As an executive search professional specializing in the water and wastewater industry, I often find myself reflecting on how I’ve come to truly understand the complex technologies that power this sector. It didn’t happen overnight—or even over a few weeks of research. In truth, it came from total immersion. And that immersion brings to mind something oddly familiar: the way your skin turns pruny when you've been in water for a LONG TIME!
At first glance, “pruny skin” doesn’t sound like a flattering metaphor for professional expertise. But in my world, it’s a badge of honor. It’s proof that I’ve been in the water long enough—not just dipping my toes into the subject matter, but fully submerged in the systems, applications, and challenges that define water and wastewater treatment equipment manufacturing.
Water and wastewater is a specialized field. The companies I work with—capital equipment manufacturers that build membrane systems, clarifiers, chemical feed skids, sludge dewatering systems, and more—don’t have the luxury of pulling talent from a generalist pool. The technical demands of their products, the regulatory nuance, and the customer applications are too precise. Placing the right executive, engineer, or sales leader requires more than a sharp eye for resumes. It requires someone who has soaked in this sector long enough to understand the flow of it all—both literally and figuratively!
This is where deep industry knowledge becomes not just helpful, but essential. I need to know why brackish water requires different RO membrane design than seawater applications. I must understand how changing PFAS regulations are altering capital spending patterns in municipalities. I have to track the competitive landscape—who's been acquired, who just brought a new product to market, who’s scaling up in the data center cooling space. Because only with that knowledge can I have the kinds of conversations that matter with both candidates and clients.
In a boutique space like ours, clients aren’t just buying access to resumes—they’re buying insight, relevance, and trust. When I walk into a conversation and can speak fluently about influent quality or bid spec strategy, I signal to hiring managers that I’m not just another vendor. I’m part of their ecosystem. I’ve been in the water long enough to know what matters.
So yes, my brain is pruny. And that’s a good thing.
If you’re a capital equipment manufacturer in the water and wastewater space, looking to hire someone who can lead, innovate, and deliver in one of the most critical sectors on earth, don’t settle for a recruiter who’s dry. Find one who’s been soaking in your industry long enough to have the wrinkles to prove it.
Because in this industry, surface-level knowledge just won’t hold water.
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
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