Wastewater Visibility News
The USST and SediVision Cultures: Customer-Centered
July 18, 2025
Denver Stutler, Jr., P.E.
Denver J. Stutler, Jr., PE, founder and CEO of USST Holdings, discusses what it means to build and maintain a customer-centered team.
A Customer-Centered Culture
- The core of our onboarding is other-centered, which means a customer-centric approach to our business.
- Our services are purchased by fewer than 1,000 people in Florida, a focused few in a state with a population of 23 million citizens.
- Our customer service is driven by our culture and our organization; we are always seeking to understand how to best connect our behaviors and conduct to our culture.
Identifying these ideas led me to define the traits that create and cultivate a culture that exemplifies our company’s values.
Eight “D” words came to mind when trying to define the things our teams do well.
Let’s start with DISCUSSION, DIRECTION, AND DECISIONS: I have for a long time cautioned our employees not to confuse discussions with directions and decisions. For example, we may discuss something, and it may feel like a good idea. However, for the team to advance that idea without considering all the factors in play can create confusion.
In our company, we often have “huddles” of necessary employees that come together for discussions, but we only meet for as long as needed. Direction, meanwhile, is a plan of action. It involves clarity in understanding the task at hand and acknowledgement by all parties involved. Direction comes with a deadline. Decisions signify that an agreement on tasks has been reached and accepted by all parties.
DISCRETION AND DISCERNMENT: For our business, discretion is knowing what to say and when to say it, having a good sense of timing, and knowing what should and should not be talked about professionally. Discretion also refers to how you manage your time and requires knowing how to set priorities. Discernment, on the other hand, is the ability to tell the difference between truth and fable and the ability to tell the difference between reliable and unreliable information.
DISCOVERY: Discovery is an interest in continuing our education, learning more, and being curious. Your curiosity and interest may extend beyond your direct role to understanding why things are as they are and gaining a deeper understanding of the company’s values and culture, as well as why they are important. These insights will help employees make informed choices and provide better guidance.
DISCIPLINE: Someone once said to me that the one thing required in life from cradle to grave is discipline. For our company, discipline looks a lot like integrity and reliability towards your coworkers and customers, as well as excelling in all your responsibilities, not just your favored ones. Discipline is relational, not transactional. Discipline means you measure twice and cut once, that you accept responsibility without making excuses, and focus on solutions rather than placing blame.
DELIVERY: If I were to give our teams at US Submergent Technologies and SediVision a scorecard, I would give them high marks on delivery. This includes the delivery of our promise and commitment to our customers. There is also individual delivery (how well you do your job) as well as corporate delivery.
Our teams strive every day to earn high marks on our scorecards, achieving the standards we hold ourselves to as a company and as individuals.
More thoughts on customer-centered culture and business leadership:
Beginnings and Endings: Thought leadership from Denver J Stutler, Jr., P.E
From Denver J. Stutler: Better Listening Makes Me Better
Leadership in the Wastewater Industry Means Serving Others
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