New Employee Spotlight: Jeff Sewell On August 20th, Water Management welcomed Jeff Sewell to

our Accounting team. Jeff will be training with Joy while she

transitions into her upcoming retirement. He has many years

of experience as an Accountant and Finance Manager, and is

an expert in Excel. He has also been a Project Manager for the

conversion of accounting software, which will be most helpful

as we embark on transitioning from our existing Dynamics

Great Plains to the new Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Save the Date: National Tradesmen Day Cookout on September 20th

Professional tradesmen across America will be celebrated in honor of National

Tradesmen Day this month. Initiated by IRWIN Tools and held on the third Friday of

September each year, it is a day to say “thanks” to plumbers, electricians, roofers, auto

mechanics, and other skilled tradesmen who engage in important work that keeps our

nation running.

According to the Vice President of Marketing for IRWIN Tools, “Professional tradesmen

deserve our respect and our 'thanks.' To say 'thank you' to America’s tradesmen is a

privilege and an honor. These men and women, in many ways, are the unsung heroes

of our nation. They are the real working hands that build America and keep it running

strong.”

To celebrate and honor our tradesmen,

Water Management will be having a

cookout at Joseph Hensley Park, about a

block from our office. The event will take

place in the afternoon on Friday,

September 20th. Rumor has it that we

will have some out-of-town guests!

Stay tuned for more details!

NewsLeak September 2019 Volume 169

Quality

Statement

Water Management

is committed to

maintaining high

customer

satisfaction with its

innovative water

efficiency programs.

We will propose

products and

services that are “fit

for use” and that

will set the standard

for quality and value

in water efficiency.

We strive to be

world class in every

aspect of water

efficiency by

fostering a culture

of honesty,

openness, mutual

respect and

teamwork.

Water Management

understands the

necessity of

continual

improvement (both

as a company and as

individuals) to keep

us at the forefront

of water

conservation and to

exceed customer

expectations.

NewsLeak September 2019 Pg 2

Apprenticeship Program Launch We are excited to announce the start of our Water Efficiency Technician/Plumbing Retrofitter Apprenticeship

Program! Soon, we will also launch our Project Superintendent/First Line Supervisor Apprenticeship Program.

The Virginia Department of Labor has approved both of these one-year programs.

The Apprenticeship Program will benefit both the Apprentices and Water Management as a business.

Apprentices will:

Learn and practice technical skills without the hefty cost of a comparable one-year training program at a trade school or college (typically $800 - $3000)

Develop valuable safety, customer service, and leadership skills, which are applicable to any field as well as interpersonal relationships

Have a progressive pay scale during the program, and enhance their opportunities for career advancement

Enjoy a one-to-one ratio of Virginia Master Plumber Mentor to WET Apprentice, as well as a one-to one ratio of Project Manager to Project Superintendent, during the program

Water Management will:

Maintain a well-trained staff, which is crucial for successful business operations

Continue to improve the safety skills and habits of our staff

Accelerate the rate of promotions to Project Superintendent positions (currently about 10 years)

Enact progressive pay scales based on training and completion of apprenticeship programs

The Water Efficiency Technician (WET) Apprenticeship has four components:

1. In-person technical training classes

2. Online class material to review prior to in-class training

3. On-the-Job hours to track once enrolled (2000 hours in total)

4. Qualification (Qual) standards to be signed off on as competency is proven

The in-person and online classes will be on personal time not subject to pay. The On-the-Job hours and

Qualification (Qual) Standards will be completed during work hours with pay.

Satisfactory performance throughout the apprenticeship is required to remain in the program. Unsatisfactory

performance in classroom requirements or job duties may result in removal from the program.

Upon completion of the apprenticeship term and the Apprentice having met the requirements of the program,

the Division of Registered Apprenticeship will prepare a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship in the name

of the Apprentice. The Apprentice will then be certified, and can proudly display their credentials!

NewsLeak September 2019 Pg 3

Technology Updates As technology progresses, Water Management is looking for ways to take advantage of new technology that

will improve our processes and cost efficiency. Below are some of the things we have been working on:

Amazon Chime

We recently started using Amazon Chime to conduct our weekly sales

meeting, which allows our salespeople to login to the meeting from their

computer or phone and view our sales pipeline while discussing our latest

proposals. Matthew has been leading the meetings, and we are getting

acclimated to this new technology. In addition, we can use Amazon Chime

to hold webinars or video conferences with our customers.

Electronic Signatures

Signing documents by printing them, signing them, and scanning them is old-school and time-consuming! We

recently had a Lunch ‘n Learn to demonstrate how to add your signature to documents using FoxIt Reader. We

are also testing out a service that will enable us to send proposals to customers through a website. The customers

would then be able to add their signatures to our contract in just a few clicks. Both parties would then receive a

copy of the signed documents. Hopefully this will help get our contracts signed easily and quickly!

Accounting Software

We have been using our current version of Dynamics Great Plains

for over 15 years, and have decided to take the leap and upgrade

to the latest version of Dynamics. This is a huge endeavor for our

Accounting and Inventory team, and will require weeks of prep

work, time learning a new system with new features and functions,

and months of testing and balancing.

Fortunately, we will be working with Gerald, the same accounting

software consultant that we used last time, who will take care of

the behind-the-scenes work on our accounting data and software.

In addition, our new employee, Jeff Sewell, has experience in the

conversion process and has a good working knowledge of Dynamics. For a period of a few months, our Accounting

team will be using both the old and new system simultaneously, which means entering every transaction twice.

This will ensure that the new system is running properly and that all of our transactions are being processed by

the new system correctly. Best wishes to our Accounting Team on this project!

NewsLeak September 2019 Pg 4

Verizon Connect Vehicle Tracking We now have real-time data on our fleet’s daily operations. Better fleet visibility will help us take stock of where

our resources are, how our vehicles are being used, and who is nearby for urgent requests. We will also be able

to monitor vehicle maintenance needs and provide accurate ETAs. All of these enhanced features will help us

reduce costs, increase productivity, and stay on top of vehicle maintenance. Thanks to all those who pitched in to

get this system up and running!

Beware IRS Impersonation Scam The IRS and its Security Summit partners are warning taxpayers about a new IRS impersonation scam that is

spreading nationally on email. Please be aware that the IRS will never send unsolicited emails and does not email

taxpayers about the status of refunds. These realistic-looking emails have links leading to an IRS.gov-like website

with details pretending to be about the taxpayer’s refund, electronic return, or account. However, when people

try to access the information, it turns out to be a malicious file that the unsuspecting victim has now downloaded

onto their computer. By infecting computers with malware, the imposters may gain control of the taxpayer’s

computer or download software that tracks keystrokes, giving the scammers passwords to sensitive accounts.

Remember: The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text message, or social media channels to

request personal or financial information. The IRS also does not call to demand immediate payment using a

specific method such as prepaid debit card, gift card, or wire transfer. These are sure signs of a SCAM!

NewsLeak September 2019 Pg 5

Cooling Tower Credits Available in Washington, DC Russ and Spencer took a trip into DC in late August to visit the Museum of the Bible. It is one of many places in DC

that may be eligible for cooling tower credits. Water Management determined that they did not have an official

DC Water cooling tower make-up and blow down meter. Therefore, our Master Plumbers will be installing this

soon. This addition will cost them less than $3,000 per year, but will generate savings of approximately $50,000

per year.

The Museum of the Bible is located in a 430,000-square-foot building just three blocks from the U.S. Capitol in

Washington, DC. Showcasing rare and fascinating artifacts spanning 3,500 years of history, the museum offers

visitors an immersive experience with the Bible and its ongoing impact on the world. The museum features a green

roof and a beautiful water feature outside of its restaurant, Manna.

NewsLeak September 2019 Pg 6

Where in the World?! Butch, Giovany, and Douglas have been working on the Carriage Park project in Pittsburgh, PA. They installed a

total of 160 Stealth toilets. Danny and Mel filled in for a few days to help finish up the job.

Eddie, Mike, Daniel, and Johnathon G. helped finish up the over 600 toilet installs at Parkside at Paradise in

Washington, DC.

Reggie, Johnathan W, and Thomas “Tommy” worked very hard on a challenging project at Stratford Ridge in

Atlanta, GA. They installed over 400 toilets and completed 300 rebuilds.

Jeff, Mike S, and Daniel started work at Montgomery White Oak on August 14th. This project consists of 600 toilet

installs and will transition to Eddie starting in September.

Giovany and Douglas are in San Jose, CA, working on three Hyatt Place hotels. These jobs consist of showerhead

and aerator replacements as well as some toilet rebuilds.

We have been performing inspections on a number of Shared Savings projects

throughout the Washington, DC, area and successfully lowering their water usage. The

properties we worked on during the month of August included: Ridgecrest, Garden

Village, 1708 T Street, Carver Terrace, Shipley Park, Fort Stevens, Banneker Place, King

Square, Jetu, Calvert Hall, Fletchers Field, Huntington Village, and Orchard Park.

We are learning more and more about handheld showerheads because of the Brookdale

challenges, and because many of the multi-family sites are requiring us to replace all

showerheads. As we are being requested to install lower and lower flow showerheads

providing the option of a handheld unit is a real benefit.

Apparently our offices are not the only ones that have mascots. Brookdale Pinehurst

General Manager Cosmo Cecelia comes to work with his dog, too! If we are lucky we

may be able to visit them when we return to replace their irrigation controllers and

upgrade some of their irrigation spray heads.

Service Department Updates

Since Pete’s retirement, Mark Harewood has been working with the Service Department to make sure things are

running smoothly. Every two weeks, he leads a Service Team meeting with Katie, Ward, Nery, and Bob. Charlie

and Tony join in occasionally as well. During the meeting, they review the most recent Friday Report and discuss

consumption on our Shared Savings and Service properties and share any issues experienced since the last

meeting. Keep up the good work, team!

NewsLeak September 2019 Pg 7

Milestones

Joyce Howe

Butch Deibler

Tony Cimini

Thank you for your service!

Anniversarie s

Employment September

16 Years

13 Years

34 Years