NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion and Las Vegas Native Kurt Busch Teams With Water Works Industry Solutions

LAS VEGAS, March 16 -- NASCAR Nextel Cup champion and 2 Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch is taking a step to help provide a consistent training program for laborers in the waterworks industry, which will aid in proper installations and ultimately help to conserve water loss throughout the valley and across the nation. As a former Las Vegas Valley Water District employee, Busch returned home last week to help unveil a new DVD training series to help train waterworks employees around the United States.

"The greatest challenge facing community water systems today is the aging infrastructure and training the vast number of laborers replacing the retiring baby boomers in this industry," expressed Holly Hartzell-Reviglio, WWIS co-founder and educator. With the retirement of this generation, the need for properly trained and skilled laborers prepared to take over their jobs in laying new pipe lines as well as maintaining the current infrastructure is an area of concern as many communities are finding.

The DVD series, called Training and Installation "The Basics," consists of 36 introductory DVD lessons created to help supplement and aid in the understanding and safety of the most common waterworks parts, how they are used in the field and their general installations. The lessons are performed by experienced veterans in the waterworks industry and were designed by educators and industry professionals. Each lesson was created in part by following industry associations such as AWWA, Uni-Bell and DIPRA's standards in conjunction with industry manufacturers for accuracy. "While researching this project we uncovered a lack of adequate training products available to the waterworks industry which covered the basic fundamentals and the most common installations used daily in the field ... We wanted to find a way of helping both the employer and the laborer along with the industry by creating a program to consistently train and track employee's skills," said Nick Reviglio WWIS president and co-founder.

"Like a worn tire on a race car, you cannot ignore the problem or it could spell disaster," said Busch at a news conference held last week at the NASCAR Cafe. "My crew is constantly anticipating and making adjustments during a race to ensure I'm running at optimum performance. Providing your workforce with the information they need to do their job efficiently and effectively is the first step to fixing the problem, and the Water Works Industry Solutions DVD training series would go a long way to filling the need for more information."

WWIS's Holly Hartzell-Reviglio said, "With Kurt's background, it was only natural to work with him on this endeavor. A role model such as Kurt will bring a certain respect to this industry as well as increase the awareness and need for proper training in relation to our water systems."

"As I learned from racing, you can't reach your full potential unless you master the basics and work as a team. Whether it's installing a carburetor or a flanged fitting, you have to hit your mark every time to succeed," Busch said.

Marketing Director for WWIS, Shannon Diem expressed, "'The Basics' provides the proper training in a way for everyone to understand, whether the individual is an engineer, foreman or laborer. The DVDs allow municipalities, water districts, contractors and others to save training expenses as well as prevent on-site injuries while providing a comprehensive training curriculum."

More information on "The Basics" can be found at www.wwindustrysolutions.com.