five years to learn the ropes of becoming
the ideal engineer your boss wanted to
see in you for promotion, well this might
be your best shot to earn a resounding
reputation.
Being the “good” engineer can get you
the job but to stay in the run for career
improvement is a tough work in this
arduous battlefield called engineering.
There are no longer rooms for regulars.
What it means to standout is high
competency and a master strategy.
So skip the bitter part of adamant failures
and get back on track from this set of
traits to become a legitimate master
engineer.
Has a Great Desire for Continuous
Learning. Improving yourself in the
engineering profession starts by admitting
that you don’t know everything and that
there still is a plenty of room for growth
and improvement. A great engineer can
only stay on top of the workforce if he

is geared to learn new skills and is rapidly
adaptive to the latest trends in research and
technology.
Possesses the Attitude of a Leader. Not
because you are the best in the team, you
should work things on your own. A master
engineer knows how to make well use of his
resources by complementing each of the
available tools to form a great masterpiece.
The same goes for the team, a leader is
someone who sets the pace for his co-
workers and believes that working together
can mean success in every project.
Has a Keen Sense to Detail. What
differentiates a master engineer from a regular
one is his ability to pay attention to every
possible error. While optimism is a check
for success, there is no harm in being extra
careful. Engineers play a hard job in ensuring
that every projects deliver according to the
desired specification. It is only just to make
sure that it is fail-safe and works perfectly.
Demonstrates Unparalleled Analytical
Aptitude. Not only that great engineers are
natural inquisitors but they are also very
passionate in improving the way things
work. They do not stop for better but has a
long standing goal to beat what’s already
considered best. Thus, also equates to
unending process of examination and
meticulous research.
Is an Excellent Communicator. Superior
assets of the company are not found
underground covered in dust. An excellent
engineer also needs to speak-up. They
can sell the idea and translate complex
methodologies for the all the clients to
understand.
Remains Constantly Creative. Playing the role
of the alpha means breaking the old rules
and crafting a better one. Being flexible to
change can mean progress when developing
innovative approach in achieving the
company’s goals. It isn’t wrong to conform to
the norms but to try something new if it means
betterment can be of great help.
Has Excellent Problem Solving Skills. From
pinpointing the root cause to eventually
finding the most effective way to solve the
problem is a must have skill of a master
engineer. Having an eye to immediately figure
where the glitch possibly started can prevent
further loss for the company. Also, the ability
to forecast what won’t work from a handful set
of proposed solutions can save not just time
but valuable resources.

Most people say that experience is the best
teacher. But who says that it has to be personal
experiences for the lessons to be learned?
I have written below a summary of my
life lessons which are supported by my
personal stories. This is tailored to help future
generations by learning from my experiences.
Be A Model Parent and Be
Grateful to Your Mother & Father
I am now in my seventies and very grateful to
my parents and very happy with my family,
friends, neighbors, and partners. Thanks to
my creator, Allah, I was born with parents who
were social leaders in Medina last century.
All my grandfathers and mothers came from
Bosnia more than 100 years ago. The first
was my grandfather who came to Medina
alone when he was 14 years old in order to
study. Apparently, he had challenging dreams
and worked hard to realize them. When his
father died, the son sold his inheritance and
brought with him products not available in
Medina in the 19th century. He built more
than 7 connected houses and a school to
accommodate students like him who came to
study in Medina.
My father was born in Medina like me. He was
only one year old when he left with his parents
in the last train to Damascus during WW1.
The family returned to Medina after the war
and my father improved the investment his
father started. He used the school building to
accommodate the first high school in Saudi
Arabia, which he co-founded in 1936 including
all levels after elementary school.
I learned from my father how to use available
resources to provide innovative solutions. He
used kerosene to power a house refrigerator
since house electricity was not available in
Medina at the time. When electricity became
available he used air fans and water to cool the
air entering our house during summer.
I also learned from him how to teach yourself
whatever you want to learn. He used record
tapes to teach himself English at home. In
the early 1960s, the family drove by car from
Medina to Stockholm visiting more than 20
European countries during summer vacations.
Our English was very limited and there was no
GPS system to help us select the right road
to our destinations. This was an adventure
trip that taught me many lessons. For this,
I encourage all young generations to take
adventure trips they enjoy in order to learn and
discover their potential.
Other than my father, I also learned a lot from
my mother including how to teach yourself at
home reading and writing since there were no
woman schools in Medina until the 1950s. I
also learned from my parents how to treat all
people with respect and fairness, how to help
those in need, and how to live a modest life
even if you are rich.
I am very happy that my only son Tarik and my
only daughter Basma are both model parents
to their children. They are also a model son and
daughter for me and for their mother.
I encourage all parents to spend more time
and interact positively with their young children
because early childhood years are the best time
to plant love for others, wisdom, and social
Dr. Adil Bushnak
Chairman & CEO Bushnak Group
Life Lessons for Future Leaders

cooperation. I urge all parents to accompany their
children who are above 10 years when they are
visiting social leaders in order to teach them how
to learn from other leaders by listening to them.
Set Your First Life Targets While
You Are in High School and Seek
Knowledge & Wisdom in Best
Universities
I learned that hard choices make you happier
in the future. I was born in Medina in 1947 and
was raised in a community with visitors from all
cultures. I was keen to be the best student in my
school. I managed to be the second top student in
Saudi Arabia in middle school graduates and the
13th in high school graduates. That qualified me to
have a scholarship to study engineering in USA.
I was lucky to study English in San Francisco
State University and to be accepted in U.C.
Berkeley in few weeks after applying. I started my
undergraduate in civil engineering in January of
1966.
Berkley culture at the time was diverse and very
different from Medina culture. The free speech
movement at the time supported my independent
thinking and accepting different cultures.
I helped a graduate student from Pakistan to start
Muslim students’ association branch in Berkeley.
We organized regular Friday prayers held inside
the student union building on campus which
helped me to connect with many students from
different nationalities.

While being there, I was lucky to have good
Saudi friends and neighbors. Four of us lived
together in a big apartment that became the
center for weekly meeting and lectures. I was
keen to connect with other Saudi students
studying in San Francisco and the Bay Area
including Stanford. I helped to organize in the
summer of 1967 a social meeting that was
attended by about 50 Saudi students studying in
the Bay Area, some of which are members of the
Saudi Royal family.
The subject of my research topic to obtain my
master’s degree was how to turn agriculture
waste into a building material with good heat
insulation. I was not sure I wanted to continue
for Ph.D. so I returned home. I was lucky to get
married and find the right partner while I was
studying in Berkley.
I urge all future generations to get married if
possible while they are in college abroad in
order to share more experience, knowledge,
and friends.
Be A Model Teacher and
A Good Partner
After returning home in 1971, I decided to be
a teacher in King Saud University in Riyadh. I
wanted to specialize in water engineering but the
college of engineering needed a transportation
specialist. I was the first to teach airport
engineering in KSU. My students remember me
today because I was using Arabic more than
English in my lectures and I was trying to be a
mentor to encourage self-learning and discussion
not a lecturer.
After meeting Dr. Sami Angawi, the founder
of Hajj Research Center, I chose crowd
management as the topic for my Ph.D. thesis
because many pilgrims were dying from crowd
accidents.
I applied for Ph.D. in top technical universities in
the USA, and the first response I received, which
accepted the subject of my thesis, was from
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
When I arrived in Ann Arbor in the summer of
1972, I was treated in campus as a professor and
was assigned a private office. I was happy to find
more Saudi students with their families studying
in UM than in UC Berkley. I also met many more
from GCC countries some of whom I meet every
year to revive our friendship.
I spent several years collecting field data during
Hajj in order to prepare my thesis. I learned that
persistence is important to achieve your goals.
I encourage future leaders to select what they
want to achieve and to continue what they want
to do even if it is not easy to do. I also encourage
them to select their wife or husband during
college days before having children in order to
share different experiences and friends. It is
important for them to accept and respect their
differences in order to have a happy family.
After returning to teach in Riyadh in 1977,
KACST – King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and
Technology asked me to establish and lead a
national committee to reduce increasing traffic
accidents. This national committee is still alive to
my knowledge but I resigned from it after moving
to Jeddah in 1982.
Share Knowledge and Wisdom
& Cooperate to Spread Useful
Knowledge
Since my college days, I believe that innovative
solutions and best wisdom is a result of

communication & cooperation among those
who share common interests. When I was in UC
Berkeley in the difficult days of the 1967 war, I co-
organized a social gathering of all Saudi students
studying in San Francisco - Bay Area in order to
connect with and meet them.
When I became a known businessman in 1990s,
I helped HRH Prince Faisal Bin Saud to establish
Al-Aghar think tank to connect business and
government leaders to do together strategic
thinking and start knowledge based national
initiatives (WWW.al-
aghar.org).
I am also happy I was
active in establishing
IDA –
International
Desalination
Association in 1980s
(www.idadesal.org).
Later, I was nominated
to be its first Arab
president in 1978, and I
managed to
organize the first
international
desalination
conference in Arab
countries which was held in Kuwait in 1989.
IDA today has 17 local affiliates from different
countries sharing the interest in the same
technology. Its biannual conference continues to
be held around the globe connecting all people
who need desalination and water reuse.
After IDA, I was keen to start a similar organization
to represent water specialists in GCC countries.
I could not convince the Saudi water minister to
register the association in Riyadh. Water Science &
Technology Association- WSAT
(www.wstagcc.org) was registered in Bahrain in
late 1980s and I organized its first conference
which was held in Dubai in 1992.
I am proud I helped IDB - Islamic development
Bank to start ICBA - Int’l Center for Bio-saline
Agriculture (www.biosaline.org.ae). It started in
Dubai in the 1990s because the Dubai leader was
keen to host it in his city.
This year, I am happy that I convinced the
President of KAUST-King Abdullah University for
Science & Technology to start an annual
conference on innovations in water-food-energy
nexus which I hope will start next year in 2018,
targeting young innovators and entrepreneurs.
It is relevant to note that in 2005, when I was a
Board Member of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce
& Industry, I started SWPF - Saudi Water & Power
Forum. But now it moved to Riyadh and became
more commercial. I am proud I helped H.E. Dr.
Mahmoud Abu-Zeid to start the Arab Water
League in Cairo but its connection with all Arab
leaders remain limited because it is more difficult
to connect politicians (www.arabwatercouncil.org).
Strive to Localize Critical Knowledge
to Your Society
In a desert country like Saudi Arabia, water & food
are the most critical elements to the development
and security of the society. I was lucky that my
older brother selected water desalination as one

of the business areas he started to develop after
resigning from government.
I helped him start Al-Kawther Company (www.
alkawther.com.sa), for which King Khalid traveled
to Jeddah to open the factory in 1977.
It was the first Arab company that can design,
manufacture, build and operate sea water reverse
osmosis desalination plants.
DuPont refused to be our partner at the time, as
well as UOP, because the technology was new. I
opened Al-Kawther USA in San Diego in order to
learn the technology from technical people in the
America who refused to work in Jeddah at that
time. I resigned from KSU and moved to Jeddah
and then decided to be a businessman.
After signing with SWCC several contracts,
DuPont was willing to build a factory in
Jeddah in order to produce the DuPont
membrane. I resigned from Al-Kawther in 1982
in order to start water membrane manufacturing
company in partnership with Al-Jaffali Group and
DuPont. DuPont agreed to limit the sales of its
factory to USA market and export from Jeddah
factory to the entire world.
Unfortunately, with new management in DuPont
in mid-1980s the company decided to withdraw
from desalination business and my Saudi partner
convinced me not to continue without a technical
partner. For this, I started WESCO – Water and
Environment Services Company in order to
provide engineering services and support to
those who want to build desalination or water
reuse plants.
WESCO helped more clients in India than Saudi
Arabia. I formed a company in India in order to
build and operate a desalination plant but could
not get all required permits in the 1990s. I
managed to get the first Saudi permit to build a
private seawater desalination plant and agreed
with my two partners to name it Kindasa (www.
kindasa.com).
My challenge was to find a land close to seafront
and the Industrial zone south of Jeddah to pump
the product water. The lesson I learned that
persistence and good partners help you solve all
challenges.
I started many companies related to water, food
or new technologies between the 70s and 90s,
but most of them no longer exists because I lost
interest or the management of the company made
mistakes. The only active company I am in its
board now is Moya Bushnak (www.moyabushnak.
com) which develops, builds and operate in

seawater desalination and water reuse plants.
Producing food in desert climate using
non-conventional sources of water and
technology is another area of my continued
interest since the 90s. In cooperation with
Arizona University, I invested with many Saudi
partners to build the largest seawater irrigated
farm in the world (300 hectares) on the Gulf
coast close to Kuwait to produce Salicornia
seeds as well as vegetable oil source locally.
I became the second chairman of Behar
Company but the company stopped because
we could not increase the productivity of the
farm in a few years to compete with other
vegetable oil sources. I still believe Salicornia
can be the best food for many animals and
the waste water of fish farms can be the best
fertilizer for Salicornia.
Masader Co. is still active in building pozolan
cooling systems using saline or seawater
for greenhouses, as well as cooling closed
and open space. My partner has many other
innovative solutions using solar power and local
sources to produce water and food within urban
farms.
Another promising technology I continue to
support is how to condense the humid readily
available in the sky, any time. The concept is to
make it rain within a few kilometers in order to
produce drinking water, food, and energy at a
minimum and sustainable cost.
I urge future leaders to never to stop learning
and supporting future solutions. That makes me
happy because I can help more people in the
coming difficult future.
Building Bridges of Hope and
Cooperation
We are all required to help other people in needs
starting with family and relatives. After the
Bosnia war last century, IDB president asked
me to help the Bosnian people. My first trip after
the Bosnian war was organized by IDB in 1997. I
managed to convince more than 10 well known
Saudi businessmen to join the trip.

I am proud I helped IDB start Bosnia Bank
International – BBI (www.BBI.bh) and SEIC –
South East Europe Investment Co. (http://www.
seic.bh) as well as the SBF- Sarajevo Business
Forum (www.sbf.ba), which has become an
international forum that connects businessmen
with B&H business & government leaders from
Bosnia and other neighboring countries. I also
co-started other private companies but most of
them did not continue.
I am also happy I registered MNF-Mostove Nade
Foundation – to help those in need especially the
young generation.
I am also keen to start Bosnia Development
Exchange to facilitate crowd funding from
other Bushnak’s all parts of the world, since
most Bosniaks live in other countries outside
Bosnia. The project is based on the Pakistan
Development Exchange (http://www.pdx.com.
pk/) which I helped establish along with several
philanthropists from Pakistan and its principal
founder, Mr. Sami Ahmad. I hope BDX will be
another bridge to connect Bosnia with the world.
It is worth noting that I visited many countries
including India and Russia to connect with other
businessmen and social foundations (waqifs).
I am still active to revive old waqifs related to
education, water, and health.
Support Innovations in Education
Systems and Social Cooperation
In order to make the world’s future to be
better, happier, more safe, and sustainable, I
recommend that we develop better education
and social cooperation tools and environment to
seek and spread useful knowledge and wisdom
for children, parents, and teachers of all ages.
I have applied this principle since the 80s when
my friend, the founder of Dar Al-Fikr schools
(www.fikr.edu.sa), asked for my technical support
to start an international school that teaches both
Saudi and American curriculum, which uses
Arabic and English, and the best education tools
and environment at the time. My son Tarik has
studied all levels and graduated from DAF in the
late 1990s.
I helped other friends to start the first
private university for girls (www.dah.
edu.sa). It took a few years to convince
the Saudi government to allow college
education for girls. I am happy many
woman leaders, including Basma
Bushnak, have graduated from Dar Al-
Hikma in the last two decades. I also
helped another NGO – Al-Bayan Charity
Foundation to establish Prince Mugrin
University in Medina (www.bnc.edu.sa).
The biggest effort, time, and money I have been
spending since last year is in establishing a
sustainable education foundation to educate and
support future social leaders and entrepreneurs.
Taiba Knowledge Waqf (www.tkwaqf.org) has
many knowledge-based objectives which
includes the Dar Al-Qalam project, made to
revive the Arabic language. This was inaugurated
in Medina several years ago by the minister of
education and the governor of Medina. I hope
TQ Waqf will help as many schools to be good
models for future education systems to qualify
and motivate future leaders to save the world.

Dr. Adil Bushnak, Chairman & CEO
Dr. Bushnak is the Chairman of Bushnak Group,
which has several companies active in water,
environment and energy services headquartered
in Jeddah, KSA. Dr. Bushnak played a key role in
promoting water desalination technologies such as
Reverse Osmosis, Ultra Filtration and Membrane
Filtration for seawater desalination and water
reuse. He led private Saudi effort to commercialize
the use of direct seawater for irrigation to produce
food crops.
In the last few decades, Dr. Bushnak established
Wesco to develop private desalination plants and
help the owners of existing plants to upgrade
and improve the performance of their plants. He
also established Advanced Technical Equipment
Import Company (“ATEICO”) to supply and service
specialized industrial equipment. He established
Shada in partnership with Doosan Heavy
Industries as a Saudi-Korean joint venture with the
world’s largest supplier of desalination plants. In
partnership with Saudi Industrial Services Co., Dr.
Bushnak co-founded Kindasa Water Services, the
first privately-owned seawater desalination plant in
Jeddah Port. Dr. Bushnak also co-founded
Al-Alamiyah Water Works and Services (“AWWS”)
in partnership with Amiwater (part of Amiantit group
of companies). In India, Dr. Bushnak established
Bushnak-Pallava Water Services Private Ltd.
(“BPWSPL”) in partnership with Pallava Water &
Power Ltd. Most of these companies are no longer
in operation today.
Dr. Bushnak served as a Director to several public
shareholding companies including Jeddah Holding
Co., Medina Industrial Investment Co. and Saudi
Industrial Services Co. Dr. Bushnak has also served
as a member of the first Advisory Board of the
Supreme Economic Council, which was chaired
by King Abdullah. He has served as a Director of
the Military Industries General Corporation, the
Medina Government Council and the Medina Water
& Sewerage Authority both of which are chaired
by the Governor of Medina. He also cofounded
Medina center for Community Development in
order to help other NGO’s in Medina Region
Dr. Bushnak was actively involved in the
establishment of International Desalination
Association (“IDA”) in USA and was later
elected its first Arab President for the period
1987-1989. He also cofounded in Bahrain
Water Science & Technology Association
which is the only GCC based association
organizing water events in many countries.
Dr. Bushnak founded Jeddah Water & Power
Forum in 2004 when he was a director of
Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industries
board for 8 years
Dr. Bushnak earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering
from the University of Michigan and M.S. and
B.S. degrees from the University of California,
Berkeley.

Established in 1990 by Dr Adil Bushnak and subsequently acquired
by Moya in 2009, Moya Bushnak is a leading water desalination,
waste water treatment, water reuse engineering and consulting
services company focusing on delivering cradle to cradle water supply
solutions, including construction, project management, operation and
O&M services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Middle East
and North Africa (MENA) region.
Moya Bushnak is led by Dr Adil Bushnak, a leading authority in the
field of water treatment, who was the first Arabic president of the
International Desalination Association (IDA). Dr Bushnak was one
of the early pioneers that called for the use of reverse osmosis (RO)
technologies in the GCC more than forty years ago. He founded Al-
Kawther Industries in the late 1970s which was then GCC’s first RO
system manufacturer.
Moya Bushnak pioneered the use of BOO and BOT schemes for water
desalination projects in KSA, and has since developed many such
projects in KSA. The company’s flagship project and Saudi Arabia’s
first privately owned sea water reverse osmosis desalination project
(Kindasa) supplies desalinated water to the Industrial zones south of
Jeddah area.
Over the years, Moya Bushnak has worked in partnership with many
global water industry players in various roles on projects totaling daily
production over 481,000 million m3/day.

This is What You Should Do
No matter how engineers say they love their jobs, it will reach a point
where a day at work is all about stress, stress, stress.
Every engineering job starts with a perspective that
is forward looking. It doesn’t matter if it is your n job,
but whenever you start anew with work – different
environment, people, and routines – an engineer’s
passion and commitment towards the new work is
considerably high.
There comes a time when the engineering work
curve declines dramatically. Everything at the
job seems to no longer be fun or exciting so the
engineer doesn’t offer the same commitment when
he or she started.
That curve soon becomes a straight line – the work
is meh, and you are just there to do the work you
are assigned to do and without passion.
You are not allowed to mess it up; you are just there
because you need to be, dragging yourself to work.
This applies to many engineers. No matter how they
say they love their jobs, it will reach a point where a
day at work is all about stress, stress, stress.
They think the work is not what they signed up for
in the first place, but really it is just the same work
since day one. The time just passed by.
In this situation, engineers can be likened to
machines – susceptible to tear and wear.
When an engineer is no longer that sharp at work,
the best thing is to do is to take a break.
Engineering work routines are detrimental especially
when they’ve been going on for so long. Strip
yourself of work even in just one weekend, better if
it’s a long one, and do some unwinding to a point
that you already forgot you have files to attend to by
Monday.
Plan with friends a trip to the beach; run a movie
marathon with your family. Anything to get the work
off out of your mind. You will be surprised how it
will change your perspective coming in to work the
following week.
Another option, although it will take a lot of courage,
is to reach out to your boss and ask to be assigned
to a different but related engineering department.
That way you will somehow feel renewed; things will
get a lot more interesting.
There is no option to quit your job just because it is
boring. You were excited on day one – you just need
to get that excitement back. It’s all in the mind.
But really, you need to get that weekend off.

A Drink That Cures Hangovers
“I tried to import them,” he said through
Business Insider. But no company wanted
to make Lee a distributor since he has no
background in beverages or consumer goods
whatsoever, which made him an unideal candidate to
trust for business.
But Lee was persistent. He knew that the hangover
cure drink will become a hit in the United States, so
he thought of making the drink himself.
He has three years’ worth of nanotechnology/biotech
engineering in his background anyway so he should
have an idea. Lee majored in that field before he
shifted to computer science.
Lee only needed to do more research, and that was
when he found the work of Dr. Jing Liang. He is a
researcher from UCLA with papers about herbal
remedies for hangovers.
In Liang’s papers, Lee discovered that the singular
herbal compound that is behind the hangover cure
drinks is the dihydromyricetin or DHM, commonly
found in the Oriental raisin tree and rattan tea. It was
written that herbal trees from such trees have been
used to cure hangover in Asia for hundreds of years.
He also learned that hangovers are caused when we
drink more alcohol than our livers can handle, and a
type of toxic builds up.
And whenever there is too much of that acid, it
causes inflammation like a headache. Too much too
fast can cause vomiting, he said, and the DHM helps
the body removes this toxic acid.
While the Korean hangover drink served its purpose,
Lee believes that it lacks the purity, quantity and other
ingredients for it to really work. For this, he teamed up
with Dr. Lian and other engineer friends to create their
own formula.
To test the formula, it took him a two-week trip to
Asia, straight nights of getting himself drunk, and an
additional 15 pounds to his weight.
Eventually, he sought the help of other friends to try
the drink. It came to a point to reach out to strangers
to eliminate bias.
“We needed to give it to people who didn’t know us
at all. But we couldn’t get enough strangers to say,
‘Yeah I’ll get drunk and take this really weird sketchy
drink from you,” Lee said.
For this, he put up a Web page which tells about the
science behind drink and shared it on Facebook. It
got the attention of a VC in Toronto and decided to
place the drink on Product Hunt, which is a platform
to launch new products.
Needless to say that it got the attention it deserved.
“Overnight we became No. 2 on Product Hunt. We
weren’t even a startup. We were just people doing this
thing,” he said.
Lee converted the web page into a waitlist as the
number of interested testers grew as many as 30,000
people. This is apart from those who flooded Lee with
e-mails. But to interact with some of them, he started
a private Facebook group which got 800 respondents.
This kind of overwhelming response from his little
hobby got Lee to rethink his job at Tesla and focus on
his startup. And so he did make the jump and quit.
Business with Morning Recovery starts July 5.
The fun of a night out with friends lasts until you wake up the next morning with
a hangover. This is true for most of us, but not for some folks in South Korea –
because hangover cure drinks are popular there.
Now a former Facebook engineer who hails from that country is looking to
take this drink to the United States. He quit his recent job at Tesla to venture in
his own startup he calls the Morning Recovery, to offer his own version of the
hangover cure drink which is so far FDA-compliant.
Sisun Lee got the idea of this drink when he came home to South Korea. He
was 26 then. Lee spent some night with friends over drinks, one which is the
hangover cure, only to discover the following morning that he felt like he did not
drink the night before.
Upon going back to the United States, Lee told and shared about this drink to
his co-workers when he was still at Facebook. After he purchases Korean ones
online, everyone loved it. As expected.

Life Lessons for Future Engineering Leaders with Bushnak Group Chairman

Life Lessons for Future Engineering Leaders with Bushnak Group Chairman

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (12)

Semelhante a Life Lessons for Future Engineering Leaders with Bushnak Group Chairman

Semelhante a Life Lessons for Future Engineering Leaders with Bushnak Group Chairman (20)

Mais de GineersNow

Mais de GineersNow (15)

Último

Último (20)

Life Lessons for Future Engineering Leaders with Bushnak Group Chairman