Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology

Professional Engineer in multiple states. Using data and technology to make every drop of water count for our communities. Founder of @infrasync

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

Cities bring people together across backgrounds to drive progress. In the US, the top 100 metropolitan areas generate about 75% of GDP. Without water infrastructure all that would vanish. What should be low cost and driving our economy...is now high cost and dragging our economy.

🧵👇

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@the_transit_guy The realt benefits are the move to the design build approach and pulling more work in house. Still lots of progress to push as the model. But not black and white.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

Sometimes, if a full time position it normally makes sense. Even then add 60% to the salary costs for government benefits, for private industry it’s only an additional 30% for the benefits. For part time or intermittent services then contracting is much cheaper. If someone needs a data engineer for only 400 hours a year, it’s better to hire that out than staff it full time.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

I let my 2 year old watch Star Wars. Now about 20 times a day I hear “a galaxy far far away” shouted at the TV like a summoning spell.

The worst part is. I think I know his favorite character.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

Something is odd, calls it own business, but then refers to it as his job. Could be something like real estate or life insurance so technically his own company but doesn’t have something that can run without him. If he can figure out a way to hire people or build systems for support. Then he may be able to scale back to 20-30 hours a week.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@bobbyfijan Engineer here, the infill projects from 4-50 units are hopefully going to be a sweet spot. Any larger and you get efficiency from traditional builds by having the sub contractors work for low margins but steady work. Any smaller and it’s always going to be custom and expensive.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

I used to think this was a joke until I had a layover in DC. It was the weirdest way I've ever moved at an airport.

[Secretary Sean Duffy @SecDuffy]

Dinosaurs became extinct…

Soon it’ll be the PEOPLE MOVERS turn 🪦

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

Engineer here, not Architect. I don't understand how the codes drifted over the years to "encumber" so much of the property. Excluding utility easements, shouldn't you be able to built on 100% of what you own?

I used to own a home with about 60' from the street to the front door. Almost everyday we wished we could have had the home 15' from the street and made the backyard an extra 45' longer. Or at least a brick fence enclosed courtyard.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@financedystop This is why @MikeCalcara is doing so much business. Helping people get a great car for a great price without 20 hours wasted with dealerships.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@The_AlexKirby @Tribefounders Welcome! Great group of people focused on improving themselves and their companies.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

Lots of use with large GIS networks for water / wastewater and unstructured data. Then also with azure databases and our own internal custom software for reporting on waterloss and waster I&I for system analysis. So not many consistent workflows but lots of "check these 300 documents and help me find relevant information to ingest into our modeling software"

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@onlmaps My daughter drew the same map. I’m a bit biased but I prefer her optimism.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@buythedirt I think I saw your passion for regenerative farming. Plenty in the Texas area.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

The only invoice I'm excited to get. It means about 175lb of grass-fed beef is about 2 weeks out from delivered into my deep freezer.

One of the best parts of living in Texas is the quality and sustainable beef.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@SMB_Attorney Curious how would look by age. I suspect it’s almost all concentrated in the 60+ crowd.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@thericebowlgirl The long term impacts of this should be good. Once exposed to coding people will understand how easy the front end is but how difficult the back end is.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@bobbyfijan I like dogs, but I love people. We should have 3-5x more kids and babies in cities.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

@buythedirt I’m focused on municipal and industrial water systems. Some overlap with water reuse but mostly biological processes for F&B and high BOD. Will have to connect to find out how to help.

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

A few years ago, I had a conversation with my retired neighbor.

My annual property taxes $5800

Her annual property taxes $78

I have 3 kids, working full time, homeschool (so no public school use). She was retired and living alone in the house. Both our homes were worth around $300k.

Once you understand that almost all our tax policy is not based on need but just age, you can understand how it enables old people to live in cities that are 90% subsided by working families.

Sure in theory it would be nice that if someone has paid their way for 40 years they can get a break at the end but in reality the police still need to be paid, the waterlines repaired, and the potholes fixed and the money must come from somewhere.

[Laura Waxmann @laura_waxee]

Hundreds of #SanFrancisco Marina residents turned out this evening for townhall on controversial @Safeway housing plan, which would place what for many is an uncomfortably tall, 22 & 18 story project at the low-slung neighborhood’s waterfront.
@sfchronicle

[Andrew Swirsky - Water Data & Technology @Andrew_Swirsky]

Tribe has been great, not really for finding business networking to grow sales or find customers (that does happen a bit). But mostly as a place to learn from others and improve as a business leader. I went from an executive at a $6 Billion a year company into starting a company from $0 and Tribe has been critical in helping "reset" in my mind what works for a normal business vs a huge enterprise.