Empowering Pumps & Equipment’s Maintenance & Reliability Summit brought together seasoned professionals to tackle the most pressing challenges facing industrial maintenance today. The summit featured distinguished experts including Greg Bell with Hydro, Inc.; Sebastian Traeger with Reliability Center, Inc.; Adam Stredel with Ludeca; Bryan Bieschke with UpKeep; Rob Dotson with Inpro/Seal; and Paul Yaple and Jake Pearson with CURFLO, each bringing decades of hands-on experience in repair and maintenance operations. These practitioners shared candid insights about the evolving landscape of industrial reliability, addressing both technical complexities and human factors that drive successful maintenance programs.
The conversation revealed critical challenges that maintenance organizations face across industries, particularly the widespread issue of understaffed crews and the loss of experienced personnel. Participants explored how legacy equipment, built decades ago, continues to operate under conditions far different from their original design parameters, requiring innovative engineering solutions rather than simple replacements. Leaders shared compelling examples of how proper application knowledge and proactive maintenance cultures can prevent costly downtime and extend equipment life.
The summit showcased how technology is revolutionizing maintenance strategies while reinforcing the irreplaceable value of human expertise. Experts discussed the transformative impact of predictive maintenance tools, wireless sensors, and remote monitoring systems that enable more efficient and safer equipment assessment. However, they consistently emphasized that technology serves as an enabler for good processes rather than a replacement for skilled personnel. The dialogue highlighted successful approaches to root cause analysis, the importance of building strong relationships between maintenance and operations teams, and the critical need for proper planning and documentation. This gathering of experienced professionals demonstrated that effective maintenance extends far beyond technical skills, encompassing organizational culture, communication, and the strategic application of both traditional knowledge and modern tools to ensure reliable industrial operations.
Watch the On-Demand discussion above and learn about our speakers, below!
About the speakers:
Greg Bell
Greg serves as Regional Vice President of Sales for Hydro, Inc’s HydroTex Golden Triangle service facility. He strives to be a solutions provider while bringing the end user perspective to the aftermarket business. Previously, Greg spent 24 years as a Rotating Equipment Specialist for Gulf/Chevron. In this role, he was responsible for over 3,700 pieces of rotating equipment, such as pumps, turbines, gas expanders, generators, and compressors.
Sebastian Traeger
With over 20 years of experience in market strategy, technology innovation, business development, and leadership, Sebastian helps companies and nonprofits in various industries build, launch, grow, and turn around their organizations. As the CEO of Reliability Center, Inc., a 35-year-old business, he leads a stellar team that partners with global clients in manufacturing, oil and gas, and health care to elevate their strategic decision making and operational excellence through Root Cause Analysis (RCA) training and software. Since joining the leadership team in 2019, he has spearheaded the digital transformation of the business, launching an online learning center around our proprietary PROACT® RCA methodology, and building our game-changing EasyRCA.com software. He is passionate about delivering high-quality RCA solutions to clients and empowering them to achieve their goals.
Adam Stredel
Adam is an applications engineer at LUDECA, Inc. in Doral, Florida. He has 17 years of experience in rotating machinery with 14+ years in laser shaft alignment and training. He has visited over 150 industrial sites, conducted many alignment seminars and trainings in the United States and the Caribbean. Adam has performed numerous field jobs related to alignment of rotating equipment, bore and turbine alignment, geometric measurement, monitoring positional changes, etc. Adam obtained his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2007 and an M.B.A. in 2015 at the Florida International University, Miami, FL. He is a Certified Reliability Leader (CRL) and holds a CAT I Vibration certification and a Level I Ultrasound Certification.
Bryan Bieschke
Bryan is a CMRP and dedicated maintenance & reliability leader, creating vision through strong culture and business alignment. Bryan has over 15 years in maintenance functions from a heavy equipment mechanic to building and leading multiple state programs at the executive level. His leadership and vision have shaped multiple companies’ maintenance departments to embrace human connection and the pursuit of fundamental excellence. He has a proven track record of building consensus and getting by in for sustained value creation.
Rob Dotson
With over 30 years of experience in industrial equipment and critical facility operations, Rob has consistently driven equipment reliability, performance, and uptime. From rotating equipment to heavy transport, and predictive maintenance to engineered lift plans, Rob’s focus has always been on enhancing equipment longevity and operational efficiency. Throughout his career, Rob has held leadership roles in national sales, market strategy, and product development across startups, OEMs, and Fortune 500 companies. Rob has recently returned to Inpro/Seal as Chief Product Strategist, and is uniquely positioned to leverage Inpro/Seal’s legacy of solving complex industrial challenges with Dover’s global capabilities.
Paul Yaple
A 1994 graduate of Missouri S&T in Mechanical Engineering, Paul has specialized in turbomachinery, with broad experience in machine design, manufacturing, product management, and sales. Since joining the Pump Industry in 2000, he has worked for many of the best-known names in pumps, such as Wilo, Grundfos and AR Wilfley. Paul joined CURFLO in 2019 as Director of Sales and Marketing, and currently resides in Olathe, KS.
Jake Pearson
Jake is the Market Development Manager with Curry Fluid Power. He drives growth and visibility for CURFLO and Curry Fluid Power through targeted marketing campaigns, ads, and strategic sales support. With a focus on increasing brand awareness and optimizing lead generation, he works closely with internal teams to deliver impactful marketing solutions that support both business development and customer engagement.
