ALTON - Illinois American Water earned a prestigious second place recently in the prestigious National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) Management Innovation Awards to recognize members of NAWC for their groundbreaking, industry-changing ideas.  

This year, Illinois American Water was awarded second place for the company's Mobile Education Center and Moving Water Forward through Education program.

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“The award was for an innovative approach to educating customers – especially the youngest about the water industry, water service, wise water use and environmental stewardship, helping to influence our future scientists, employees and environmental stewards,” “Illinois American Water External Affairs Manager Karen Cotton in Alton said. “The program is a great example of a water utility reaching beyond traditional efforts to keep customers informed.”

The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) named Connecticut Water Company as the winner of the 2015 NAWC Management Innovation Awards for its customer protection program called Be Sure Before You Open the Door. The announcement was made on Oct. 6 as part of the 2015 NAWC Water Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. In a tie for second place were entries from Illinois American Water (Moving Water Forward through Education) and from West Virginia American Water (Utilizing GIS Mapping and the Web for a Large-Scale Emergency Customer Communication System).

The NAWC Management Innovation Awards recognize members of NAWC for their groundbreaking, industry-changing ideas. This year’s awards attracted a variety of entries from across the nation.

“Each of the Management Innovation Award entries this year truly showed some original and creative thinking from NAWC members,” said Michael Deane, NAWC executive director. “Entries included everything from conservation efforts and management plans to technological advancements and community support initiatives.”

Entries were judged on degree of innovation, short- and long-term benefits to the company, value to water utility industry, the idea’s ability to be duplicated at other companies and presentation quality.

“On behalf of our entire team involved in this important work, it’s a tremendous honor to receive this prestigious award,” said Eric Thornburg, president and CEO of Connecticut Water. “Connecticut Water Company works hard to support the communities we serve and we are proud of our commitment to the safety of our customers, from the water they consume to the on-site service we provide. We want to make sure that they know we are on their side and ready to serve.”

Awards Winner: Connecticut Water Company

Connecticut Water Company used automated features of their customer information system to link customer account records and generate an e-mail to the customer with a photo of their service person when en route so the customer knows who to expect before their employee knocks on their door for a scheduled service appointment. The benefits were as follows:

  • Applies a unique use of technology to address incidents of homeowners being targeted by criminals
  • Targets a problem that impacts customers and utilities across the country
  • Bolsters Connecticut Water employees’ commitment to provide protection for their customers – evidenced by them embracing the program.

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The program has been very well received in the press, by customers, consumer protection advocates and utility regulators. Connecticut Water continues to see the long-term benefits for customers and is proud to be providing the additional measure of protection for their customers and employees.

 

Second Place Awards

Moving Water Forward through Education (Illinois American Water Co.) is an innovative approach to educating customers – especially the youngest - about the water industry, water service, wise water use and environmental stewardship, helping to influence our future scientists, employees and environmental stewards. The program is a great example of a water utility reaching beyond traditional efforts to keep customers informed.

Utilizing GIS Mapping and the Web for a Large-Scale Emergency Customer Communication System (West Virginia American Water Co.) is about a web-based approach used to communicate to customers when partial Do Not Use notifications had been “lifted” for their particular area, at a time when a contaminant had been introduced into West Virginia American source water. The status mapping website received more than 2 million visits while the map was live, and was found to be an effective communication tool utilized by many customers during the event.

About the NAWC Water Summit

The NAWC Water Summit is the annual gathering of private water professionals hosted by the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC). The event provides a dynamic forum for government officials, leaders in the water industry and other key stakeholders to exchange ideas, learn from one another and share solutions that sustain businesses and communities. The theme of the 2015 NAWC Water Summit – Private Enterprise. Public Trust – highlights the importance of the shared responsibility for this precious resource and shaping the future of water management to fulfill this responsibility.

You can learn more about our mobile education center here - http://www.amwater.com/ilaw/learning-center/mobile-education-center-and-lesson-plans/index.html

About the NAWC

The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) is the voice of the private water industry and the organization exclusively representing this group of quality water service providers, innovation drivers, creative financiers and responsible partners. To learn more about NAWC, visit NAWC.org or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

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