Shop Talk: The commercialization of water technologies We are joined by Melinda Kruyer, executive director of Confluence, a Cincinnati-based non-profit organization that runs a water technology innovation effort in the Ohio River Valley. The consortium includes federal water laboratories, research universities, water-related business, water utilities and regional development agencies, among other organizations. Confluence brings together 6,000 researchers and nearly $4 billion in annual research spending. (05/2016)