Heidi Otway: So let's dig in and talk about your new role as the CEO of Eco World Water, a Florida-based company focused on water sustainability. Tell us a little bit about the company and what it's doing to provide clean water in the nation's third most populous state.

Syed A. Shah: Yeah. Thank you again for hosting. I'm really excited about today's interview. So Eco World Water has a very innovative technology, which I really believe is going to be a world changer on the global scene. What Eco World Water does, which no other company in the world does, is not only does it purify water, it actually allows us to use wastewater in different applications, and that has never been done in the past.

So the technology around wastewater purification is a hundred-year-old technology that basically takes sludgy water, puts them in tanks, uses some biochemical technology to kind of clean it the best they can. What we are able to do is take the latest technologies in chemical and mechanical scientific methodologies and be able to produce much higher grade water at much lower cost and in a much smaller footprint. And that allows us to basically use very ... It allows us to use different types of technologies downstream because we are able to clean that dirty water to a certain acceptable level. So it really is a game changer.

Heidi Otway: How is this water used? The water that you clean, how is it used?

Syed A. Shah: So water, currently water of municipality water or industrial wastewater, they're always treated and they can be used in very different applications like irrigation, agriculture. You can discharge it directly into certain pools of bodies of water or you can basically reuse it. So reuse and recycling is a global theme. What Eco World Water does is in the past, because the water was so dirty, it wasn't able to be cleaned to a certain level. So that the downstream equipment, like for example, reverse osmosis, which is basically used for potable water, for drinking water, or other technologies that are out there. We just weren't able to process wastewater to be able to use those other technologies just because the water was so dirty, it would clog up those technologies. So what we do is basically are able to allow different types of technologies downstream and that opens up applications, myriads of applications.

Heidi Otway: So I would have to imagine that this work that you're doing is a game changer for the state of Florida.

Syed A. Shah:  Oh, absolutely. So in Florida, water scarcity is a major issue. And one of the things that you touched upon is what are the different types of applications? Because our technology allows water, which was basically forgotten. People didn't know or even care about wastewater. All they basically wanted to do was basically treat it to a certain level and then put it in drain fields or in deep injection welds and so on. What we now bring to the table is, "Hey, wait, that is a valuable commodity." So rather than, for example, having industries like data centers and industries, because in Florida, we want industries to come in, but all of the industries are going to require water. Well, rather than stressing the municipalities and utilizing water that is meant for human consumption, let's take the wastewater and be able to recycle it to purify it to an extent where industries can now utilize the wastewater and not stress water that was meant to be for public consumption.

Heidi Otway: Wow. That's so fascinating.

Syed A. Shah: It is. It is. And what is basically going to do is it's pro growth, right? Now you're able to cater and provide water to companies and have them come into Florida. And we are just so happy and excited that this is a Eco World is basically a Florida growth technology, and we are going to be on the map globally, and it all started from Florida.

Heidi Otway: Wow. So what is your vision for the company?

Syed A. Shah: Well, my vision is really to scale this technology and take it global. So we're going to start off, right now, we are in the final stages of getting certified by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Once we get that, we're going to scale throughout Florida to help all the municipalities, the districts, and the industries that are in Florida, and then scale from Florida to the other states, and then one day globally.

Heidi Otway: Wow. I love that. I love that. And so you bring more than three decades of experience in this field. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and actually what brought you to Eco World Water?

Syed A. Shah: Yeah, absolutely. A great question. Well, I was not raised in Florida. I was born and bred in Hong Kong, came to the US. And then I worked in a lot of fields, electronics industry, the automotive industry, telecommunications industry. And then finally, in about 2007, I became the head of quality and operations at Culligan International, which is a leading global company in water purification. And then since then, I've moved into many other companies. So over the last 15 years, I've worked in every aspect of the value chain in water. So from residential filtration all the way to industrial and within that, worked in different fields that made up the ecosystem for filtration.

Because as you may or may not know, water filtration basically goes in stages. And so I've had the honor of really working in those very, the specific stages. And so I bring to the table a very holistic view, and which is the reason why that attracted me to Eco World, because I knew that the downstream equipment that I've had a lot of experience for, they had limitations. They were great for purification, but how do we utilize that equipment? How do we utilize that technology if the water is so bad upstream? So Eco World Water has solved that. Now we're able to basically take the water and utilize that. So that's what basically brought me to Eco World, and I'm just so excited to take this to the global stage.

Heidi Otway: Yeah. Well, I was looking at, you all had a study that says nine out of 10 Floridians are concerned about access to clean water over the next decade. And as you can imagine, I mean, we're seeing population growth. I mean, you talked about it. We're seeing large scale businesses that want to come into the state. So as we think about drinking water, clean water in the state of Florida, which is our most precious asset, why is this so important to Floridians now?

Syed A. Shah: Well, basically there's a major stress in the amount of water that the population in Florida needs, right? So the municipalities and the districts are stressed. Industry, the requirements by industries is exponentially rising when you're talking about data centers, when you're talking about other industries and so on. The rate at which the water requirement, it's exponentially rising. So what do we do? We have a finite resource. So we really need to be looking at how can we maximize the utilization of whatever we have, the finite resources that we have and Eco World water with its technology to treat wastewater makes it a game changer because now there's this huge body of water that previously wasn't thought of. We are now bringing that back on to the table to be used.

Heidi Otway: Yeah. And who are you bringing this to the table too? Who are you partnering with to make this more widespread, widespread use?

Syed A. Shah: Yeah. So Eco World Water is a private company. So we're backed by private investors. Our founder was a big believer in this vision 14 years ago, and he's really basically brought it to where we are right now. And now we are at the scale where we are going to be scaling into large scale manufacturing. So we're teaming up with the state of Florida, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as well as the private industries, bringing the technology to the table and really working with the different individuals to see what their water requirements are, what are some of their issues, and then coming up with tailored solutions for each of our clients.

Heidi Otway: Yeah. So one of the things I noticed as I was doing some research about the company is that you all support communities after hurricanes. And although we had a very quiet hurricane season this past year, can you tell us a little bit about the work that you all are doing to help communities bounce back from hurricanes and other natural disasters, especially when it comes to water, because again, that's one of our precious resources that we need after such an event.

Syed A. Shah: Yeah, absolutely. So whenever you have those seismic events, there's always a disruption in the water supply and so on. So our technology, we have a history of working with communities, with government agencies, and we're willing to step up. God forbid, if there are any other events like that, Eco World Water would be there to support for each of the causes the best we can. Again, our technology is able to purify and get water to potable water, to drinking water. So we are able to bring those solutions and help out the communities the best we can.

Heidi Otway: Wonderful, wonderful. So I want to talk a little bit about you and your life. You've been in Florida for 10 years. So tell me about your journey as a Floridian. What are your favorite things to do when you're not focused on water research and sustainability?

Syed A. Shah: Absolutely. Well, I live in Orlando, so Disney World and Universal Studios are a major theme for me and my family. But yeah, I've been in Florida for about 10 years and I just love everything about the state. I love the weather. It's a beautiful state and it's a very innovative state. They're very open to new ideas. They're very pro business focused, things that I really haven't seen in large parts of the country. So yeah, just very excited. Me and my family have been happily living over here for a decade or more, and we expect to be here for a very long time.

Heidi Otway: Yeah. So Syed, I'm sure that people are listening to this and they're going to be wondering, "Well, what can I do to help with water sustainability in my home?" And I think about this all the time because I think about the aquifer when I'm brushing my teeth. Do I really need to have my water running while I'm brushing my teeth? Something as simple as that. So what are your tips or suggestions for Floridians who are listening and watching on what role they play when it comes to protecting our natural resource, our water?

Syed A. Shah: Yeah, I think the greatest help would be just to keep the pressure on the senators and our Congress folks and so on, just to let them know that this is a genuine concern because I think that goes a long way in helping drive legislation and adoption of new technologies. And on our part, we'll continue to work with them to bring our technology to the table to solve the everyday problems of the Floridians. So yeah, I mean, that's what I would say is continue to voice your concerns, continue to highlight and elevate these issues. And I think we'll be making a lot of progress together.

Heidi Otway: And I can imagine that because of the technology you're using, there are other states and maybe other countries that are looking at your technology to help them as well.

Syed A. Shah: Correct. Right now, our focus is really to expand and help the industries and the districts in Florida, but you're absolutely right. I think that's our phase one part of our growth plan and phase two is really branching out to the other states, other industries, because at the end of the day, we want to help our country the best we can and then just be part of our pro growth strategy that the executive branch is currently driving. And we want to take our technology and showcase it to the world and let them know that our technology is homegrown. It's US made and it originated from Florida, and we're very proud of that.

Heidi Otway: Well, I hope that those folks who are in these industries are listening to this and see the opportunities that are available for partnering with you all. And I want to thank you so much for being a guest on this Fluent in Floridian podcast. Thank you for all that you're doing in the state of Florida to protect our natural resource for myself, my family and our Floridians, and this was a rich conversation. Thank you again for being a guest on the show.

Syed A. Shah: Thank you so much for having me and be well.

Heidi Otway: Thank you.