0 (0s):
Hello everybody. Welcome back to Radio Entrepreneurs the reformatted version for Covin 19. Um, people are still working, still keeping their companies going, keeping people employed and safe and going to market and new and unusual ways, but not so unusual as time seems to go on. And more people are listening to these, uh, innovative methods. But our next guest, Reese Tisdale president Bluefield Research welcome.

1 (30s):
Hi. Hey Jeff. How you doing? Glad to be here.

0 (33s):
That's a nice background. You've got there. It's kind of alive.

1 (36s):
Yeah. Well I'm just, I'm trying to stay alive, so, uh, I appreciate.

0 (43s):
So do you want to tell us a little bit about, uh, Bluefield Research cause you know, I've heard some nice things.

1 (48s):
Yeah. So Bluefield research, we're a market research firm based in Boston. Uh, our focus is the Water industry, specifically broadly speaking, that's water, wastewater, storm stormwater. Uh, we help Companies understand not only what's happening in the market that could be drivers, could be the state of the economy as it is today. Uh, what we see happening going forward. Uh, how that impacts whether it be pipe suppliers, valves, suppliers, the engineering firms, utilities, public and private.

1 (1m 22s):
Um, and we, we or digital solutions, that's a big market for us recently. And so we helped them understand that what their peers are doing. And we do that through a couple different ways. We provide ongoing insight services, sort of annual retainer based agreements, but also consulting as well.

0 (1m 40s):
Well, it's interesting you talked about wastewater. I've been reading a lot and seeing a lot of posts from a company called Opti. Do you work with Opti at all?

1 (1m 47s):
We do. I'll tell you this actually. So I mentioned digital. They're a interesting, they're an interesting space. Um, niche might be a good way to put it, but are merging because storm, they're really focused on storm water, storm water management, given what's happening. And with climate, larger storm events, utilities and cities are quite honestly overwhelmed in some cases by the large volumes of water, uh, that go into their system. So they're helping organizations manage that.

1 (2m 19s):
Uh, and it's, it's really interesting and in a growing area. So Opti is, we do work with optic. Ah,

0 (2m 27s):
why would opt you need Research?

1 (2m 31s):
Yeah, I think that's a good question. Can I think what we try to do is help them understand one, what their peers are doing. Do they have competitors who are their competitors working with, but also where the opportunities for them. So where are there are 50,000 Water utilities but then another 18,000 wastewater utilities and then storm water source can span across both of those. So what we do is help them understand where those opportunities might be as they, as their business evolves and as they develop new or enhance their strategy.

0 (3m 5s):
So did you start this business?

1 (3m 8s):
We did. We started it and that was like a long time ago now. Uh, so I guess formally in 2013, we launched the business. My partners and I, we come from different backgrounds, but Market Research more recently, both in the telecom space, but also, uh, power and energy. And in 2012 was about when the sort of the idea came about. We said, well, where else is there an opportunity? Where is there a lack of information and insight?

1 (3m 41s):
How can we help? And where are companies in need of that information. And we just kept looking around quite honestly, globally and Water kept coming up over and over because it's pretty, it seems to us pretty obvious is that you can't live without water for three days. And there are a lot of different players and different strategies and business models being deployed. And we thought it was going to even be more attractive as time went on. Like I said, with climate change With Mmm.

1 (4m 12s):
You know, other influences and opportunity to just AC aging infrastructure, uh, and, and new build in emerging markets. So we thought that was, uh, opportunity for us, but also for the sector as a whole. So that's how we got into it. And here we are today still. It's still rolling, which is kind of incredible.

0 (4m 31s):
Well, I always used to say in our other edition of our show getting into the Wayback machine. What did you do before Bluefield Research

1 (4m 40s):
so my partners and I, we work for a company, it was emerging energy research and we did market research and renewable energy sector and that company was founded in 2003 we came from, you know, in a different times. Okay. Uh, we looked at that space, that's where we were and we are familiar acquired by IHS, which is now IHS market in 2010. Uh, and so they basically rolled our insights into wind power, solar, geothermal, into their broader power, uh, analysis business.

1 (5m 17s):
And so we were stuck around for a couple of years and then realized, you know, we like to bootstrap things, we like to figure things out and they're an acquisitive company. I mean that IHS, that's their strategy or has been historically and for us, we wanted to figure things out. And that's kinda how we got into Water. It was like, what's new? What's interesting? What can we figure? What can we figure out? How can we help people?

0 (5m 42s):
Interesting. But a big jump from being an employee to being an entrepreneur. Was this your first entrepreneurial venture?

1 (5m 49s):
Uh, it, it was and still is. So, um, yeah, it w it was probably than, it's always harder than everybody tells you it's going to be tough. Yeah. I have no idea. Exactly. You know, and that I think my wife now where it's 20, 20, I said we started in 2013. We've come around to it. My wife, I think just this past year realized, wow, you're thinking about this all the time. And it is, it's true. It's one thing that is great about what we do is that the topic for me is really interesting.

1 (6m 27s):
Uh, I, I'm always trying to think of new ideas and figure out ways to apply different, uh, trends or different business model, what's happening in other markets. So I, you know, whether I'm reading the paper reading, you know, or talking to someone, I'm always trying to figure that, how could that apply to the Water market? Well, what our market as a whole is pretty conservative, right. And so trying to figure out w and I think there is needed change. I think that's part of another reason we got into this. You know, the status quo, uh, is not sustainable as it stands.

1 (7m 2s):
And we always thought that, um, you know, we could add value there. And so that's what I do. We get to sit around. We're not building widgets every day, same thing over and over. It does change day to day. So to sit down with a team of analysts and talk about, Hey, what does this mean? How does that work? Market is fantastic. Yeah, I mean, to your question, it's tough and, uh, I wouldn't even to this day I wouldn't trade it for the world though. Quite honestly.

1 (7m 32s):
It's better than, yeah. Pioneer. I mean, Oh, pioneer, you can call me up pioneer. I don't, I don't know if I'd play it up that way. That is the American character. And I say it in a fond way. I don't say it in a bad way. It's a, there are good parts to it. Uh, you know, I have a background in national brands steeped many years ago into psychographic testing.

1 (8m 2s):
Right. You know, for our listeners, what type of, you know, you know, I don't know if you're doing psychographic, what type of testing you're doing. Can you tell them so that they're clear what kind of testing you do as far as you mean testing as an Research? I mean, I think that's Research yeah, I mean, what we really do, I mean, we're doing business analysis more competitive and you know, we're applying, you know, uh, you know, our experience as well as our understanding of market trends, where a project's being built, who's building them, what are the strategies, what are the business strategies, channels to market by the various companies?

1 (8m 44s):
How are they doing it? So that's really what we're doing. I mean, it is, so it's less on the marketing side, but more on, Hey, you know, it could be market entry strategy companies come to us and say, we are a European company, we're a European engineering firm and we want to get into the U S market. Can you tell us w what do we do? Where do we go? This is what we do in Europe or elsewhere. But is there a strata in that could be a number of things. They could be supplying pipes or valves.

1 (9m 15s):
They could also the, you know, they, maybe they're looking to buy a utility. And so we say, all right, well here's your addressable market. Here is a, here's who the players are. Here are the policies shaping that. Market uh, here are examples. You know, we've got hundreds and hundreds for back to utilities, hundreds and hundreds of acquisitions that we've looked at that With monitored over time. So we know what the key players are paying, we know where they're paying, you know, what size, you know, and what factors, whether it's water, wastewater, and so on.

0 (9m 50s):
Oh, uh, we've been speaking with Reese Tisdale president Bluefield Research uh, Reese. If somebody wanted to learn more, contact you at Bluefield, how would they find you?

1 (10m 1s):
You could always go to us at www. We still say that. Bluefield research.com you can always find us at Twitter at Bluefield Water and then you can always reach out to me Tuesday alive. Bluefield Research

0 (10m 16s):
well, I want to thank you for being on Radio Entrepreneurs today. We hope we have you back, uh, sometime in the next year. We're always a big fan of water, clean water, storm water management. We know it's a big, we know flooding is a big issue, but I want to thank you for being on Radio Entrepreneurs

1 (10m 29s):
no, it's my pleasure. This is great. And, uh, hopefully we can do the skin.

0 (10m 34s):
Good. Remind everybody this is Radio Entrepreneurs and if you want to stay up to date as to how companies are competing in this new economy, just tune us in. We're on all forms of media and you can find us. Radio Entrepreneurs anywhere. Twitter Facebook LinkedIn you name it. And, uh, I wanna thank you for being on the show. We're going to take a break. We'll be right back.