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Pumpers Team Front row (l to r): Chris Tippery (raSmith), Marc Zimmerman (City of Janesville), and Kate Despinoy (Stanley Group). Back row (l to r): Casey Kleven (City of Janesville) and Kevin Stephens (City of Racine).
Chris Tippery, senior project manager with raSmith, will participate in the Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) Operations Challenge scheduled for October 2-3, 2023, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. Fifty-six teams from around the world will demonstrate their wastewater collection and treatment expertise during the Operations Challenge.
Tippery received and subsequently accepted the invitation to participate in the challenge after being honored earlier this year with the 2023 Collections Award by the Wisconsin Section of the Central States Water Environment Association (CSWEA), an organization within the Water Environment Federation. This esteemed award recognized his exceptional contributions to advancing collection system knowledge and improving water quality.
Jerry Cramer, president of the Wisconsin Wastewater Operations Association, shared, “Chris is a valuable member on one of the two teams representing the Central States Water Environment Association (CSWEA) at the 2023 Operation Challenge competition. The Operations Challenge is the ‘Wastewater Olympics’ for professionals in the wastewater industry.”
Tippery is a member of the four-person “Pumpers” team, comprised of Kate Despinoy of Stanley Group (Chicago) and wastewater operators Casey Kleven (City of Janesville) and Kevin Stephens (City of Racine). Laboratory Supervisor Marc Zimmerman (City of Janesville) will serve as coach for the team. The “Pumpers” will compete against the other teams in five challenging events, including maintenance, collection systems, safety, process control, and laboratory. The “Pumpers” will compete against the other teams to achieve top scores in the five events, vying for various awards and prizes.
Tippery has over 20 years of experience in water, wastewater, stormwater design, and construction services. Since joining raSmith’s municipal services division in 2019, he has provided project management and design services for upgrades to major municipal wastewater treatment plants and numerous water distribution and wastewater/stormwater collection system modifications and upgrades. Tippery is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Wisconsin and an Envision Sustainability Professional.