Our company
Strong relationships keep rolling another 5, 10, 20 years
It’s the ultimate compliment when our clients choose to renew their services contracts with us. Among our recent renewals are the Fort Mojave Tribal Utilities Authority in Mohave Valley, Ariz., signing a 20-year water and wastewater operations and maintenance contract; Traverse City, Mich., approving a 5-year wastewater O&M contract; and Dodge City, Kan., approving a 5-year wastewater O&M contract. In addition, in Bainbridge, Wash., our contract to operate the complex groundwater treatment facility at the Wyckoff-Eagle Harbor EPA Superfund site has been extended another 15 months. Thank you to all these clients who once again made CH2M HILL OMI their partner of choice.
Safety leadership earns 7 awards
Our safety-first culture has long been a source of pride for CH2M HILL OMI – especially when we’re benchmarked among the best. Through the first half of the year, CH2M HILL OMI sites across the U.S. earned at least seven safety-related awards, including the coveted “Zia Star” designation in the Voluntary Protection Program sponsored by the New Mexico Environment Department Occupational Health and Safety Bureau. While this award went to the water and wastewater system we operate for Rio Rancho, N.M., we earned other top safety awards this year for our work in West Liberty, Iowa; Dodge City, Kan.; Fayetteville, Ark.; and Key West, Crestview and DeFuniak Springs, Fla.
Company grants 6 college scholarships to employees’ kids
Six students will be attending college this year with a little help from CH2M HILL OMI. Since 2001, the company has awarded scholarships to eligible children of CH2M HILL OMI employees. A team of university professors chose the six $1,500 winners based on college entrance exam scores, grade point averages, extracurricular activities and a 1,200-word essay. And the winners of the Henry Huffman Memorial Scholarship are: Mayra Calderon, Del Rio, Texas; Hans Duong, Springdale, Ark.; Shannon Moon, Payette, Idaho; Victoria Peebles, Kite, Ga.; Kirby Wilson, Tignall, Ga.; and Samantha Young, North Bend, Ore. The scholarship program is named in honor of a beloved, 17-year employee in Oak Ridge, Tenn., who passed away last year.
Our communities
Employee giving campaign nets $92,000 for Water For People
Through hosting everything from pancake breakfasts to bowling tournaments, CH2M HILL employees around the world raised more than $92,000 in employee contributions to help Water For People, an international nonprofit that increases access to safe drinking water and improves sanitation and health in developing countries. Employees also invited Water For People Ware Fellows – pictured above with corporate staff – to come to CH2M HILL and discuss the program's impact. Together with cash and in-kind contributions, the company and its employees committed more than $125,000 to advance Water For People’s work this year. CH2M HILL has been a Water For People corporate partner since 1991. Our strong, firmwide support of Water For People aligns with our ongoing efforts to find sustainable clean water solutions and help improve the quality of life for people around the world.
Helping Hinesville, Ga., provide free mulch, compost
The City of Hinesville, Ga., is providing free mulch and compost to citizens by recycling their “yard trash,” contributing to the environment while minimizing waste sent to landfills. Residents simply gather their yard waste – anything green, such as tree trimmings and leaves – and place it for curbside collection. Collection trucks, operated by the CH2M HILL OMI employees who work in Hinesville’s public works department, then take that waste to the mulching facility where it gets sorted, ground up and turned into mulch and compost. The materials are used by countless citizens to enhance their lawns and flower gardens.
Our partners
Fayetteville, Ark., hosts climate change workshop, wins award
Communities large and small can make a positive impact on the planet’s global health – and 150 local officials from across the country came to Fayetteville, Ark., in July to find out how. Fayetteville hosted the 2007 ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability national workshop called “Saving energy and saving money: The economic benefits of local climate action.” Speakers during the three-day event provided case studies, ideas and more to help cities take action to combat climate change while achieving cost savings, promoting energy efficiency, and advancing economic vitality. CH2M HILL OMI has operated and maintained Fayetteville’s wastewater treatment plant since 1987, and we sponsored the workshop as part of our commitment to delivering sustainable solutions. Also underscoring Fayetteville’s “green” focus, Mayor Dan Coody recently accepted the Mayor’s Climate Protection Award from The U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Ave Maria, Fla., reaches milestone
Congratulations to the new community of Ave Maria, Fla., which reaches a big milestone this month – the opening of the Ave Maria University campus. A focal point within the community, the school comprises a 930-acre campus, and more than 600 students are expected to begin classes. In addition to the university, within the next 10 to 15 years the Ave Maria community is expected to have 11,000 dwellings, retail space, golf courses and more. CH2M HILL OMI has been working with Ave Maria to provide a variety of services, including operating the new water and wastewater facility and administering numerous aspects of the Ave Maria Utility Company, such as developer plan reviews and customer service.
Sandy Springs, Ga., presents positive state of the city report
Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos delivered the city’s second annual state of the city report in mid-July, noting a string of “excellent” accomplishments during the past year – including ending with a budget reserve. Sandy Springs just became a city on Dec. 1, 2005, and is one of Georgia’s newest municipalities and its seventh-largest. CH2M HILL OMI employees provide the majority of the city’s municipal services, including community development, public works, parks and recreation, administrative operations and more. CH2M HILL OMI President Mark Lasswell, in town for the address, stopped by city hall to join city officials and company staff in raising the new city flag.
Our industry
Congrats to operators
competing in Top Ops
We’re supporting two major annual competitions that show off the skills and smarts of the people so important to the water and wastewater industry. In June,
CH2M HILL OMI was the exclusive sponsor of the Top Ops competition at the American Water Works Association’s annual conference in Toronto, a quiz bowl-style competition for water treatment operators. Congrats to all of the operators who participated, especially the Pacific Northwest team – pictured here with outgoing AWWA President Terry Rolan (left) and Top Ops Chair Darrell Blanchard of
CH2M HILL OMI – that won this tough competition. Coming up in October, we'll be a key sponsor of the Water Environment Federation’s Operations Challenge. Four-person teams compete in hands-on safety, maintenance, laboratory analysis and other events. Supporting these activities is one of the ways we can help our industry continue to grow and to give back to the operator community.
Get your WISE guide to water security
Working with the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Water Works Association, and the Water Environment Federation, CH2M HILL recently developed and released the nation’s first security standard guidelines for water and wastewater utilities. The new Water Infrastructure Security Enhancements guidelines are intended to help protect the American public from potential malevolent acts and other threats by enhancing the physical security of water and wastewater infrastructure systems.
Our people
Oregon employee named ‘Operator of the Year’
The Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association recently named
CH2M HILL OMI employee Bob Caswell as its operator of the year for the eastern Oregon region. Nominated by his peers, Caswell has been an operator for client H.J. Heinz in Ontario, Ore., since 1995. The operator of the year award represents outstanding job performance of regular duties and individual or collective accomplishments of an experimental, developmental or innovative nature. CH2M HILL OMI is responsible for wastewater operations, laboratory testing, maintenance management and waste hauling at Heinz.
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