2015 Conference Schedule

Happy New Year!

At the end of every year, I re-evaluate where we, as a company, have been and the direction I would like Martek to go in the coming year. Most of the time, it's carrying on what has made us a successful company for nearly half a century, i.e. providing reliable products and services to the power generation market.

People often ask me who designs our products and I always respond: "Our customers do, that's who!" Customer feedback is vital to the success of any commercial organization (it helps in personal relationships as well), so I am constantly asking for this kind of feedback when I visit our customers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Generally, we don't participate in a lot of larger industry shows or conferences as they are not focused enough on our water quality and its analysis. Besides, the people who actually use our products are normally too busy doing their jobs to attend some of the larger conferences AKA "boondoggles."

However, there are several regional conferences I have found to be quite informative and cost-effective to attend and this is where you will find Martek this year:

June 2-4 Electric Utility Chemistry Workshop, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. I have been attending this Workshop since 1988 and it remains an excellent venue for end-users to learn about day-to-day operations and experiences from other power plants. www.conferences.illinois.edu/eucw

June 22-25 Southwest Chemistry Workshop, Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Another regional conference that changes location every year based on the hospitality and dedication of sponsoring utility companies. www.swchemistry.com

July 14-16 EPRI Eleventh International Conference on Cycle Chemistry, St. Louis, Missouri. If you want to learn about cutting-edge technology and meet some very smart and experienced chemists, this is the conference to attend. www.epri.com

By the way, if there is a conference or workshop you believe Martek should be attending, don't hesitate to contact me. While I spend most of my time visiting individual power plants to assist them with their chemistry and instrumentation requirements, I am always open to learning more about our industry and perhaps adding our experience and knowledge to the marketplace of ideas.

Best wishes and a successful New Year!