At Work With Water: Paris Neofotistos, SmartCover

At Work With Water is a series focusing on the incredible people who are making a difference for water. In each edition of XPV Water Partners’ newsletter, we’ll speak with a person from one of our portfolio companies who is doing things differently – ensuring that the water sector continues to evolve, thrive, and meet global challenges with innovative solutions.  

As a young chemical engineer working in the water industry, Paris Neofotistos saw the potential to grow in a career where he could learn new skills and bring value to his community. Today, Paris is an experienced leader with more than 25 years of service in the sector. He is the Vice President of Sales at SmartCover, an award-winning XPV Water Partners portfolio company that solves wastewater challenges with real-time remote monitoring technology.  

We spoke with Paris about his career, scaling SmartCover’s intelligent solutions, and building resilience in utilities across North America. 

Tell us about your professional journey in water. What brought you to this point in your career?   

In my first role in water, I worked in UV disinfection at Infilco Degremont (now part of Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions). While I did put my academic background in chemical engineering to use, this role also gave me the opportunity to learn everything from system design to distribution to sales and marketing, and gain experience in commercial leadership. In the mid-2000s, I joined USP Technologies, a smaller company that had recently been purchased by Trojan Technologies (which was subsequently acquired by Danaher). There I helped scale our regional business team structure and lead business units that developed and delivered innovative solutions, resulting in rapid growth in our Municipal and Industrial customer programs. Eventually, I led our North American sales and marketing team. 

Before I joined SmartCover I spent two years at an early-stage company called Axine Water Technologies as part of the team commercializing a breakthrough electrochemical oxidation technology to treat tough organic pollutants in wastewater. As Vice President of Sales, I helped develop Axine’s go-to-market strategy and establish beachhead references at target verticals, such as pharmaceutical manufacturing. 

I got to know XPV Water Partners and SmartCover during my time at USP Technologies and through one of my mentors. Having seen the amazing opportunity and the great things SmartCover was doing for their customers, I jumped at the opportunity to join the executive team to lead the commercial organization and help build a world class company.  

You’ve spent a lot of your career working for innovative water sector companies. What attracted you to this sector? 

As part of my chemical engineering degree, I did a senior project that involved destroying contaminants in wastewater using advanced oxidation. It was fascinating to see how green chemistry and technologies can play a role in protecting water quality and public health, and I followed that thread for much of my career. 

In the early days, UV disinfection was relatively new and there was a lot of innovation in this part of the market. Adoption by municipalities exploded due to their desire to eliminate chlorine gas in their facilities. There were plenty of opportunities for me to work with and learn from experts from all disciplines (microbiology, photochemistry, electrical, hydraulics, process controls, etc.). That’s one of the great things about working in water – it takes people from many different backgrounds to develop truly innovative solutions. 

What are the things that interest you most about working with SmartCover? 

Building a foundation for growth with a fantastic team and an unparalleled solution. We’re bringing digital intelligence to municipalities and, in the process, we’re giving them eyes on systems that are typically “invisible” to the public. We’re helping utilities make more informed decisions with limited resources and work more efficiently in a time when things are rapidly changing. The potential is enormous, and we have some incredible customers on board. It’s a great time to be in high-growth mode, and it’s rewarding to see how our technology makes a difference for utilities and the communities they serve. 

As one of the company’s leaders, can you speak about how the team approaches building the company? 

Our leadership team is not afraid to make changes that better serve our customers and our employees. We’re strategic but also nimble. We’re also focused on attracting talented people to our team and committed to developing a culture that encourages them to stay and grow with us. 

Is there any advice you’d give to other water sector companies about developing winning strategies? 

The market for water technologies is sometimes slow to adopt new solutions, so it’s important to focus on solving problems, improving performance, and offering a great return. You need to clearly articulate and refine your value proposition. Most importantly, you’ve got to be willing to really hear your customer’s voice. 

What keeps you working in the water sector?  

In many ways, the water industry functions like a community with a shared purpose – ultimately, we’re helping the world achieve water sustainability, and it feels good to be part of that goal. At SmartCover, for instance, we’re using technology to protect water resources and infrastructure, build resilience in communities, and save public money. From a business perspective, I think of our work as offering an incredible return on investment. Importantly, it’s also investment in the future of our planet. That promise keeps me here.