Taylor Segovia, QA & Software Support at AquaPhoenix, discusses behind-the-scenes software support and gives his best Robin Williams impression.
Q: What is your role at APS?
I do software support and QA for the software division. My role at AquaPhoenix is to test the software before it goes out and after it goes out and then support it afterward.
Q: What has been your favorite project?
A favorite project of mine was transitioning from one hosting environment to another. At the time, it was really stressful and a lot of panic. But afterward, it was very rewarding. Seamless to the users; they saw nothing. But to us, it was a very big change. In the background, we’re moving mountains, but to them they see nothing. The magic behind the curtains.
Q: What has been your most memorable moment at APS?
My most memorable moment was the chili cook-off back in 2017. Our only chili cook-off and I took first place. I like to remind everybody around here that I’m still the reigning champ. I’ve got the plaque in my office so anytime anybody comes in and wants to talk food or anything like that, I usually just point to it and remind them.
Q: What advice would you give to a new hire?
Embrace the culture that we have here at AquaPhoenix. It’s very inviting, very warm. Everybody wants you to thrive. That’s how we get things done. If everybody is working hard and getting their part done, then as a team we’re doing great things.
Q: If you could learn something new, what would it be?
If I could learn to do anything new it would probably be to fly or to weld. Flying – of course owning your own airplane or getting to know somebody who has their own airplane. A little bit of a barrier there, but one day it would be awesome to learn how to fly a plane. The welders here have tremendous talent and some of the stuff I’ve seen them do on the side or even here on the job is pretty awesome.
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
Something that most people probably don’t know about me is I worked in the service industry for eight years. I picked up a lot of useful information there; people skills, getting to know people for better or for worse every day. Seeing so many new faces was pretty awesome.
Q: Any favorite line from a movie?
Favorite line from a movie, “Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger. Can I take your order?” and “Hellooooo!” from Mrs. Doubtfire.
Q: Which AquaPhoenix Core Value Stands out to you?
The core value that stands out to me is Create a Culture of Team and Family with Open and Honest Communications. So our team is definitely open and honest with each other. It creates an awesome environment where we can kick butt, get everything done that we need to get done, and our customers really appreciate it.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A favorite food that I don’t normally cook is a steaming bowl of pho. I love Vietnamese food.
Q: Do you have pets?
I have three pets. Me and my wife have three rescue dogs. They’ve all been to the office. I love that we can bring pets to the office here. So there’s Maxwell, Sophie, and Lady Bird. Maxwell is our mix of hound and shepherd. Sophie is a pit. And then we have Lady Bird who is a pug and lab mix. She looks like a little lab puppy but she’s full grown. She has a lot of energy.
HANOVER, Pennsylvania, June 18, 2021 – AquaPhoenix Scientific, Inc., is pleased to announce they have acquired Innovative Waters, LLC, a cellular modem company located in Madison, Wisconsin. (more…)
In the spring of 2020, AquaPhoenix (APS) announced the acquisition of General Treatment Products, Inc. (GTP) as a means to expand equipment offerings as well as reduce lead times and shipping costs. The Continuous Improvement team was eager to assess the facility in Brea, California, and start implementing Lean Manufacturing tools that have benefited other APS locations in Texas and Pennsylvania.
A global pandemic cannot stop innovation, all it can do is delay it for a while. By December, plans were finalized and in early March, the Brea facility had a new look; the result of months of planning, a cross-functional team built from members across our three locations cleaned and installed a new layout in just one week.
The goal of the project was twofold. 1.) Re-organize the facility with a focus on organization. This has allowed the team to hone in on tank assembly, order fulfillment, and finding new ways to WOW the customer. 2.) Enhance productivity and efficiency through a new building layout. An undertaking such as this takes a lot of teamwork and collaboration. The team would also have to develop a strategy to sustain the changes made all the while making and keeping the environment safe.
Before
At its core, this was a 6S project:
- Sort
- Set in Order
- Shine
- Standardize
- Sustain
- Safety
During the sort phase, the team was able to remove over 45 cubic yards of material from the building. This action freed up valuable space for racking, assembly, and shipping.
“In past projects I’ve seen a lot of resistance during this phase, but the team in California was incredible in identifying items that were no longer needed and taking action to dispose of them properly.” Jeremy Zepp, Inventory Manager
Once the sort phase was completed, the team moved on to the shine phase – this led to what is being called The Great Paint Job of 2021. Initially, the team had not budgeted the time to paint the inside of the buildings. Once cleared, it was evident that the walls needed to be touched up before the project could continue. The results were quick and stunning.
The Great Paint Job of 2021
“This was an ambitious project for our team but they stepped up to the plate to get it done in just a few days. It’s a great start to the year.” Henry Buschinski, Vice President of Operations
The Brea facility stocks hundreds of tanks of all different sizes. This allows for a quick turnaround of orders but also presented a challenge to the team as to how to best store tanks. Tanks can be big, bulky, and heavy. For those reasons, storage at or near ground level is the safest way to inventory them. Racks were designed so that the only tanks not on ground level were small and lightweight.
From there, the team was able to focus on standardization by adding visual management for home locations of tools, workbenches, ladders, and more. Production Supervisors James Chiado Jr. and Josh Simon were critical in this phase as they were able to guide the team on where things would be needed and how frequently they would be used.
In the end, after seven days of non-stop effort by the entire team, the results were dramatic.
- Racking capacity was increased by 260%
- 100% of inventory has been counted
- Work cells have been optimized
After
Please note that the work is not done. Our team is already brainstorming new work cell ideas, training courses, and areas in the building that could use a more focused project. Team members in Brea are already stepping up to get the job done. This is an exemplification of the GAS (Give A Sh*t) attitude we pride ourselves on at AquaPhoenix. We thank you for your continued support and strive to always be better.
Edgar Vidana, Electrical Fabricator at AquaPhoenix, discusses what it’s like out on the shop floor and his incredible journey to becoming a U.S. Citizen.
Q: What is your role at APS?
My name is Edgar Vidana. I’ve been here with AquaPhoenix, since September now, four years. As far as what I do, fabricating, from panels to any custom jobs that come through here. Pretty much, a little bit of everything.
Q: What has been your favorite project?
I think the most memorable job, and job that I liked to work on, was a big Vortisand skid. I think it had about six vessels and that went down to Orange, Texas. We got to go out there and install it too. That was like in my first year. It was nice, it was cool, and I think we have some more of that stuff coming up too.
Q: What has been your most memorable/embarrassing moment at APS?
The funniest – every day! You have guys out in the shop who are always being funny. The atmosphere that is created out on the shop – it’s pretty funny.
Q: What advice would you give to a new hire?
As far as somebody that came in and got hired on, personally myself, just to be open to change and work hard. Focus on what you’re doing and just take it as it comes and be open about it and work hard.
Q: If you could learn something new, what would it be?
Personally, how to fly a jet. It’s something not everybody can do. So, how to fly or pilot an airplane. Put it that way.
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
I crossed the Rio Grande with my mom at age five on an inner tube, man. True story. And I’ve been here since then. So I was actually born in Mexico. But that is the one thing that most people don’t know. I crossed the Rio Grande in an inner tube with my mom when I was five.
Q: Which AquaPhoenix Core Value Stands out to you?
I really think they’re all good core values. The one – building a team and a family environment and also the open communication and honesty amongst us as employees; whether it’s high management or your shop guys. I think that is very important because, for one, if you don’t have a team – everybody working together – I mean, it works, but not 100%. Obviously, the family environment and the honesty. You know, like I said earlier, be honest and be able to embrace the change.
Q: What is your favorite food?
Tacos, man, tacos. Tacos for sure. Being from Mexico, there’s just so many varieties of tacos that are out there. It’s just, I like it all, you know.
Q: Do you have any pets?
I don’t have pets, but I like horses. I had a horse but right now, at the moment, I don’t have it. But, I like horses. Riding horses, that’s our time on the weekends every now and then to go ride horses.
Our 2021 catalog is now available for download. With our diverse product offering, fast shipping and a no-hassle returns, we’re sure you can find something useful in here. If you have questions or can’t find what you’re looking for, please contact us. Thank you for your business!
Carrie Zeigler, Lead Education Planner at AquaPhoenix, discusses her role, the importance of GAS, and more.
Q: What is your role at APS?
I am the Education Planner here which means that I plan any education order that comes across my desk. I work with the Purchasing team to get the items here. I work with our Sales team to hit the Customer’s deadlines. And then I also work with Production to get it done and out the door when our Customer needs it.
Q: What has been your most memorable moment at APS?
Do I have any memorable moments from working at AquaPhoenix? In the 10 years that I have worked here, I have very many memorable moments and there’s too many to name.
Q: What advice would you give to a new hire?
My advice would be to just have GAS. GAS is a big thing here (can I say it?) it means Give a Sh**. So pretty much to work here you have to give a sh** and care about the job that you do.
Q: If you could learn something new, what would it be?
If I could learn one thing that I didn’t know how to do, it would be to learn how to fly a plane. I always thought that it would be really neat to be able to fly a plane so you could fly yourself wherever you wanted to go. First you learn to fly, then you buy the plane, then you can just go wherever you want, whenever you want.
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
Something that most people probably don’t know about me is that I love music and I love to play the piano. I’ve been playing since probably five years old.
Q: Which AquaPhoenix Core Value Stands out to you?
My favorite core value is always Continuously WOW the Customer. I think that is a great thing to always remember.
Q: What is your favorite food?
My favorite food is anything with chocolate in it.
Q: Do you have pets?
Yes, I have an adorable little fur ball called Morkie. It’s part Maltese and part Yorkie so it’s a Morkie. I was very inventive with my name. He’s adorable. Oh, Mork and Mindy! Yes, and it’s funny because I didn’t think of that until after I named him and I thought, well now we need to get a girl dog. Then I could have Mork and Mindy. But my husband said, no, one was enough.
Q: Any favorite line from a movie?
The main one that comes to my mind is, “Hasta la vista, baby”. You can use that as the end.
Deb Karr, Senior Manager, Customer Service at AquaPhoenix, discusses her work, the importance of soft skills, and more.
Q: What is your role at APS?
I oversee the customer service team in three different locations. We’re located in Pennsylvania, Texas, and California. I make sure that our customers are being taken care of, orders are being processed, and that any delays are relayed to our customers in a timely fashion.
Q: What has been your favorite project?
My favorite project has been soft skills training. It’s very hard to locate training that helps enhance peoples soft skills; things like having empathy, speaking clearly, WOW-ing our customers. So I developed my own soft skills training. We’ve had two rounds of training and it’s been very well received and I feel like the team has grown from it.
Q: What advice would you give to a new hire?
Embrace AquaPhoenix and the mentality that people are going to hold you accountable. If that means pointing out something that may not have been done correctly the first time, that’s not a bad thing. It’s a growing opportunity. We all hold each other accountable because we’re here to help grow the business. That’s a hard one to get used to but it really is beneficial for everybody.
Q: If you could learn something new, what would it be?
If I could learn to do anything I would say probably learn to fly a plane. My dad had started getting his pilot’s license and I would probably enjoy doing that. To be able to pick up and go whenever you want. Of course, I don’t have the money for a plane either, but flying one would be great.
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
Something that most people don’t know about me is I came from the world of animal medicine before being in customer service. I was a veterinary technician for twenty years. It’s very similar in that you have customers and clients who need something or want something. They need your help and you need to be an active listener and take care of whatever the situation is.
Q: Any favorite line from a movie?
My favorite movie quote is, “He’ll regret it till his dying day, if ever he lives that long.” I’m all about quirky humor and it’s a funny line. It’s an awesome movie, The Quiet Man. You have to watch it.
Q: Which AquaPhoenix Core Value Stands out to you?
My favorite core value with AquaPhoenix is, DO THE RIGHT THING. I feel like that is what life is about. I’m very much a rule follower. Probably too much so. Just do the right thing, you’ll never go wrong.
Q: What is your favorite food?
My husband makes a really mean bruschetta. It’s probably my favorite food. Next summer when our tomatoes and basil grow in, I’ll bring everybody some. It’s awesome.
Q: Do you have pets?
Oh, do I have pets. I currently have five rescues; three cats and two dogs. And I have had an insane moment where I have decided that I need another golden retriever puppy. So I have a deposit on a golden retriever puppy that is being born next month. SO by December I’ll be pulling out my hair chasing a puppy. We’ll have six pets in our house and it’ll be chaotic and fun and crazy and I can’t wait.
Courtney Repman, Purchasing Manager at AquaPhoenix, discusses her work, trip to India, and more.
Q: What is your role at APS?
As a Purchasing Manager, myself and my team, are in charge of all the buying of our purchased products both on the industrial side of the business as well as the educational side. So looking for new vendors, finding the products, finding alternative products that will work. Everything day in and day out related to that.
Q: What has been your favorite project?
Maybe not my favorite project, but most memorable, was the Salesforce implementation. That was the most unusual project for me to work on and out of my element. But it also was the most challenging and taught me a lot on the front-end order entry and how our Customer Service team works. So that was definitely most memorable, but probably not my favorite.
Q: What has been your most memorable/embarrassing moment at APS?
Most embarrassing is probably this right but most memorable would be my trip to India with Henry and Brandon. That was definitely a good AquaPhoenix moment. Visiting with one of our suppliers at the glass blowing factory was a really good highlight and also some of our personal trips to see the Golden Palace and the Pakistan border was pretty good.
Q: What advice would you give to a new hire?
For new hires, I would suggest coming in every day ready to have a good time but also being ready to work hard and do your best each and every day.
Q: If you could learn something new, what would it be?
If I could learn anything it would probably be a back handspring or something gymnastic-related because I have no coordination.
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
Fun fact, I once won a free vacation to Las Vegas while sitting in traffic in Philadelphia only to find out I could not go because I was twenty and not twenty-one at the time. So it was pretty devastating.
Q: Any favorite line from a movie?
I hate dumb movies like this but from Ricky Bobby, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
Q: Which AquaPhoenix Core Value Stands out to you?
My favorite core value here is to Employ Individuals with GAS. It’s original, I think it’s funny, and it plays a huge part in why we are successful here at AquaPhoenix.
Q: What is your favorite food?
My favorite food would be boardwalk fries with lots of vinegar or if you could pick candy it would be sour patch watermelon if that counts as a food.
Q: Do you have pets?
Yes, I have a golden doodle named Murphy who those of you who work here have probably seen him a few times and he is overdue for a visit. That’s the only pet we have.
Walk a Mile was a virtual event this year, but that didn’t stop the men of AquaPhoenix from putting their best foot forward to support our community.
These brave men strapped on their best high-heels and walked across the office parking lot to help raise over $2,824 for our local YWCA. The money raised will support YWCA programs and services for survivors of domestic violence and family assault. In total, the community raised $46,211.74!
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® asks men to literally walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes. It’s not easy walking in these shoes, but it’s fun and it gets the community to talk about something that’s really difficult to talk about: gender relations and men’s sexual violence against women. By wearing women’s shoes, participating, gentlemen symbolically put themselves in the place of women for the purpose of raising awareness about the dire effects of sexual and domestic assault in our community.
Visit YWCA Hanover to learn more and to see how you can get involved www.ywcahanover.org/get-involved/donate/.
AquaPhoenix growing distributor network.
We distribute thousands of items from some of the top manufacturers in the industry and are pleased to announce the expansion in our offerings. With so many products in our inventory, we can accommodate any request.
Blue-White Industries
Blue-White offers a full-spectrum of products used in the treatment of water and wastewater, including the Pro-Series® line of chemical dosing pumps. Additional Blue-White product lines include Chemical Feed Sensors, Variable Area Flowmeters, Digital Paddle Wheel insertion style flow meters, mechanical diaphragm metering pumps, and compact FLEXLO® peristaltic dosing pumps.
Product Highlight:
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| Chemical Metering Pumps | Flowmeters | Tank & Skid Systems | Accessories |
Seametrics
Seametrics is an ONICON Measurement Solutions company specializing in the development of magnetic and mechanical flow meters and environmental sensors for precision fluid measurement.
Product Highlight:
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| Flow Meters | Smart Sensors |
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