One unsanctioned side event that took place in conjunction with last week’s San Antonio conference was a get-together of former employees from one of the major membrane companies. Held in the 2,000-bottle wine cellar of Zinc, a popular River Walk-area restaurant, at least 17 former colleagues met for dinner and drinks, in a reunion organized by the company’s ex-president and CEO, and its ex-vice president of sales and marketing.
The event drew an A-list of water industry veterans—some of whom have retired or are no longer in the membrane business—from as far away as the UK and Venezuela.
Those attendees who would discuss the event with your correspondent, did so with the understanding that their names would not be used…although it is unclear if they were concerned about their current employers’ reactions or the fact that they were not anxious for it to be known that they still associate with some of their former confederates.
One of the exes told WDR, “The event was a non-stop marathon of stories and belly laughs that could be heard on the River Walk. It was great to get together with old friends and colleagues, and I didn’t hear a bad word spoken. Like most reunions, some of us celebrated our shared experience, while others celebrated that they survived the experience.”
Despite rumors to the contrary, the group did not quite finish all of the wine that had been stored in the cellar, and all of the attendees did (eventually) find their way back to their hotels.