Categories
Water Action Movement Water Cooler Talk

What a Difference a Year Makes

This time last year there was a cloud of fear of the unknown hovering Altitude Water.

What was going to happen to us when our parent company Altitude International Holdings was in financial difficulty.

They had attempted to purchase the Club Med Property in Port St. Lucie and were notified they were in default of a loan on which Altitude Water was collateral. Not only were we not being funded properly, but now we didn’t know who would own the company.

While stressful for management, it also took its toll on employees. In a manufacturing facility, it is soon obvious when funding stops. Buying parts and production halts. While we had enough parts to start building the T12s, we lacked cases. Reading the SEC filings of the public company, we know there was trouble.

Then everything changed. And now that’s all behind us as we start 2024 with self-confidence, exhilaration and a renewed spirit of growth. We also start with two of our longest-serving employees now becoming owners. So, we would first like to thank Alvaro DaSilva and Jaymie Ditzler for all their hard work in building the BEST AWG on the market. And we congratulate them on becoming what they’ve earned the right to become—owners!

As 2024 starts we have excitement and anticipation that all our hard work will yield huge benefits for our team and investors. We have numerous projects in various stages, but most of the testing is complete. We have completed upgrades, have machines making more water than ever before, joined forces with new Nonprofits, and added new products to our arsenal. Here is a quick recap of the areas on which we will focus our efforts and the projects they entail.

  1. Hawaii- We developed for Noah’s Arc a Disaster Relief Trailer that is in operation in Maui which is providing water to those displaced by the wildfires. It is currently located at a homeless center in Kuhului providing water for the staff and residents in addition to having tanks filled and driven to Lahaina.
    1. Returning to Maui at the end of January 2023 to work on a solar/water trailer currently being built there.
    2. Attending a FootprintProject.Org event on Oahu
    3. Meeting with other Non-profits who need water in their project. The State of Hawaii is not granting new water use permits so new construction will be looking at AWGs as a solution.
  2. Maka Project Cameroon- This project is moving along nicely, and we are scheduled to ship the first unit Feb 1.
    1. The Groundbreaking ceremony was completed, and the Water Hub is being built by Jean-Felicien Gacha Foundation who is also using this project to train villagers on construction skills.
    2. The solar bid was put out for the project, and we were pleased that African Solar won the bid as we having been working with them since our first visit to Cameroon in April 2022.
  1. New Products going on website- Altitude Water will be releasing three new products on the website starting in January:
    1. The first will be a solar generator and panels to run the T-12 off grid. We will be bundling these with our units for bigger discounts.
    1. The PsS10565A purification box was designed and built by purification specialist Alvaro DaSilva. This product is now completed after successful testing and upgrades to the PLC Board for greater flexibility. Will be on the website soon.
    1. Disaster Relief Solar/Water trailer- The specs are being completed and built and should be ready for posting soon.
  1. Ecuador- Our distributor Nubios has completed the testing of the T-12 with the Universidad de Catolica Guayaquil and are completing the design for installing a Water Hub on one of the buildings. A demonstration video has been completed on the project.
    1. 1 T-100 will sit on the roof.
    2. 1 PsS10565A purification box will be on the roof.
    3. 3 T-12 Dispensers will be at the entrance to the building on the ground floor.
  2. Strategic working relationship with FootprintProject.org – (FPP) We have been blessed to continue working with this Nonprofit and developing a resilient and sustainable package for Disasters and water security.
    1. We picked up two trailers for FootprintProject.org to donate to the cause and to work on integrating our water machines. In dealing with Nonprofits it’s all hands on deck and we help where we can.
      1. We sent one of our workers in Louisianna to Willie Nelson’s Farm to pick up a solar trailer that was used at a festival.
      2. Picked up a solar trailer that was used after Hurricane Idilia in Florida outside Tampa
    1. Visited Audubon Gentilly Charter School where FPP is implementing its Beehive concept which we think is everything that you could ask for and will soon be adding water to this project.

There is so much more but time is a valuable commodity right now with everything going on. Many more updates will be coming soon as well as radio interviews, new customers, and the unveiling of the Solar/Water Trailer and a new way to handle disasters. We will be active in recruiting Water Warriors to our team. We will integrate them into some of our projects. Some will be volunteers, and others will be paying jobs. Stay tuned and we would like to thank you and God for helping us through 2023 and having the company now in the charge of its rightful owners.

Categories
Water Cooler Talk

For A Time Such As This

Wow. A Sunday to wash the truck and catch up with all of the paperwork that has piled up after our trips. It’s also a time to update everyone on the progress Altitude Water has made in the last month. This update will incorporate pictures of the different projects we have been involved with. 

The title relates to a Bible quote from Esther (4:14) It really seems to relate to what has occurred with Altitude Water. With over 14 years’ experience in the AWG industry, it just feels that our experience was developed for a time such as this: 

 A time when…. 

  1.  There have been incredible advances in Alternate Energy technology which strengthens the argument for using our technology. As our Water Queen Cecilia Rodhe says, “No Pipe No Plug” Boom Water 
  2. The public is educated to the risk of pollutants in our groundwater and aquifers. 
  3. There is extensive money available for rebuilds that use “Green Technology” with the Build Back Better program.  
  4. There is a need to build back in Hawaii 
  5. The relationships we have invested in regarding people and distributors are properly situated in area of recent disasters (Maui and Louisianna- not to mention Delray Beach just has a boil water alert. 
  6. The advances we have made with our technology have made our machines the Best in Show and better for integration with Alternate Energy. 
  7. New products that use our “purification technology” that have a need for larger quantities of water. 

 Here is an overview of the past month. Yes, it was packed full of trips and projects. Honestly felt like three months looking back and all we accomplished.

Nashvile Trip-October 4-8, 2023 

Amy Grant – Barefoot Republic.

The Nonprofit Camp that does Barefoot at the Farm every summer held its Annual Fundraiser at Amy’s Farm. This is a time that the farm closes down for winter (less events and it gets cold where the T150 is not efficient for making water so we winterize it). Our distributor Russel Yarema usually does this event but this year his back would not permit the trip (feel better Russell) so our COO went.

We love to support this camp in both time and as well as financially when we are able. This was one of those years where we believed it was important to fund the mission. We winterized the machine and met with Dan and Matt (Amy’s son) on the purification box Alvaro developed. Dan is building a house on the farm and may use the purification box to help keep his water safe. We got to watch Amy perform her new song, “Trees We’ll Never See”.  What a blessing. Love this song. See attached videos of our COO enjoying the live performance. What a blessing. 

Phil Gray

Phil Gray meeting- Our COO got to spend a day with the Gray family and see the new building they just completed and plan the future growth of Altitude Water. We would like to personally thank the whole Gray Family for their belief in our technology and being excited over what is going on at Altitude. 

Celebrated Founders Day with them at their McDonalds and see the finished product of Phil’s Legacy Building (what we call it. No one builds like this anymore). Discussed a Disaster Relief Trailer for Nashville and other patent issues. It was a celebration of what we achieved and planning for the next stage of growth and Altitude Water needs. Stay tuned.

Hawaii Trip- October 9-23, 2023 

Wow just wow. Remember before the Nashville Trip we were preparing the T300 (previously the T200 but after upgrades and testing we changed the name to better reflect water production with the same electrical draw) for shipment to Maui. After difficult circumstances the machines landed on October 5th and Alvaro flew back from Italy to make the flight on Monday for Maui. 

Noah’s Arc

Noah’s Arc greeted us and the Noah family and the guys went to the Church to stay and work on the trailer and the machines and Ceclia and our COO went to educate and help. 

Disaster Relief Trailer

Building the trailer came with new challenges as the trailers and water tankswere all gone on the island. Pastor Corey from Maui Church of Christ foundus one and the guys extended trip to 8 days to get the final trailer complete.The trailer that was donated (such blessings) did not have wood and below isthe transformation to the completed product with the purification box thatcan purify 1,000 gallons of water in additional storage tanks included eventhough it was not budgeted (more blessings this time from Altitude as well asthe added week of expenses). During this build-there were many humanitarian excursions from Noah’s Arc and Altitude Water and evaluation of the need for the water-the guys took their only day off on Sunday to set up a solar R/O system donated by Stable Road Foundation (a donor for the Disaster Relief/Water for the World trailer), we delivered water filters to hubs and helped build the structure for the solar panels for Footprintproject.org donated solar grid. John Hart also donated his time and Pastor Corey was their but all in videos. 

At the RO project with Noah’s Arc and Stable Road Foundation we also weeded Taro ponds and build a rock wall to dam up the river and create a swimming hole for the kids. This area gets water diverted and needs Water Buffalos delivered for water. 

Footprintproject.org

Another example of “for a time such as this” Altitude Water received an order on-line before leaving for New Orleans. It was purchased by Footprintproject.org who was providing solar grids for Disaster Relief. We have been looking for a partner like this. 

We also found out they would be in Maui at the same time and we could meet and look at places for collaboration. They have 18 systems installed on the island and we assisted in the start up at one of them 

Schools and Sustainability Projects

Both Noah’s Arc and Altitude Water met at various locations that could benefit from our technology. Kula elementary currently is trucking in pallets of bottled water and Eddie Rodriguez’s sustainability project for tiny houses looks like perfect locations. A T300 saves 11,200 plastic bottles a week. While down to work on humanitarian efforts Jaymie got a call from the DOD on the machine in Oahu and it being moved to a different base on Oahu for  testing. We delivered filters and upgraded the software and assisted with the testing.

God Stories and things that make what we do and work so hard worth it. 

Donny volunteered from Pittsburg cut fire breaks for 2 weeks and asked for a break. He chooses to sift through the ashes for wedding rings. After 6 hours boom. Kids at the Art Therapy Class talked about fear and drew pictures of fears they have overcome. 

Our COO got to preach at Maui Church of Christ. 

We received huge donations from people or groups that wish to be anonymous but helped because they believe in our technology. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

Getting paid for volunteer work in fresh fruit- we love this.

Corporate Recap

October 23-29th– October isn’t over! Our COO is back on the road tomorrow heading to New Orleans delivering a T150 and a T12 to Footprintproject.org (Russell is making this trip and also setting up meetings in Municipalities), the COO is currently testing our T150 with new technology on it as he writes this update, the T12 line is cranking out machines and we rehired one of our great assemblers, we are building new production lines in the new warehouse, we are negotiating and going through the DD process with an investment banking firm, we are raising some bridge money from individual investors/friends of the company, building the T300 for the Cameroon and Maka project, and finally looking for new employees: Assemblers and HVAC techs 

  1. Project manager/Administrative Assistant 
  2. Part time- social media coordinator. 

Conclusion

We are looking forward to November and heading back to Hawaii. Don’t forget the Maka project as we did in the update. The shelter has been designed by Jean Felicien Gacha, cases for T300 have been redesigned to incorporate the new technology for solar and to speak with the batteries for power, D/C compressors are next. Look at the board for the T300 now that the redesign has been completed. 

The military was blown away as their machine was one of the first T200s and we have done ALL of the upgrades in the old case design causing us to do some not so pretty wiring. We are ready now for “Such a time as this”. 

Categories
Water Cooler Talk

Update for the week of September 5

Happy Labor Day everyone.  We at Altitude Water labored as it didn’t say Rest Day and we have people in Maui waiting for our trailer.

At Altitude Water, we understand that every day is a chance to work hard and serve others, which is why we’ve been tirelessly working on various projects to make a positive impact in the world.

Maui Disaster Relief Trailer

First and foremost, our team has been diligently working on the Maui Disaster Relief Trailer. Our T-200 machines are currently in full production, with the compressors set to arrive this Wednesday. We have experts on hand who are working on installing the board and running wires. By next week, we hope to have the machine on the test line, and soon thereafter, ready to provide clean water to those who need it most.

Meanwhile, our T-12 and Commercial Machine line (T-100 and T-200) has undergone some incredible changes! We’ve reconfigured our assembly line and the metal fabricator has been working on producing cases. Our skilled team is now working hard on putting together the T-12s and you can check out our social media accounts to follow along.

Of course, logistics is always a challenge in disaster relief situations, and Maui is no exception. Unfortunately, there are several underlying issues that we witnessed firsthand during our time there in January. Despite this, our team is determined to make a positive impact and provide leadership where there seems to be a lack of it. We’re currently working on shipping and distribution logistics, as well as coordinating with local leaders to ensure our mission is successful.

We have meetings regarding the shipping from mainland to the islands as well as the location for distribution of water.  Cecilia (Noah’s Arc) and Paolo (Na Mea ‘Ike ‘Ia) have been working tirelessly on the ground coordinating our mission. More news to come

Maka

Last but not least, we had a very productive project management meeting this week, during which we outlined our goals for the rest of the year. One of our main objectives is to ensure that the people of Maka have access to clean water as soon as possible. We’re currently re-working a well that was previously drilled in the village and coordinating rainwater harvest with our ozone purification system. Additionally, our first machine with the Variable Speed Compressors and new software is currently being built and tested. We hope to have the machine arrive in Maka in early November and are excited to see the impact it will make.

In other exciting news, we’ve received our first donor commitment for the Disaster Relief Trailer in South Florida from FHE Health of Pompano Beach! We’re grateful for the opportunity to expand our partnership. It is our hope and prayer that we get a trailer funded and built before a disaster strikes. Thank you for the great meeting Sherief and we look forward to expanding our partnership and thank you Zappy and Mind Army for the great introduction.

Overall, it’s been a productive and fulfilling week at Altitude Water, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Categories
Water Cooler Talk

Update Monday August 28, 2023

So with all of the activity regarding Nonprofits we believe it is important for transparency to give weekly updates on our projects and what the goals are to achieve.

Transparency is essential in keeping you up-to-date with our latest projects and goals. We want to recognize our suppliers who are lending a hand in our Disaster Relief Efforts. This will also enable us to mention and showcase various suppliers who are going the extra mile to support the Disaster relief Efforts.

Most are just doing it out of their hearts and not looking for recognition, but we think they should be recognized for their efforts.

Remember our foundational motto for these projects- #teamworkmakesthedreamwork.   Our team believes that teamwork makes the dream work! We’ve learned that in our 14 years of service.

One example of such generosity is Corey from Coco Markets who reached out to us without prompting.

“Hi-we’d like to make Altitude water a sponsor of  CocoMarket on 9/3 and make social media post about the trailer you are looking to build for Maui. Can you please give me a high- resolution logo and more information about the initiative?”

For three months, we’ve been involved with the Delray Community of Health and Wellness, and she wanted to make Altitude Water a sponsor of CocoMarket on September 3rd. Additionally, they wanted to make a social media post about our Maui trailer initiative and support us in any way possible. Their genuine act of kindness without expecting recognition deserves appreciation, and we thank them for it.

As an organization, we strive to contribute towards creating a better tomorrow, which includes environmental conservation. Through our efforts in water conservation and reducing plastic bottle waste, we work towards purifying the purest Altitude Water through our Atmospheric Water Generators.

Unprompted.  Didn’t need to call and ask.  She heard and reached out as they want to be part of the movement. Thank you, Corey and thank you Noah’s arc as I was able to tell her the Maui Trailer is fully funded and we are now working on a trailer closer to home- the South Florida Disaster Relief Trailer (I can’t wait to put a sponsor’s name on that). That got her even more excited. Us too!!

We are elated to unveil our grand strategy – to reinforce the Cajun Army. This transcendental idea of how God orchestrates events, we hold in high esteem. Awe-inspiring connections that came to life in 2008 are being rejuvenated, it’s nothing but divine intervention. The rejuvenation of a vital bond with the Cajun Navy was only attainable by venturing off to Maui.

This is very surreal and how we believe God is working in all of this.  Relationships we developed back in 2008 are being resurrected. Who needed to go to Maui to restablish a relationship with the Cajun Navy.

Altitude Water who has its roots in Denham Springs needed to go to Maui to reopen our history.  Our founders started in the AWG business there in 2008. Southern University did our first test on what is now the T-100 (called the Chameleon 60 then).

Here is a blog post from September 2011 (https://suagcenter.blogspot.com/2011/09/su-ag-center-researchers-evaluate.html) .  We have watched the Cajun Navy develop since Katrina into an International Disaster Relief organization. This journey gets more interesting every day but we mostly focus on helping meet the needs of Maui as quickly as possible.  These past relationships are helping make that happen.

So let’s start the update

  1. Noah’s Arc raised all of the funds in three days and will be released on Wednesday.
  2. Altitude Water already ordered the necessary parts and have begun the build. It is anticipated that it will be 10 days to complete and test. The T-200, 2 T-12 dispensers, and all of the hookups for the trailer will be manufacturer at the Altitude Factory. All of the upgrades that were implemented during the testing for Maka project are being incorporated in this system.
  3. New panels have been punched and at Powder Coater.
  4. The plan is to fly the machine down commercially or privately (working on that now). The trailer, tanks, and generator are all being sourced and purchased on Maui.
  5. Our team (owners Alvaro and Jaymie) will fly down to construct the trailer. We anticipate three days for the trailer to be complete.
  6. The assembly team will return to the factory and pass the training and deployment team in the sky as they will arrive on island from Altitude to train Na Mea Ike Ia and Noah’s Arc team as well as Cajun Navy to use the trailer and will meet with other disaster relief teams as well as State Representatives.

While Altitude Water is a vendor and selling the trailer for the disaster relief efforts, Altitude Water has agreed to donate the funds for all travel of the teams to and from Maui as well as all of the time for training an on-site installation for this project.  It is our donation to the cause.

Through our efforts in water conservation and reducing plastic bottle waste, we work towards purifying the purest Altitude Water through our Atmospheric Water Generators.

We are building the team every day.  People are offering to assist in social media posts, design work, messaging.

We also have been able to order the cases for the second disaster relief trailer we are building for our yet unnamed sponsor in South Florida.

Let’s work together towards a brighter future. Stay tuned.