Subscribe to our 

As our business continues to thrive in an otherwise struggling economy, the impact of our industry’s products and services becomes obvious every time we drink a clean glass of water or fill a car’s tank with fuel.

When we received a press release this morning from Godwin Pumps on its Midwest flood relief efforts, I was truly inspired. It is nice to see the human element of our business . . . particularly in the wake of a natural disaster where pumps can provide necessities like clean water and running toilets—things those of us who live in the U.S. so often take for granted.

Read more in the August issue of Pumps & Systems on how Godwin worked with its distributors to deploy 474 pumps to seven Midwestern states, an effort than began within four hours of a call from the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA).

I have no doubt there are many other companies and people in our industry who have aided in the Midwest Flood relief efforts. We would like to hear your stories.

After the AWWA event last week, my family and I decided to spend an extra day in Atlanta and hit the White Water Adventure park. Maybe it was my three-day ACE ‘08 exposure to all things “pumps” and all things “water,” but while climbing the massive mountains that led to the peaks of the water slides, I found myself wondering . . . “What kind of pumps are getting all that water to the top?”

It’s not something I would have considered or even given a second thought before working for Pumps & Systems.

What’s the old adage about not seeing the forest for the trees?  Well, I can assure you that after only six months with P&S, I now see pumps everywhere!  And so does my family.  This weekend, my sportswriter husband was watching his favorite television show “Modern Marvels” on The History Channel International. The subject of the documentary . . . The History of Pumps.  I might not have taken the time to watch this show seven months ago, but this weekend it became appointment TV in our home.  If you get this station, set your TiVO because it will be shown over and over again.  It’s worth it.

The documentary explored the simplicity of pumps – how they move water and viscous materials from Point A to Point B – but then went on to explain the not-so-simple physics of it all.  I didn’t realize pumps were one of civilizations oldest inventions, dating back to 200 B.C. And I didn’t realize that the viscosity of peanut butter is ten times that of oil . . . and there is a pump that will move it. The documentary explained, “No matter the viscosity of the liquid, there is a pump that can suck, push or lift it to its destination.”  I also learned that “More than 2,000 years of pump technology has taken us from the archaic screw to the artificial heart. Pumps are the unsung heroes of industry and everyday life.”

My husband has covered the World Series, the Super Bowl and the BCS championship game, yet he was mesmerized by a one-hour education in pumps. It’s nice to know that pumps are at work all around us, making an impact in our daily lives . . . even when we may not notice them.

We hope you’ll take some time to explore our redesigned site for new features and old favorites. We want to hear from you! So be sure and let us know what you like about the new site and what you think can be improved.

We have already heard from many of you looking for the PumpChat archives. They are still here for your reference, but to post new comments and begin new conversations, go to the new PumpChat platform and re-register.

Also new to the site, we are excited about presenting our first ever Webinar on June 12 and invite you to register today! Let us know what topics would interest you for the next installment of our Pumps & Systems Live Webinar Series!

Meanwhile . . . have fun exploring the new site and let us hear from you!