Saginaw, Mich. (April 2, 2024) – Duperon Corporation, a leading provider of screening and solids handling solutions, will welcome more than 200 students from Saginaw Career Complex (SCC) at its international headquarters in Saginaw, Michigan on Wednesday, May 1 in celebration of National Skilled Trades Day. Hosting for the third year in a row, the event underscores the company’s commitment to the future of the water sector and the people behind it.

“We look forward to Skilled Trades Day every year,” said Mark Turpin, president of Duperon. “With public awareness of water issues at what feels like an all-time high, the observance provides us with the ample opportunity to introduce young professionals to the trade. We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with SCC and hope our event will inspire attendees to explore opportunities in the field, if not with Duperon, perhaps with another company making a lasting impact on our planet. It’s clear, now more than ever, a committed and skilled workforce will be essential in the years ahead.”

Skilled Trades Day at Duperon comes on the heels of Earth Day, which focused on plastic pollution this year. Students will learn about how Duperon products play a role in this global issue through a lineup of factory tours and interactive sessions led by industry veterans. Returning students will also be given the opportunity to design and construct their own filtration prototypes.

A brief overview of the itinerary and speakers is as follows:

• Session 1, Entrepreneurial Spirit with Terry Duperon, founder
• Session 2, Careers at Duperon with Amanda Buck, HR manager
• Session 3, Products & Assembly with Dave Wagoner, customer solution and quality assurance manager, and Steve Aiken, regional sales manager
• Session for Returning Students, Ideation & Prototyping with Ben Jolly, systems engineering manager.

Established in 2019 in honor of the American skilled trades workforce, National Skilled Trades Day is observed annually on the first Wednesday in May. SCC is the Career and Technical Education Center for Saginaw County, offering programs that help students prepare for college, technical work or skilled entry-level work while being jointly enrolled in regular high school classes. To learn more about its programs and local impact, visit SPSD.net.

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About Duperon Corporation

Duperon Corporation is the leader in innovative preliminary liquid/solids separation systems. For more nearly 40 years, Duperon has provided simple yet innovative solutions for a variety of screening and solids handling applications in the water and wastewater industry. Duperon technologies are designed and manufactured in Saginaw, Michigan. To learn more, visit duperon.com.

The Duperon Learning Center came about as the result of a chance meeting of two extraordinary individuals who live more than 5,000 miles apart. Terry Duperon met Priscilla Amanorkuor Dseagu in early 2018 when he was invited by Joseph Ofori-Dankwa, Professor of Business at Saginaw Valley State University, to Ghana, Africa to teach his signature program of Duperon Education, The Class. Duperon Education has offered The Class in Michigan for nearly 20 years, and it has been widely attended and credited for changing lives for the better. Terry created The Class to share his experience of achieving his dream of becoming an inventor and not following the traditional path to success with others to inspire them to go after their own dreams.

The Class focuses on entrepreneurial strategy, creative thinking and embracing one’s God-given talents while ignoring one’s weaknesses, essentially “running with what you’ve got.” Priscilla participated in The Class and was immediately inspired and shared her dream with Terry. “Priscilla shared her dream to make a difference for children with disabilities with me and I was moved. That is how a dream works. You share it with other people and soon the connections and the doors start to open. Achieving your dream is a series of small steps in the direction of your goal.” Terry was very impressed by Priscilla and saw that she had the characteristics and passion of a person who was capable of creating great things. He decided to support her dream and as Terry puts it, “the ripple effect” was put into motion – this chance meeting and sharing of dreams will positively affect many young lives for years to come.

Priscilla, who is in the process of earning her doctorate from the University of Education of Winneba in Special Education, is excited to open the Center and begin providing support services to the children and young adults of Ghana. According to her “even though Ghana has an inclusive education policy, the experience gained from my practice as a special education teacher and the research I have conducted, shows that children with learning disabilities, such as Dyslexia, and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities have difficulty progressing through school due to a lack of curricular adaptations, educational resources, and trained professionals (special education teachers, speech/occupational/physical therapists), which leads them to drop out of school or just pass through school as a result of not receiving any support services which would enable them to succeed in school.” The Duperon Learning Center will provide support services to help these individuals meet their goals for greater independence and community inclusion. The Center is currently staffed with Priscilla herself providing the support services and will soon have a full staff of direct support professionals and supervisory staff who will focus on each person’s unique goals and needs. Individuals receive support services (such as special educational support, speech, occupational, and physical therapy) as needed, as well as, vocational training to help them learn the necessary skills to become self-sufficient and fully independent adults.

George Copeland, School Improvement Specialist: Student and Community Outreach, Saginaw Valley State University and City of Saginaw Councilman, is in Ghana as part of the 2023 Sister City Visit through the Sankofa Project, led by Dr. Dawn Hinton, Professor of Sociology/Director of the Center for Academic Innovation and Online Learning at Saginaw Valley State University, and had the opportunity to visit the Center and meet with Priscilla, “I’m truly honored to be able to celebrate the opening of the Duperon Learning Center. Terry Duperon and The Duperon Corporation have been long supporters of education and our youth. It’s a blessing to see his passion and purpose reach all the way to Ghana, Africa. The commitment Priscilla has given to students with special needs should be commended. I’m looking forward to the great success of the Center and our Ghanaian brothers and sisters. Akwaaba to the City of Saginaw.”

To learn more about the Duperon Learning Center and the services it offers, please contact Priscilla Amanorkuor Dseagu directly via email: kprisdseagu@yahoo.com or phone:+2 332-448-5964

The ISO is a global leader in developing standards across industries to keep products and processes safe, effective and sustainable. The ISO 9001:2015 certification sets the standard for a quality management system (QMS), which is achieved when an organization exhibits its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. With the majority of Duperon’s customers responsible for delivering essential water services, quality and consistency is critical and helps ensure communities are prepared, even for the harshest of conditions.

“Gaining this certification is an important part of our efforts to grow in the industrial and international markets, and the process was a great test for the reliability of the processes we have developed,” said Mark Turpin, president of Duperon Corporation. “Certification on the first audit is a big achievement and doing so with zero findings is another level of accomplishment. I’m extremely proud of the time and effort the Duperon team put into developing this process – it has become the foundation and structure of our quality system.”

Duperon’s processes and systems were evaluated by an external ISO auditor more than four days to earn the ISO 9001:2015 certification. This evaluation included a thorough review of all aspects of the company’s processes and operational practices. The ISO 9001:2015 certification further illustrates Duperon’s commitment to QMS principles, including customer focus, a collaborative approach to process development, and commitment to continuous improvement.

Duperon was recommended for registration to the ISO 9001:2015 standard on July 6, 2022 and now holds its audit certificate.

Saginaw, MI – October 12, 2021 — Duperon Corporation, a leader in adaptive screening technologies, is pleased to announce the promotion of Tammy Blanchard to lead sales project manager. A Duperon veteran of seven years, Blanchard brings nearly 30 years of sales and customer support experience to the position.

“The first thing you notice about Tammy is how much she cares about our customers, our team and our partners,” said Mark Turpin, president of Duperon Corporation. “This passion shows up in her drive to deliver excellent customer experiences. We feel her qualities embody the most important values held at Duperon and are thankful for her contributions to our growing company.”

Blanchard will continue focusing on improved processes and efficiencies in her new role. Prior accomplishments in this area include: the development of a new bid review process, positive adjustments to sales performance management (SPM) tools, implementation of monthly meetings with project managers and engineers, along with new employee training. One of her first goals will be integrating estimates into the company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, streamlining the process with the collaboration and support of a cross-functional team.

“I am most excited about working with my team to find and grow their talents,” said Blanchard. “It is so fulfilling to make a difference. I am excited to grow the capabilities of our department, our team and the company.”

Prior to Duperon, Blanchard was the inside sales manager for 18 years at a company that provided audio-visual systems to schools and businesses in Michigan. She managed the company’s website, pricing levels, sales and customer support, training educators on the equipment, tradeshows and distribution channels, proving instrumental in the company’s growth.

About Duperon Corporation
Duperon Corporation is the leader in innovative preliminary liquid/solids separation systems. For more than 35 years, Duperon has provided simple yet innovative solutions for a variety of screening and solids handling applications in the water and wastewater industry. Duperon technologies are designed and manufactured in Saginaw, Michigan. www.duperon.com

Saginaw, MI, USA – January 21, 2021 – Duperon® today announces the FlexRake® IQ Series, an evolution of their original 1990s FlexRake bar screening line. An essential step in preliminary water and wastewater treatment, screening is the process of separating solids and other debris from liquids before treatment for reuse or discharge to local waterways. The new design of the FlexRake IQ increases debris removal, automatically increasing capacity and speed to accommodate changing conditions. During peak flow conditions, the optional FlexRake IQ2 adjusts the screen itself to provide maximum flexibility.

Today’s extreme weather conditions, changing populations, aging infrastructure, and new solids like “flushable wipes” have challenged civil engineers when sizing the screen for a community’s everyday conditions without causing backups during peak events. The revolutionary design of the FlexRake IQ and IQ2 solves this problem.

“We understood that treatment plant operators require real-time responsiveness to deal with changing conditions in the channel,” commented Bryce Funchion, mechanical engineer at Duperon Corporation. “We looked at the problem and wondered ‘what if the engineer didn’t have to modify their design to accommodate changing conditions? What if the screen itself adapted to them?’ We created the new design to provide an increased safety factor which assures system reliability during both normal flows and worst-case scenario events.”

The original FlexRake® is a robust, simple solution with a low cost of ownership. By re-imagining the components, the sequence of operation, and the possibility to automatically transform the screen field, the new FlexRake IQ and FlexRake IQ2 improve screening during normal flow while adding responsive features to navigate peak flow conditions without sacrificing the simplicity, ease of operation, and low cost of ownership for which Duperon is known.

Mark Turpin, Duperon Corporation president, believes the FlexRake IQ and FlexRake IQ2 offer real-world solutions for today’s stressed water treatment systems. “We have optimized resiliency by creating more responsiveness in dry and wet weather, maximizing solids removal throughout flow conditions, and taking on the heaviest solids loading events. The FlexRake IQ series is designed to provide the greatest range of flexibility over the broadest range of conditions.”

Designed for everyday conditions yet equipped for the unexpected, the new FlexRake IQ and FlexRake IQ2 provide a new level of adaptability for water treatment.

About Duperon Corporation
Duperon is the leader in innovative preliminary liquids/solids separation systems. For more than 35 years, Duperon has provided simple solutions for coarse screening, fine screening, low flow screening, perforated screening, washing compacting, and conveying. Duperon technologies are designed and manufactured in Saginaw, Michigan. www.duperon.com

About The Value of Water Campaign
Imagine a Day Without Water began in 2015 as a project of The Value of Water Campaign.
The Value of Water Campaign educates and inspires the nation about how water is essential, invaluable, and in need of investment. Spearheaded by top leaders in the water industry, the Value of Water Campaign is building public and political will for investment in America's water infrastructure. 

“I love making things and I love having the things that we make live out in the world,” said Bernier. “My whole life in manufacturing has been about taking pride in being able to say ‘we made that’ — there’s such satisfaction that comes from knowing the work we do here in Saginaw is helping people all around the world.”

The Duperon team has seen the business thrive under Bernier’s leadership, one that started out as a consultant for her father, Terry L. Duperon, and quickly became a partnership that Duperon points to as having saved the business and brought balance to chaos.

“I had a cycle before Tammy came aboard,” Duperon recalled. “I’d have an idea and create business, then I’d have another idea and things would start to fall apart. I have a lot of good skills but there were some I didn’t have and that led to this pattern of up and down, up and down. When Tammy came in we just started to take off. She’s got the skills I don’t have and she really righted the ship. Without her, we wouldn’t exist.”

Bernier is a true dynamo, someone with endless energy and capable of pulling together people from across manufacturing to create true change in the world. Her passion for manufacturing has inspired fellow leaders to do more, give more and, on some level, care more for the products they make, the community they serve and the people their decisions affect.

Bernier has served as the chairman of the national Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) and a board member for Mid-Michigan Women in Leadership, the Child Abuse & Neglect Council for the Great Lakes Bay Region, the Saginaw Community Foundation and the Saginaw County Business Education Partnership, among others. She was the creator of Great Lakes Bay Regional Council of Women In Leadership/Inforum “Brave Conversations” series and a member of the Saginaw BIG DREAM TEAM. Her every waking moment is spent searching for more people who share her entrepreneurial spirit.

“I cannot tell you how I feel when I’m around people who are up to something. The people in this community have such an amazing generosity; you can’t help but want to spend your time with them — dreaming up the next way that we can help people and leave a better world than we were given,” Bernier said. “When good people come together to share their gifts, great change is possible and that feeds my soul.”

The influence Bernier has is not limited to large-scale community efforts; it’s shown in her everyday interactions with her team.

“We want to be a force for good here. Our team inspires me to always be better,” Bernier stated. “I think it can be easy to be who you are at home and who you are at work and have a separation between the two. When you allow your people to bring their whole selves to work, to be authentic, that’s powerful. Together, you become unstoppable.”

As a team leader, she has made her business a symbol of what a world-class organization can be with people committed to making a global difference. Walking the halls of Duperon Corporation is like walking through a world of water and inspiration. Much like a roaring river carving out a canyon, Bernier’s team believes that what they do can help carve out a better world. It just takes time, determination and heart.

Bernier has taken another passion of hers, a love for water, and turned it into a driving force for others in manufacturing to be good stewards of one of the world’s most precious resources. She inspires others to be their best selves and has left a legacy few others can touch. Without her, the world would be a less warm place and, certainly, a less effective one.

“I love people and I love anything to do with growing human potential. I love the stories where people have tough times and overcome and I love providing pathways for people to be everything they can be,” said Bernier. “I’m really grateful for what we’ve accomplished and I’m even more excited to see what we’ll do next — because our story isn’t over.”

“There is nothing that inspires me more than the resilience and courage of human beings overcoming the circumstances of their life.  We all are impacted in some way by the heartbreak of domestic violence; it ripples throughout our society as we can see from the staggering statistics of 1 in 3 women experiencing abuse by an intimate partner.  This creates a legacy that must be broken: for women, children and families.  Leaving is one of the most difficult and dangerous decisions a woman can make and the Underground Railroad assures that there is a safe place to go, to heal, to learn to live again.  I am honored to be recognized by an organization that has made a difference for so many.”  Said Bernier, CEO of Saginaw-based, Duperon Corporation. 

In addition to numerous achievements in business, Bernier has been a long-time supporter of women’s initiatives in the Great Lakes Bay Region and beyond.  She currently serves as the Chair of the Saginaw County Business Education Partnership, is on the Advisory Boards of  Mid-Michigan Women in Leadership and the Junior League as well as on the Board of Directors for  the Child Abuse and Neglect Council. Bernier has been awarded with the Vistage Detroit Soaring Eagle Award (2009); YWCA Great LakesBay Region Women of Achievement Award in Business (2012); and inducted into the Junior Achievement of Northeast Michigan’s 18th Annual Hall of Fame (2015).

Most recently, Bernier wrote the forward to #SheWins: Harrowing Stories from Women Who Survived Domestic Abuse, by Michigan native Alisa Divine. Copies of the book were purchased by Duperon Corporation, and donated to local domestic violence shelters. “We are pleased to assist this mission in this small way,” remarked Bernier. “All of us have had just the right person or words that moved us beyond fear to hope for a better life. I am proud to say that making a difference and empowering dreams is a reflection of the values of the men and women of Duperon Corporation.” 

This year’s Empowerment Dinner & Celebration begins at 5:30pm with a cocktail reception, followed by buffet-style dinner. In addition to the award ceremony, attendees will enjoy live music by the Robert Lee Revue, silent auction, raffles, and more. Individual tickets are $75, and can be purchased here. The event is sponsored by Ascension St. Mary’s, Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, Wildfire Credit Union, Bavarian Inn Lodge, and Beyer Roofing.

About Underground Railroad
For 42 years, Underground Railroad has been the only provider of emergency shelter and services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking in Saginaw County. Annually, Underground Railroad provides over 13,000 safe bed nights to over 600 women, children, men, and pets. Over 4,000 Saginaw County families access their services each year. https://undergroundrailroadinc.org/

Saginaw, MI – June 26, 2019 – Lorene Bruns, Duperon National Sales Manager, returns from the Michigan Water Environment Association’s annual meeting at Boyne Mountain Resort as a new inductee to the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers (5-S). Selection to membership of the 5S is recognition of "Outstanding, meritorious service above and beyond the call of duty” in relation to the water environment industry. 

Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA), established in 1925, is one of Michigan's oldest organizations, representing more than 2,000 water quality professionals statewide who are dedicated to preserving, restoring and enhancing Michigan's water resources. MWEA is a member association of the Water Environment Federation (WEF), an international, not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 34,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world.

Every year, peers from each Member Association select a few candidates to receive the 5-S distinction based on merit.  Along with the prestige of joining an international group of elite water professionals, Bruns will receive a golden shovel pin; the 5-S signature badge to distinguish her expertise and dedication to the industry.  

“Lorene was nominated for the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers (5-S) because during her membership, she has been actively engaged in supporting a number of MWEA committees and activities,” said Michael Harvey, P.E., 5-S Influent Integrator. “Most recently she had been very involved with the fundraising activities of Water for People, a charity which promotes clean water and sanitation worldwide.”

“It is almost hard to fathom, given the caliber of people considered each year,” said Bruns. “Humbling … I am very honored to join this group of industry leaders.”

About Duperon Corporation
Duperon is the leader in innovative preliminary liquids/solids separation systems. For more than 30 years, Duperon has provided simple solutions for coarse screening, fine screening, low flow screening, perforated screening, washing compacting, and conveying. Duperon technologies are designed and manufactured in Saginaw, Michigan. www.duperon.com

Saginaw, MI – April 2, 2019 – Duperon Corporation, leader in innovative preliminary liquids/solids separation systems, today announced that Duperon President Mark Turpin has joined the Berg Business Board. The Berg Business Board is a group of area businessmen and women who lend their expertise, advice, and support to Heidelberg University students. By providing resources, evaluating programs, and offering internship positions, the board offers valuable industry experience and makes connections between classes and real jobs.

“It’s an honor to serve the Berg Business Board and a pleasure to bring together two of my passions – the water industry and the next generation of water leaders,” said Turpin. “Not only do I get to work with the students at Heidelberg University, my alma mater, but serving on Berg Business Board will also bring me closer to the National Center for Water Quality Research (NCWQR). Strengthening the connections between Heidelberg University students and the water industry while also partnering with the NCWQR to improve Heidelberg’s water science curriculum is a wonderful personal opportunity to support and nurture the future leaders of the water industry.”

Initially, Turpin will collaborate with Laura Johnson, director of the NCWQR, Bryan Smith, dean of The School of Natural Sciences and Allied Health Sciences, and others at Heidelberg University to improve the curriculum for their new Watershed Science concentration for Environmental Science. They will work together to develop ideas on how to expand the program into a stand-alone major.

On April 4, Johnson will present Nutrients – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly about HABs in the Great Lakes at the WWEMA (Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association) 46th Washington Forum. Turpin, who served as chairman of WWEMA from December 2016 to January 2018, will host a luncheon connecting Johnson with water equipment manufacturers to facilitate a dialogue that will help strengthen Heidelberg’s water science curriculum.

NCWQR director Laura Johnson is an expert in nutrient and sediment export from headwater streams to large watersheds. Johnson is involved in issues in Lake Erie and the Ohio River Watershed, specializing in aquatic biogeochemistry, stream and river ecology, anthropogenic impacts on water resources and microbial ecology. The NCWQR supports the sustainable use of soil and water resources and helps protect human health and the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems through research, monitoring, education, and outreach. The team performs research such as chemical analysis of freshwater samples, biological assessment of aquatic communities, and watershed modeling throughout the Great Lakes region. The NCWQR has been at the forefront of the algae crisis in northwest Ohio.

About Duperon Corporation
Duperon is the leader in innovative preliminary liquids/solids separation systems. For more than 30 years, Duperon has provided simple solutions for coarse screening, fine screening, low flow screening, perforated screening, washing compacting, and conveying. Duperon technologies are designed and manufactured in Saginaw, Michigan. www.duperon.com