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A Love of STEM and a Dive into Waste Water Regeneration
Aquacycl headquartered in Escondido is a woman-owned and woman-run wastewater treatment technology company that serves the food and beverage industries as well as oil and gas mediation.
“We are a team of nine and six of us are women,” said Orianna Bretschger, CEO and founder of Aquacycl. “From our CTO to our forklift driver, we’ve got female representation across the board, and we are also extremely grateful and honored to have a tremendous suite of female investors from the San Diego community, who have backed us.”
Aquacycl founder and CFO Orianna Bretchger.
Aquacycl’s BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology offers an onsite water treatment technology that breaks down 80-90% of wastewater and converts some into energy, which fuels the system, and safely disposes into our waterways. This system is mostly being used in the food and beverage industry, including one of the largest companies in the industry. Bretschger has also found that the technologies work well to remove gasoline, diesel and benzene from water. The product is rolling out in Houston next month at a refinery.
This technology saves companies money on their sewer discharge. Bretschger estimates this savings is somewhere between 30-60% on what they would typically pay for either hauling off wastewater into landfills or the added costs of discharging it into city sewers untreated. Additionally, the electricity generated from treating the wastewater not only creates its own energy to operate the system, it also allows extra energy to the companies that can be used to operate tools such as forklifts or power LEDs in a warehouse.
Aquacycl’s BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology wastewater systems in use on a site.
Aquacycl is celebrating five years in the industry but Bretschger has been working on the technology since 2004. Her path to water waste began when she realized the wonders of bacteria. As a child, she was drawn to science and technology. In college she studied physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. It was during her graduate work at USC where she was introduced to the concept of bacteria making electricity.
“I fell in love with the idea of being able to make microbial processes faster by how we control a resistor across the circuit, basically electronically controlling microbial processes,” she said.
She received her Ph.D in material sciences and began working at J. Craig Venter Institute before branching out on her own in the wastewater industry.
Being a woman in the wastewater industry is an anomaly and Bretschger knows this. She admits the bar for success is much higher for women and expectations are different for women but she said it’s worth it.
“We are in a very conservative, male-dominated industry,” she said. “We definitely stand out on a worksite, but you know sometimes standing out is a benefit. As a founder and an owner of a small business, it’s a pleasure to be able to provide equality and increase diversity within the workforce. Hopefully, to get equal representation both in business and STEM in the water industry.”
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Manufacturing is Still Up and Running in Escondido
COVID-19 may have put the brakes on a lot of industries but things are up and running in Escondido. A recent study by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, found that the 78 corridor, which includes Escondido, provides over 40,000 manufacturing jobs and has an annual economic impact of $18 billion. These jobs include computer and electronics manufacturing. The study found this work is projected to rise up to 6% in the next five years.
Two high tech companies in Escondido are proving these statistics to be true.
Escondido Business Offers High Performance Computing Wherever You Go
Computer technology and AI technology encompass most of our lives. From home appliances to personal computers and workstations, we all plug-in in some way. Most of these devices use computing technology such as cloud computing and battery-charged systems.
However, when businesses need high-end technology that needs to be fast, compact and can withstand the elements, they go to One Stop Systems in Escondido.
One Stop Systems displaying their products at a trade show.
One Stop Systems makes high performance appliances for AI transportable and industrial industries. Its Edge Computing systems are high-end computers that are used in airplanes, cars, cargo ships, and military equipment.
“Our focus is on AI Transportables, which are vehicles or equipment that need the absolute highest performance in a challenging environment on the very edge for AI and autonomous control or driving,” CEO David Raun said.
One Stop Systems is leading the way for this type of technology and the company delivers the highest performance available that can sustain harsh environments such as heat, sand, water and even vibrations.
“We are one of several leaders with the intention and plan to dominate the market over time,” Raun said. “Our advantage is that we will take the absolute latest technology (highest performance) and make it work in the harshest environments.”
Assembling parts in the factory.
Creating the computer technology takes a team of nearly 100 employees, with management, support, operations, and factory employees located in Escondido and a smaller crew in Munich, Germany.
One Stop Systems has been in Escondido for more than 20 years and Raun says one of the things that makes Escondido so appealing is that it's a great location to attract employees. Its location is ideal because there is still affordable housing, and for those who live outside of Escondido, it still allows for a reasonable commute.
The positive culture at One Stop Systems has helped them maintain a very low turnover and the company has grown over the years, expanding to the point that it has taken over an entire building for offices and factory space.
As the expansion continues so does the company’s need for more employees. The company is currently hiring in marketing, sales, engineering and operations. One of the perks of working for One Stop Systems is its equity stock that’s provided to all employees.
Raun said the company is also looking at work differently. He said opportunities to work from home and shared spaces are options the company considers for many of its employees as COVID-19 has proven that not all employees have to be in the office every day.
“The company has a bright future,” Raun said. “It is well positioned in a market that will be $1 to $5 billion in size a few years from now. We have several very exciting customers and we are building relationships (?). We will likely expand in Escondido.”
Wrap It Up with QP Technologies
QP Technologies building in Escondido
QP Technologies (formerly Quik-Pak) is a leading provider of microelectronics packaging, assembly, wafer processing and other services that help chipmakers get their devices to market quickly. The company — which is one of the premiere US-based chip packaging companies with more than 500 customers throughout North America, Europe, and Asia — targets a multitude of end markets including RF/5G, power communications.
“We have a long track record of success providing IC packaging services for many companies, both large and small, in the commercial, mil-aero, medical, industrial and automotive sectors,” COO Ken Molitor said. “Being a US-based provider is a big advantage for us, particularly in today’s world, where supply chain concerns are paramount, and our US based customers’ can de-risk their processes by having access to our onshore packaging and contracting services.”
QP Technologies moved from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido where it now occupies a 12,000-square-foot facility where more than 50 employees from manufacturing to engineers, to sales, and customer support all work.
The company chose Escondido because the leadership wanted to purchase a building that they could configure to ideally optimize their manufacturing processes while also allowing for expansion as the company grows.
“We surveyed various properties around the region and found our ideal building in Escondido,” Molitor said. “Its location allows us to capitalize on the available talent pool in the region while remaining close to our customers in San Diego and Southern California.”
QP Technologies is continuing to grow as demand for their products continues to increase, particularly with the growing movement to bring semiconductor manufacturing businesses onshore.
“We are continuing to add to our headcount in manufacturing, engineering, sales, and customer support,” Molitor said.