Last week, we hosted our second year of the Empowering Pumps & Industry Conference (EPIC) where the pump industry congregated at The Water Tower in Buford, Georgia on November 8-9th to connect, engage, and learn with fellow leaders. The range of topics bounced from Pump and Smart Water trainings to Workforce to Supply Chain Management to Communicating as an Engineer. In creating an event for the pump industry, we want to showcase a broad range of topics to fit the wide range of skills and interests that attendees can learn and grow from.

In addition to all the amazing speakers, we had a range of manufacturers in the room showcasing their brands and products, students from The Water Tower engaging with the pump industry, and an awesome tour of Gwinnett County’s F. Wayne Hill Water Resources facility. While our team loves a good tour – our attendees showed up big for this tour and it was amazing to see so many people in safety gear and excited about wastewater treatment!

The unique thing about EPIC is that we’re able to highlight all of what the pump industry is all about. It’s not just about learning about relevant, industry-related topics or enhanced leadership skills, it’s about engaging with all walks of life within industry and learning from and alongside each other. Our mission at Empowering Pumps & Equipment has always been to connect, inform, and educate the industry. This continues to be our mission but the connection piece is what really shines when it comes to EPIC.

Our theme for this year’s event was #ImpactingInnovation. When talking with our emcee Jenny Drescher with Bolder Company, we backtracked on what is needed for Innovation. To have innovation, you need to have collaboration, to have collaboration, you need to have connection. Being connected to a diverse group of people will always lead to a higher impact on growth and development. We know this, we see this every day and see the money that global corporations and small businesses alike are putting towards diversifying their workforce.

One of the best ways we as a community can move our industry forward is by working together to do it. Which starts with connection and going to events that foster that. With that, we can’t wait to come together again next year for #EPIC2024 at the Colorado School of Mines on November 12-13th.

Last but certainly not least, I want to give one final shout-out to all of our amazing sponsors from this past year: ABB, Applied Flow Technology, Bolder Co., CDI Energy Products, Cfturbo, Graphalloy, Patterson Pump, SEPCO, ShelfAware, SKF, SPP Pumps, Syncroflo, Vaughan, Watts Water, and WorldWide Electric.