QUA NEWS
Happenings Around the Water Team
Opening Remarks Happy Fall and welcome to our revised newsletter, CHAqua News! You will find this newsletter to be briefer and perhaps easier to read than past versions. Our goal is to publish it more frequently, bimonthly, with updates on happenings around our continually growing Water team. Our industry continues to see record investment by municipalities and other governmental units to upgrade aging water facilities and to address evolving water quality regulations. Additionally, in some areas, we are seeing expansion of water infrastructure due to new development and population growth. I ask each of you to keep in mind two things while we have our heads down focused on deliverables: • We impact public health and the environment in every project we deliver for our Water customers…be proud of what we do! • Our business is about people. Our internal staff leverages technical expertise on behalf of our clients, who serve their customers with high-quality water services. Please dig deep into your contact lists and help us recruit more people internally to make a difference with our clients. Thanks to Abby Endsley and Jill Hayth for producing this revised newsletter. Let us know of any suggestion for future editions. - Tim George Business Line Director | Indianapolis, IN
CHA Shoutout In April, one of my best friends passed away, leaving behind his wife and two young sons. After Hurricane Helene hit the South hard, I reached out to check on his wife. Her reply was heartbreaking. Their area had been badly affected, and they’d been without power for nearly a week, with another week anticipated. She and the boys were collecting water from their pool and cooking on a propane burner. Dozens of large trees were down on her property, including one near the kids’ play area, and their gravel driveway had washed away. Still, she said they were “fine and blessed,” and that this experience was “teaching her boys about gratefulness.” Moved by her resilience, I reached out to three coworkers to see if they’d be willing to help. With only 12-24 hours to plan, we all came together, traveling from different parts of the region to her home. One coworker even brought his wife, so we ended up with more hands than anticipated! We drove through tornado-ravaged areas and past downed power lines to reach them. This team showed up in a big way, providing help when it was needed most. When we finished cutting trees and shoveling gravel, we spent some time playing soccer with her sons—and that small piece of normalcy meant the world to their hurting family. I can’t thank these team members enough for their incredible effort. Thank you, Billy Caughman, for your hard work, country know-how, and for fixing the boys’ zipline after clearing the tree. Thank you, Matt Kishimoto, for bringing your trailer, which made debris removal so much more efficient, and to Ariel Kishimoto for making the trip, helping with the heavy lifting, and showing kindness to the boys. Thank you, Matt LaFlamme, for taking charge of rebuilding the washed-out driveway and tirelessly shoveling gravel for hours. This team’s dedication is deeply appreciated. - Philip Shields Project Team Leader | Stanley, NC