As I write this article, I am certain that most of us are looking forward to 2021. This past year was extremely challenging for all of us, both personally and professionally. While the year ahead is not without its challenges, I think we have a lot to be hopeful about. For starters, the promising outlook for a COVID-19 vaccine and mass vaccinations by the middle to end of 2021 bodes well for getting our economy back up and running and returning to some semblance of “normalcy,” whatever that ultimately looks like.
While the water sector was deemed essential, and we kept working through 2020, we did lose a vital aspect of our industry: the one-to-one personal relationships, networking, and face-to-face collaboration that is so critical to our success. I know all of our members and the vast majority of those in our industry cannot wait until we can meet again in person.
We learned a lot this past year about the pros and cons of virtual communication and I am sure that many of us will take the positive experiences forward and blend them with our traditional way of doing business to ultimately increase our efficiency and effectiveness. We have learned where virtual can save us time and money as well as the critical role of in-person connections and communications and where that best fits into our marketing, sales, and after-market activities. Many of us have assumed new roles or taken on new responsibilities that helped us grow professionally. Many have grown weary of working from home and are looking forward to getting back to offices.
All are hopeful that a new year and a new Administration will help shore up our economy, assist states and localities to close their revenue shortfalls, and get all of us back to work! Our economy was strong before the pandemic and there is no reason to assume it won’t be strong again with the right policy directives and leadership to help make that happen.
As of this writing, there are still some unanswered questions, the most important of which may be the control of the Senate. There are certainly pros and cons to either outcome but as Lincoln so famously stated in his Gettysburg Address, a true democracy is defined as a Government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” We can hope and expect that regardless of the outcome, the new Administration, Congress, and our justice system will embrace that concept and do what is best for all of us who live in this great nation.
President-Elect Biden and Vice-President-Elect Harris finally began their formal transition efforts in early December and initial transition teams and potential leadership selections were drawn from often well-known and well-positioned seasoned career leaders with a keen knowledge of their topic areas and a depth of expertise. This bodes well for the new Administration quickly getting up-to-speed and running after the January 20, 2021, inauguration. There will certainly be lots to do and they have highlighted the following four areas as priorities: the COVID-19 pandemic; economic recovery; racial justice; and climate change. We will certainly see a strengthening of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and increased efforts on mitigating climate change impacts after the pandemic is brought under control and our economy is back on track. I think the future is bright and I am looking forward to 2021! WW
About the Author: Vanessa Leiby is the Executive Director of the Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) a non-profit trade association formed in 1908 to represent water and wastewater technology manufacturers and related service providers. WWEMA is made up of many of the most prominent and influential companies in the industry that are working together to shape the future of water and wastewater technology in the U.S. and around the world. For more information about WWEMA, go to www.wwema.org. Interested in becoming a WWEMA member? Contact WWEMA Executive Director, Vanessa Leiby at [email protected].
