INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM CORI CRISS & MARK GRABOWSKI OF ITPIPES We talked with two of our colleagues at ITpipes—Cori Criss, founder and CEO, and Mark Grabowski, business development manager—about the future of water and wastewater management. INTERVIEWED BY WESTLEY COTTAM, CITYWORKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER Q: You’ve been working with GIS and asset management for more than 30 years. Why did you choose this field and how did you get your start? CORI: The field chose me. Most people don’t choose to work in the dirty water business but I had great mentors, clients, and friends helping and encouraging me. I worked at Hancor Pipe and then a division called Pipetech that performed pipeline rehab before rehab was a day-to-day occurrence. The inspectors would bring me inspection reports via printouts and videotape. I would wipe down the reports with antibacterial spray and paper towels before I would touch them. I knew there was a better solution. After some networking at a NoDig show in 1993, I was introduced to an international development company that we partnered with to design and supply pipe inspection software. The beginning was tough. People back then laughed about the idea of having a computer in a field inspection truck, run by someone who had never used a computer. Eventually, our company became the leader for sewer in-
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CITYWORKS MAGAZINE | FALL 2021
spection software and even larger than the development company. Al Rossmeisl and I founded ITpipes to focus on delivering software that is configurable, consumes Esri products, and offers bi-directional automations with enterprise systems like Cityworks. My team and I have never set our sights on being the biggest operation. Instead, we’ve continually focused on being the best by providing unparalleled service and innovative products.
very diverse geography, which means that water infrastructure costs vary greatly. For those in the drought-stricken areas, for example, the costs of pumping or purchasing fresh water may become much greater than the cost of cleaning and treating wastewater. In order for water reuse to work, both water delivery and wastewater systems need to be functioning properly and routinely inspected.
Q: What does the future of water and wastewater management look like?
Q: There is a renewed interest in updating water infrastructure in the U.S. How can utilities start preparing now?
CORI: In the short-term, agencies are focused on “tightening up” their systems by detecting and fixing leaks in both water and wastewater infrastructure. In the long-term, many water utilities will be focused on water reuse. The U.S. has a
MARK: Napoleon Bonaparte said that “war is 90 percent information”—this can be applied to water infrastructure. In order to manage your assets correctly, you must first understand them. Knowing exactly where your assets are and under-
“We never set sight on being the biggest... We focus on being the best by providing unparalleled service and innovative products.” -Cori Criss
