Reliance on data played a fundamental role in helping utilities understand and manage the impacts of COVID-19. From utilities devising new customer communication strategies to the future of the utility business model, Bluefield’s Digital Water Research Director, Eric Bindler, discusses key findings from attending this year’s Utility Management Conference in Atlanta… Water news… Reese also shares his thoughts on recent news and highlights why these headlines matter and what they could mean for th...
Aug 17, 2021•51 min
The American Water Works Association just released its 2021 State of the Water Industry report which presents the findings of a survey of 3,021 water industry professionals. The survey is designed to identify key challenges in the water industry and their underlying drivers and causes. Despite the significant disruption in the water sector over the last year, the study indicates there is a rise in optimism among industy leaders. The Bluefield team provides their insights to frame recent industry...
Jul 27, 2021•45 min
The broader impact of connectivity, online commerce, and door-to-door delivery cannot be overlooked. Amazon garners the most attention, but it is not alone in shaping this new paradigm that has accelerated over the last year. From food for dinner to toilet paper, it is all being delivered in some form of packaging. Like anything, yes, anything, the impact on water usage is changing in parallel. Bluefield’s Cullen Mitchell joins host Reese Tisdale to discuss the “Amazon effect” and its indirect i...
Jul 13, 2021•23 min
It has only been a couple of years since California emerged from the last drought (2011-2019). Now it, alongside neighboring states, has been thrust into a seemingly worse situation than before. The alarm bells are ringing loud and clear, but what does it really mean? Host Reese Tisdale shares a couple of facts and thoughts on the drought and what this might mean for California, the region, and stakeholders. It’s not just California. The entire West is smoking red hot, but there are some things ...
Jun 29, 2021•18 min
Rather than focus on the nuts and bolts of the water industry, Bluefield shares broader market trends that are exciting our team. In this discussion, our water experts examine 7 key factors shaping the outlook of water management. From the Internet of things to the future of agriculture, the team looks at global drivers of change impacting the water sector– municipal and industrial. Market forces that impacted our outlook include COVID disruption of business models, political shifts, and changin...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr
Data and the Internet of things are giving rise to a more notable group of influential companies in water: Telecommunications firms. By providing the essential “rails” for data transmission and connectivity between utility systems, assets, and companies, telecoms are poised to increasingly leverage their unique positions at the center of the digitization of water. While utility needs vary, municipal water utilities and industry become more sophisticated in their adoption of digital solutions, te...
Jun 01, 2021•36 min
A key factor driving the rapid growth of the global digital water market is the more mainstream adoption of cloud computing, according to Bluefield Research Director, Eric Bindler. While cloud- and SaaS-based solutions were first popularized in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the water industry has only recently begun to embrace them. Captivating industry suppliers is the potential impact cloud computing has in penetrating smaller, more technologically risk-averse utilities. The limited need for...
May 18, 2021•48 min
For eight months Suez has pushed back against advances from Veolia in public via press releases, poison pills, and the entertainment of other suitors. However, on the 12th of April, Veolia and Suez announced that they have reached an agreement for a merger putting an end to the disputed takeover. The deal, which closes 14 May 2021, gives Suez an equity value of about €13 billion (US$15.4 billion). The combined entity will have approximately €37 billion (US$44.5 billion) in revenues. Reese Tisdal...
May 04, 2021•39 min
It is finally “infrastructure week.” The Biden administration has proposed its US$2.2 trillion American Jobs Plan. Sure, the Biden plan is a wish list, but one thing that stands out for the water sector is the US$45 billion to tackle lead service lines. It is a well-documented, open secret that drinking water for millions of people is tainted with lead. For so long, no one has wanted to pay for this and there has been no documentation of the size of the problem, and now…. the world is bright. Bl...
Apr 20, 2021•28 min
Water touches almost every product, so it’s worth considering it as a critical input to every strategic supply chain decision. Climate issues continue to ripple through global industrial supply chains – from Texas to Taiwan. The combination of COVID-related shutdowns and drought is upending the industrial landscape. If anything, recent, water-related events show us how important it is to have a coherent water management strategy for today… and tomorrow. Even if your firm is not directly at risk,...
Apr 06, 2021•28 min
In honor of World Water Day (March 22), this episode is dedicated to raising awareness of the value of water. We took this opportunity to have a conversation to call your attention to water, what it means to you, how society can better protect this vital resource, and how Bluefield Research falls into that landscape. John Berryman interviews Bluefield President, Reese Tisdale, about the journey of Bluefield Research, why water, how has the water sector changed since 2013, does Bluefield have a r...
Mar 23, 2021•44 min
In response to three recent billion-dollar water deals , Bluefield is releasing a special episode of The Future of Water—to help our listeners break down what this growing interest in water means. Bluefield’s Reese Tisdale and Keith Hays discuss what has fundamentally changed in the market that makes water more attractive for investment now, characteristics of the recent megadeals, and what these transactions might mean for the water sector going forward. New Mountain Capital acquired Aegion Cor...
Mar 09, 2021•32 min
This discussion delves into the water crisis in Texas, climate, and what climatic events could mean for sustainable water management going forward. Over the last two weeks, Texas has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. More than 14 million people have been impacted by a freeze-out that was catalyzed by a failure of the energy and power sectors. The result has been water main breaks, boil water advisories, and flooded homes. The Texas blackout of 2021 is not a 100-year event. Bluefield’s ...
Mar 09, 2021•33 min
Digging into the water sector’s latest megadeal between Aegion and New Mountain Capital. Aegion Corporation, a provider of infrastructure maintenance, rehabilitation, and protection solutions announced that it has accepted an offer to be acquired by private equity (PE) firm New Mountain Capital. The transaction, valued at approximately US$963 million, represents a second big step for the PE firm after recently acquiring utility contract operation services provider Inframark. The convergence of f...
Feb 23, 2021•22 min
Out of the gates the new president, emboldened by a slim majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, has begun laying out a roadmap for change in infrastructure investment and environmental policy. The Biden administration has touched upon climate, lead & copper, water quality, and infrastructure and the outlook for change is positive. In this episode, the Bluefield team provides their insights on what this new administration means for water sector investment as well as the not to b...
Feb 09, 2021•32 min
On average, Bluefield’s team of water experts tracks more than 125 utility acquisitions per year. Reese Tisdale talks to Bluefield Analyst Mariel Marchand about utility acquisitions and the impact of Fair Market Value policies and legislation on M&A activity . Bluefield’s quarterly analysis of deal flow and buyers and sellers allows for a well-rounded discussion on private water and the outlook for more activity among established, frontrunning players and new(er) market entrants. Water news…...
Jan 26, 2021•23 min
In Bluefield’s first podcast of the year, Reese Tisdale, Eric Bindler, and Erin Bonney Casey reflect on some of last year’s biggest water headlines, discuss future challenges, and identify top trends influencing global water markets. While 2020 was unusual, to say the least, the new year ushers in an altered landscape for water solutions providers, investors, organizations addressing water as an opportunity (or risk). The impacts of climate , Big Tech, water quality , and recession loom large. T...
Jan 10, 2021•47 min
Reese Tisdale and Bluefield Analyst Cullen Mitchell discuss the impacts of a changing energy landscape and its impact on water management. Over the last decade, the advent of shale oil & gas exploration, renewables, and battery power have upended traditional system structures and the opportunities for water services and solutions providers. Now, the emerging interest in electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered fleets, and power generation is a reality. Underlying this change is a set of policies ...
Dec 21, 2020•27 min
Reese Tisdale and Eric Bindler talk about the future of water management within the home. Newly announced strategic partnerships between Moen subsidiary Flo and Lennar signal growing potential for the niche market. Prior to the pandemic, the residential digital water segment had seen a flurry of activity among water entrepreneurs. Bluefield water experts discuss the COVID-related market slowdown for residential digital water startups and how the growing role of big tech firms like Amazon and Goo...
Dec 07, 2020•33 min
Bluefield’s Reese Tisdale and Keith Hays discuss Brazil’s municipal water market and the implications for new policies launched to invite private participation. The mercurial Latin American economy has attracted a number of companies willing to ride a wave of opportunity that is not for the risk-averse. Over 200 Brazilian municipalities are already served by fully private company concessions serving nearly 10 million people. Since 2018 the federal government has pursued privatization of several ...
Nov 30, 2020•30 min
Over the last 8 to 12 months, the number of private equity (PE) companies coming to Bluefield for support has increased exponentially. Bluefield President Reese Tisdale and Consulting Director Keith Hays discuss why private equity is turning to water, what they are investing in, and how Bluefield sees this playing out. Also discussed, the hot topic of the 2020 presidential election and how the outcome may impact the water industry. In this podcast: Why the water sector and shifts happening in wa...
Nov 10, 2020•38 min
Bluefield’s team of water experts discusses infrastructure investment and whether the market is heading up, down, or sideways. Some water industry pundits have said the pandemic is much ado about nothing. However, the Bluefield team doesn’t share this level of optimism, in fact, the team’s optimism at the start of the pandemic has eroded over the last six months because of extended state quarantines, remaining high unemployment, and mercurial, if not incoherent, U.S. federal guidance. Last month...
Oct 26, 2020•30 min
Reese Tisdale and the Bluefield team of water experts discuss Digital Twins—hype or reality—and what the future holds. While the concept of virtual clones of operating assets (e.g., treatment plants, pumps, pipe networks) has been around for more than two decades, their applications are only recently gaining momentum in the broader water sector. Keith, Eric, and Reese talk about the signposts that indicate growth, the competitive landscape, and how companies are positioning in this burgeoning ma...
Oct 05, 2020•39 min
In this episode, Reese Tisdale sits down with Bluefield Vice President Keith Hays to talk about what we call “ Big Water. ” Veolia and Suez , two of the largest water solutions providers in the world are in merger negotiations again, and Reese and Keith discuss their perspectives on the proposed deal and companies themselves. They also get into whether a marriage between the two water behemoths is a good, or bad, thing for the water industry. In late August, Veolia made an unsolicited offer to p...
Sep 21, 2020•25 min
Bluefield water experts get into the hot topic of natural disasters and related water & wastewater infrastructure management. Since 1980 the number of these disasters has steadily increased. From 1980 to 2019, the U.S has sustained 258 climate-related events. These resource-intensive events include hurricanes, flooding, winter storms, and wildfires which bring on more acute challenges for cities and municipalities. In this podcast: Big picture risks to water utilities and the implications of...
Sep 08, 2020•28 min
It’s all about deal flow and recent M&A activity in the water sector. Bluefield’s Eric Bindler and Mariel Marchand share their perspectives on utility acquisitions, utility O&M, and digital water transactions in what can be considered a new environment, even for water. While talking about broader trends, some of the companies discussed include Aquatic Informatics, Danaher, XPV, and Veolia. Questions raised in the discussion: What is the state of the market and drivers for deal flow? Do w...
Aug 11, 2020•24 min
In this episode, we discuss the hot topic of wastewater epidemiology and the heightened role it plays in our world today. Keith Hays, Vice President of Bluefield Research, discusses his latest research on pinpoint detection of pathogens and contagions in wastewater and the potential economic & healthcare benefits it could bring to society. Key questions addressed: What companies are leading the charge in wastewater testing? Who is having success and who is moving along the path towards comme...
Jul 30, 2020•26 min
In this episode, it's all about money, that is, how exposed are utilities, their budgets, and spending in a recession? Erin Bonney Casey, Research Director for Bluefield, answers key financial questions about public utilities, which serve about 85% of the total market. -Where do public utilities get their money? -Are there ways in which short-term operating expenses and long-term capital expenses (OPEX and CAPEX) funding sources differ? -What's the deal with State Revolving Funds?
Jun 30, 2020•24 min
Cybersecurity is the issue of the day. Bluefield’s President & CEO Reese Tisdale sits down with Bluefield’s Eric Bindler, to talk cybersecurity, water infrastructure, and industry concerns. If you enjoy listening to The Future of Water Podcast , please tell a friend or colleague, and if you haven’t already, please click to follow this podcast wherever you listen. If you’d like to be informed of water market news, trends, perspectives and analysis from Bluefield Research, subscribe to Waterli...
Jun 19, 2020•29 min
Is toilet paper more expensive than oil? Sure feels like it these days. This episode is all about water for energy, the oil patch, and the impacts of geopolitics, pandemics, and recession. Yikes! Get Bluefield analyst Nathan Goldstein’s take on the state of things.
Jun 19, 2020•18 min
