Steel Success: U.S. Pipe’s Roadmap to Resilience

From pipes to progress: Vikrant Bhatia, Former CEO of U.S. Pipe, shares his journey of innovation, leadership, and setting the standard for industrial excellence.

Featured on: 

• Tomorrow's World Today - S4E07 – Pipe Dreams

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• Why These Five Towns Switched To Ductile Iron Pipes in 2021
• $55 Billion Allocated to Improve U.S. Water Infrastructure
• History of Running Water

Transcript

(0:00) Welcome to the Tomorrow's World Today podcast. (0:04) We sit down with experts, world-changing innovators, (0:07) creators, and makers to explore how they're taking action (0:10) to make tomorrow's world a better place for technology, (0:14) science, innovation, sustainability, the arts, and more. (0:18) On this episode, host George Davison, (0:21) who is also the host of the TV series Tomorrow's World Today, (0:24) sits down with Vic Batia, former CEO of US Pipe, (0:27) a company owned by Forterra Corporation.
(0:30) Vic shares his journey from a middle school fascination (0:33) with the stock market to becoming a seasoned business problem solver. (0:37) He discusses his approach to tackling complex challenges (0:40) in the waterworks industry and the importance of resilience. (0:44) So can we chat a little bit about yourself (0:47) and this company that you work for? (0:50) So tell me, I mean, you're president of this organization.
(0:53) You weren't always president, right? (0:55) You did start out somehow. (0:56) Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started in life? (1:00) Gosh, I'll try and be brief in the story (1:03) and then let me know where you think it may be interesting to dig in. (1:05) But as the president of US Pipe, (1:10) I acquired this position after working with the parent company, Forterra.
(1:14) And Forterra was a series of companies that had been bought, (1:18) and my job was to help integrate them (1:20) so that the owner could ultimately make more money. (1:24) Understood. (1:24) And through the course of doing that, I learned a lot about US Pipe, (1:29) the ductile iron pipe, and the waterworks industry, (1:31) and grew to be the president of this business.
(1:34) My background before that was, (1:38) I guess the journey starts really in middle school (1:41) when I first learned about the stock market. (1:43) And I was a smart kid, (1:45) and I got picked on in middle school for being a smart kid several times. (1:50) I may have started as early as elementary school.
(1:54) But what I learned was, through the stock market, (1:57) that business was this discipline (2:00) where smart people could find a way to win and to make money. (2:04) And it was almost a complete meritocracy (2:07) where the amount of effort you put into it, (2:09) the amount of discipline that you had, (2:12) and the types of things that you did, (2:13) and the bets that you took on yourself, (2:15) that could all translate to success. (2:17) And I thought, well, this is something I may be interested in.
(2:20) So you carry that through high school. (2:23) I then got an undergraduate business degree. (2:27) But at that point, it kind of ran out, (2:29) and I thought, well, gosh, what do I want to do in business? (2:31) I hadn't had to think about that.
(2:34) I became a consultant. (2:35) And for 14 years, I absolutely loved it. (2:38) I learned about a number of different industries.
(2:41) I learned about the challenges (2:42) that so many different companies were having (2:44) and how to solve those challenges. (2:46) And it got to the point where I wanted to know (2:49) what happened when I left. (2:52) Because as a consultant, I got to know their issues, (2:55) I got to know their industries, (2:56) I got to help them solve their problems, (2:57) but I wasn't always there to see it through.
(3:00) And so I decided to leave consulting, (3:03) and what I discovered was (3:05) a lot of the things that we consulted on worked, (3:08) and they worked really well. (3:09) And that gave me the confidence to say (3:11) I can solve problems in the business world, (3:13) not just as a consultant. (3:15) After that, I effectively became (3:17) what I would refer to as a turnaround guy, (3:19) where I go into businesses that have deep-seated problems, (3:23) and it may take them a few years to fix them, (3:26) and that's ultimately where I seem to have the most fun, (3:29) and that's what I've learned about myself, (3:30) and that's where the journey has brought me.
(3:32) Interesting. (3:33) So you've had a life of identifying challenges (3:37) in, let's say, several different industries as a consultant. (3:41) You've polished your observational skills, (3:44) your listening skills, (3:45) so that you can develop ideas (3:47) on how to solve some of these problems, right? (3:50) That is a good stepping point (3:54) into the world of STEM and STEAM, (3:56) science, technology, engineering, art, and math, (3:59) is something that we like to talk about quite a bit.
(4:02) And what you're mentioning is solving problems (4:05) and identifying how to do that (4:08) to the benefit of some company. (4:10) You can do that with projects, too, right? (4:12) So you can utilize your observational skills, (4:14) knuckle down on it, use your brain, (4:16) come up with ideas, (4:18) and see if that might solve a problem. (4:19) What do you do, though, (4:20) if the problem isn't solved right away? (4:22) I mean, I'm sure you didn't have every problem that you solved (4:25) was, like, the right idea every time, right? (4:28) No, absolutely not.
(4:29) And what I think about problem solving, (4:33) to me, the concept of problem solving (4:35) is its skill set in its own right (4:38) because there's no one way to solve a problem, (4:40) but the concept of getting up to speed very quickly. (4:44) In consulting, you have to work in new industries. (4:46) Sometimes every 3 to 4 weeks.
(4:47) Sometimes every 3 to 4 months. (4:49) Sometimes every year. (4:50) But you have to learn a new business.
(4:52) You have to learn a new industry. (4:53) And so to solve the problem, (4:55) I have to learn to come up to speed very quickly. (4:57) And then you have to figure out, (4:59) well, I can't solve every element of the problem.
(5:03) Therefore, I have to form hypotheses. (5:06) And what are my hypotheses (5:08) of what could be the underlying cause (5:11) and how would I solve it? (5:12) And you spend a lot of time doing diligence on those. (5:15) And you're right.
(5:16) A lot of times, my hypotheses were not correct. (5:19) And in that situation, (5:21) just like the problem-solving process, (5:22) coming back to what do I know for certain, (5:25) where else can I head, (5:26) what have I not seen, (5:27) and just keep down that process (5:29) until ultimately you either figure out (5:33) how to solve the problem (5:34) or the problem seems to resolve itself in some ways. (5:36) Because business itself transitions (5:38) and migrates and evolves.
(5:40) Organizations evolve. (5:41) Industries evolve. (5:43) Communities evolve.
(5:43) People evolve, right? (5:45) And a lot of that changes the nature of the problem, (5:47) if not does not solve the problem itself. (5:51) And I think as a problem solver, (5:53) you're helping affect the evolution (5:54) because all those things ultimately need to come together (5:57) to solve the problem. (5:58) So you were able to get a lot of life experiences.
(6:01) And as you're gathering life experiences, (6:03) you're building skill sets. (6:04) You can look at problems lots of different ways (6:06) and maybe come up with a solution faster. (6:08) Is that a fair assumption? (6:10) That is a fair assumption.
(6:12) And I think what I would say (6:13) is the most important thing (6:14) is not trying to get every bit of information (6:17) before trying to solve the problem. (6:20) And where I saw great problem solvers (6:22) from those that didn't always succeed, (6:24) the ones who didn't were no less smart (6:26) and they were no less ambitious (6:27) and they had no less effort, (6:29) but it was the effort to try and collect so much information (6:31) thinking there's a black and white answer to the problem (6:34) when in reality a lot of the solutions are in gray matter (6:37) and you're doing the best you can (6:39) through an inductive process (6:40) and therefore you actually solve problems faster (6:43) and you're more interested in the journey of the problem (6:47) because as the problem seems to evolve and change, (6:50) you kind of know where to head. (6:52) Yes.
(6:52) So as the game changes on you, (6:54) you're one step ahead. (6:56) Nice. (6:57) That's a good way to say it.
(6:58) I enjoy identifying possible solutions too (7:01) and enjoying the journey as you're going forward. (7:04) I don't mind falling. (7:06) I don't mind failing and getting back up again.
(7:09) It's not a one time, you know, (7:11) you come up with the right answer and off we go. (7:13) You have had a long career. (7:15) You're working at it every day.
(7:17) You've earned now this position (7:19) and we want to, you know, (7:21) just see what else we can extract from you, right? (7:24) So, you know, we do have a lot of people out there (7:29) who can learn from, let's say, (7:31) some of the relatable stories you might have (7:34) that would be something that's similar to them (7:36) in their world. (7:37) So can you talk about the household environment (7:41) that you grew up in? (7:42) Did you have mentors? (7:44) Did you have positive, supportive parents? (7:47) I did have a very happy family. (7:50) Middle income, growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta.
(7:54) And, you know, my parents came from India (7:57) and I was the first born in the U.S. (8:00) and expectations were pretty high (8:02) that we were going to succeed. (8:05) And in some ways I saw what my parents went through (8:08) to give us that opportunity and the risks they took. (8:12) And I thought, I kind of owe it to the process (8:15) to see how this plays out.
(8:16) Grades were heavily emphasized. (8:19) Achievements were heavily emphasized. (8:21) But I also appreciated being well-rounded.
(8:24) And what I mean by that is it wasn't all grades. (8:26) I played sports. (8:28) I ran and I swam.
(8:29) And I think some of the lessons I picked up (8:31) from being an athlete (8:33) in terms of just resilience, perseverance, (8:36) not being good at something the first time, (8:37) the rewards of practice, (8:40) I think there's a lot that we can learn from sports. (8:42) And so I think the combination of sports (8:45) and a demanding household, (8:48) but not overly onerous, right? (8:49) I don't want to present it as that, (8:52) but the expectations were high. (8:54) So, you know, there are advantages (8:56) to coming from another country, right? (8:58) You know, your family wanted to come here (9:01) and maybe find a better life.
(9:02) Would that be a fair assumption? (9:04) That would be. (9:05) Okay. (9:06) And when we don't have (9:08) really what we would like in life, (9:10) it can be a strength when utilized properly.
(9:13) And it sounds like it was here. (9:15) You know, there's an old saying, you know, (9:17) if you have a back in the corner, be careful. (9:20) Don't go in that corner (9:21) because superhuman strength (9:23) can come out of that corner.
(9:25) So being in the challenged world (9:27) of wanting to do better, (9:29) you know, it's a beautiful place to be (9:31) because you can make a great life, in my opinion, (9:34) just chasing experiences (9:36) where if you inherit everything (9:39) or life is just all given to you, (9:41) you know, sometimes you want to think, (9:43) oh, I just want to be the rich guy (9:44) or I want to be the rich kid. (9:46) And people don't understand (9:47) that those kids are challenged as well. (9:49) You know, they have so many things already.
(9:51) What are they going to chase in life? (9:53) So wealthy, middle class, low class, (9:56) they all have things to chase. (9:57) We just have to figure it out (9:59) and what's important to us, right? (10:01) Early on, (10:03) and I remember writing college essays about this, (10:05) I really appreciated learning people's stories. (10:09) And it was just something that, you know, (10:12) it reminded me that everybody's got a story.
(10:14) And be it a happy story, be it a sad story, (10:17) there's a story behind every person (10:19) that I don't know. (10:20) And taking the time to learn that (10:22) and then wanting to be a part of it in some way, (10:25) that inspired me. (10:27) And it could have been the smallest of things (10:29) or who knows what.
(10:32) As I'm saying this, (10:33) I'm actually reminded of a situation (10:34) where I had a high school coach. (10:37) And the story seems negative (10:38) because I lost a two mile race on the track (10:41) at the very last moment. (10:42) I didn't see the guy until after the finish line.
(10:46) And my coach was egging me on and egging me on (10:48) and after the race, (10:49) I remember he said, (10:50) you don't have the heart to run. (10:52) You should have won that race. (10:53) I remember that decades later.
(10:56) But what I remember was the feeling I had (10:58) when he said that was, (10:59) no, I gave it my all. (11:01) And somewhere I knew I was content. (11:04) I didn't need his validation (11:06) and his words just brushed right off my shoulder.
(11:09) Good for you. (11:10) And I think something like that, (11:12) that young that has stuck with me this long, (11:14) has reminded me that I got to do what I can do. (11:18) I got to control what I can control.
(11:20) And if I do that, (11:22) no matter what happens, (11:23) I'm going to be content with myself. (11:24) Isn't that wonderful? (11:26) And that's a great spot to be in. (11:27) If you're building confidence (11:29) and you're confident in your ability (11:31) that you gave it an all, (11:33) that's good enough.
(11:35) Not everybody is going to be the straight A (11:37) or taking the first place in every race, right? (11:40) But as long as you come out of there (11:42) and you're mentally strong (11:44) and say I can go on from here, (11:46) I can continue my chase of life, (11:48) all the more power to you. (11:49) Because there are other races coming. (11:52) There are other challenges coming (11:53) and you need to prepare for those.
(11:55) And I think that if I fast forward (11:58) just past high school (11:59) and I think about the journey (12:01) that got me to where I am today, (12:03) it wasn't a particular class. (12:06) It wasn't a particular any one step. (12:09) But the lessons that I have taken (12:11) over the course of the last several years (12:13) are what we just talked about.
(12:15) It's also around the concept of resilience. (12:18) And when you fail, (12:20) try to fail fast (12:21) and then get back up and learn from it. (12:23) And I do hope that people fail earlier than I did.
(12:29) Because I had a lot of great success (12:31) in high school and college (12:32) and when I got my master's. (12:35) But had I experienced failure sooner, (12:38) I think I would have learned more from it (12:39) and I don't know where that trajectory (12:40) could have taken me. (12:42) Interesting.
(12:43) I haven't heard it said that way before. (12:45) That's some good wisdom there. (12:47) And if I go back to high school, (12:50) I think there were a couple times (12:51) when I should have taken a chance.
(12:52) I should have rolled the dice. (12:54) Shouldn't have played it straight. (12:55) Interesting.
(12:56) And I think that life skill (12:58) that I would have learned (12:59) would have been more valuable (13:01) than whatever grade I got from playing it straight (13:03) and doing what I was supposed to do. (13:05) So when you say playing it straight, (13:07) you mean just like studying head down (13:09) and not taking the risk of exploring something else? (13:12) Is that what you mean? (13:13) Exactly. (13:14) So explore and try to find different things in life (13:17) that might appeal to you, (13:19) that might turn on your light to say (13:21) I want to become more advanced in this area.
(13:24) Sure. (13:24) And even if you don't think it is, (13:26) I'm not a great artist or a dancer. (13:28) Do I wish I would have taken more art and dance? (13:31) I do.
(13:32) Interesting, yeah. (13:32) Because that challenge (13:34) and what I would have learned about myself (13:36) by taking on that challenge (13:38) as opposed to something I was comfortable with, (13:41) it probably would have helped me out. (13:43) I did do that later in my career (13:46) when I figured out that there was value.
(13:48) But if I could go back to high school (13:50) and do it over again, (13:51) I'd roll the dice a little bit more in high school. (13:53) All right. (13:54) Well, you heard it right there.
(13:56) So let's chat for a second. (13:57) Let's see if we can get down into the weeds. (14:00) You have three kids, right? (14:01) I do have three kids.
(14:03) If I was going to ask you, (14:05) tell me if I was one of your children (14:07) and you were going to share something with me (14:10) when I was in high school, (14:11) what do you think would be some words of wisdom (14:14) that you might share with me (14:16) to get me on a path in life? (14:18) That's a very good question. (14:21) One of the things that we talk a lot about (14:23) and that I believe in (14:24) and I think they would share (14:26) is just the saying that good things happen to good people. (14:30) And if you think about all the pressures (14:33) that you may experience, (14:35) the concept of just being a good person, (14:37) true to who you are, (14:38) the reward may not come in that moment (14:40) or the next day or the next week, (14:41) but the character you build, (14:43) the way people get to know you, (14:45) I think ultimately leads to good outcomes (14:47) and great success.
(14:49) I agree with you. (14:50) When you're doing the right things, (14:52) you build trust. (14:53) And when you're able to build trust (14:55) with those around you, (14:56) they start to be able to rely on you, right? (14:59) They do.
(15:00) And then all of a sudden, (15:01) good things happen (15:02) and you would love to try to draw the link (15:03) between why did this and that, (15:05) but at the end of the day, (15:06) if your trajectory is positive, (15:08) it's probably because you built up (15:10) a lot of that good stuff (15:11) by being a good person. (15:13) And that's how opportunities come about, right? (15:15) That is absolutely true. (15:17) Nick, I can't thank you enough (15:18) for coming in here today (15:19) and sharing your story.
(15:21) Do you have anything that you'd like to offer (15:23) at the close to our audience? (15:27) I would say that success is something (15:31) that people, I think, think a lot about. (15:33) What do I want to be successful in? (15:34) How do I want to define success? (15:36) There are a number of ways to define it, (15:38) but I think achieving success (15:40) comes from the inner discipline (15:44) to know that if you give it your best, (15:47) you do what you can do, (15:49) you should be okay with that. (15:51) And it's not about how the outside world (15:53) wants to judge that (15:54) as much as how you want to learn from that (15:56) and keep building on yourself.
(15:58) And then I think that education is something (16:01) which I don't think is only in high school (16:03) or only in college. (16:05) I love learning. (16:06) And even today, (16:08) if I see a new topic, a new something, (16:10) I want to dig in.
(16:11) I want to keep learning about it. (16:12) And I would say that just remembering (16:15) that the concept of learning (16:17) is not something that happens (16:18) at a moment in time or a place in time. (16:21) It's a concept that you have inside yourself, (16:24) and if you think about it that way, (16:25) it'll serve you well for decades to come.
(16:27) I don't know how you couldn't be successful (16:29) if you just kind of had those intrinsic qualities (16:32) that you truly stayed true to and pursued. (16:35) Thank you for your time today. (16:36) Thank you for having me.
(16:39) Thank you for listening to this episode (16:41) of Tomorrow's World Today podcast. (16:43) Join us next time as we continue to explore (16:45) the worlds of inspiration, creation, (16:47) innovation, and production. (16:49) Discover more at tomorrowsworldtoday.com, (16:52) connect with us on social media at TWTExplore, (16:55) and find us wherever podcasts are available.