Watermark NEWS - SUEZ Water · Division employees remained attentive to Safe Work Plans during the...

PRESERVING WATER QUALITY DAY & NIGHT

FOURTH QUARTER 2014 UNITED WATER SOUTH JERSEY DIVISION NEWSLETTER

Watermark NEWS

CONTENTSTABLE OF

02

03 DIRECTOR’S UPDATE

04 EMPLOYEES STAY FOCUSED ON SAFETY

06 SAFETY SLOGAN WINNERS – 2014

08 #GIVINGTUESDAY 2014

09 HALLOWEEN PARADE 2014

10 OCEAN COUNTY VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SCHOOL COMPLETES TROPHY DISPLAY CASE FOR SOUTH JERSEY 11 NJ BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES AND NJ DEPARTMENT OF RATEPAYER ADVOCATE VISIT SOUTH JERSEY

12 JIM MASTROKALOS GREETS NJ BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSIONER

13 SERVICE AWARD

13 CONGRATULATIONS

14 WELCOME ABOARD

15 ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER 16 HOLIDAY LUNCHEON 2014

17 HONORING DIVISION VETERANS

18 DIVISION FALL FESTIVAL

20 UNITED WATER TOMS RIVER CAP “GRADUATES” THREE MEMBERS

03UNITED WATER SOUTH JERSEY DIVISION NEWSLETTER FOURTH QUARTER 2014

DIRECTOR’S UPDATE

it is the advancement of our technology, improvement of our

processes or organizational development as a whole, it takes

each and every one of us to deliver! We are all dependent on

each other to achieve the company’s mission – and we all

have dynamic capabilities that will contribute, we are and

must be a team!

Thank you all again for your hard work and resilience

demonstrated each day along with your continuous

commitments to our company’s focus on Excel, Grow and

Engage. We have had a year full of memorable moments,

successes, progress and growth and can’t wait to see what

2015 has in store for us!

To all of my co-workers and your families, my warmest regards

for happy, safe holidays and best wishes for 2015!

Truly yours,

Jim

Dear All:

The holidays are a great opportunity to enjoy time with family

and friends, celebrate life, to be grateful, and reflect on what’s

important. As we approach the winter season and welcome in

the New Year, it’s time to reaffirm our collective dedication to the

company and continue to build a strong and safe team.

We can be extremely proud of our performance this past year. We

have had improvements in many of our performance metrics with

perhaps one of the single most important; each and every one of us

returning home safe to our families. As many of you have heard me

say before, our safety performance is a consequence of each and

every one of us doing our job and running the business well! So as

we enter the colder winter months please remember to maintain

additional safety awareness of your environment. Adverse weather

events from rain, ice and snow to wind chill, frost and extreme cold

require extra care to ensure our safety against slips, trips and falls.

We are counting on each other to be safe, be aware and be fully

prepared to maintain a safe working environment this winter.

The New Year will certainly bring change and through our focus and

diligence we can ensure that the change will be positive. We are

living and working in a time where there is a paradigm shift in the

way we conduct business. Expectations are continually raised by

our stakeholders and customers, information travels quicker than

ever and we continually are held to a higher standard. The level of

sophistication in the way that we are required to provide service

requires us to continually up our game. It is our duty to rise to the

occasion and grow both as individuals and as a group. Whether

JIM MASTROKALOSDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

UNITED WATER SOUTH JERSEY

Although a customer alerted Harry to a mold condition in the home’s

basement, Harry recognized the extensive growth of the mold, knowing

immediately it would be better for the customer to have the mold

professionally treated/removed before working in an environment

that posed a potential health concern (e.g. respiratory problems, skin

irritation, sinus congestion, headache, etc.).

EMPLOYEES’ STAY FOCUSED ON SAFETY

04 UNITED WATER SOUTH JERSEY DIVISION NEWSLETTER FOURTH QUARTER 2014

August, 2014 – Harry Aber, UWTR

ENVIRONMENT HEALTH & SAFETY

Division employees remained attentive to Safe Work Plans during the quarter and

were recognized with Safety Awards for their contributions to a safer work

environment by the Environment Health & Safety Committee. Congratulations to all!

After encountering a confrontational customer, Steve realized

he would not be able to ease the customer’s fury. Instead of

remaining physically close to the customer, he distanced

himself, staying safe and preventing the risk of assault.

September, 2014 – Steve Mullen, UWTR

EMPLOYEES’ STAY FOCUSED ON SAFETY



September, 2014 – Steve Mullen, UWTR

Dave Beaulieu recognized that there was

interference in the Princeton Meadows

wastewater system, discovering an obstruction

in an influent pump. He was able to safely

remove the pump at Woodland II pump station

to unclog it without incident.

September, 2014 – Dave Beaulieu, UWPM

There is no question that confined spaces have the potential to contain

hazardous atmospheres as well as have the potential to engulf an entrant.

Chris and Alex identified that in order to obtain information for a 10-inch meter

on Lakewood Road, they were required to access a confined space. The two

Field Service Reps were recognized as excellently preparing for confined

space entry with the utilization of proper PPE, which allowed them

to complete the task safely and without incident.

October, 2014 – Chris Vitale and Alex Porto, UWTR

During a recent project, Jim Penn and his team recognized that

an electrical mark-out displayed a potential hazard. Instead

of using a backhoe to proceed at the jobsite, the crew treated

the hazard with caution and, as a safe alternative, dug the

hole carefully with hand tools. Jim and his crew immediately

distinguished that coming in contact with electrical voltage can

cause current to flow through the body resulting in electrical

shock, burns, serious injury or even death. In addition, the

team barricaded the sidewalk entry at the jobsite to prevent

any possible pedestrian injuries.

November, 2014 – Jim Penn, UWTR


SAFETY SLOGAN WINNERS – 2014


Congratulations to this year’s safety slogan winners. Awards were presented to

the following Division employees during the holiday luncheon:

“Safety is One Habit You Never Need to Break” – Chris Hafner, UWTR – First Place



“When on the Job and Working with Tools Don’t Forget Your Life

Saving Rules” – Jerry Kodopidis, UWMN – Second Place

(John DeShaw accepted award in Jerry’s absence)

“Environmental Health and Safety – Think, Share, Grow

Together” – Jeff Flatt, UWTR – Third Place


#GIVINGTUESDAY 2014

On #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back, United Water South Jersey recognized New Jersey Institute of Disabilities (NJID), a local neighbor in Toms River, which operates 25 locations throughout the State and is one of the largest non-proift agencies of its kind in the Country, assisting about 1,000 infants, children and adults with disabilities and their families by a unique range of services. One of NJID’s local “Options” programs helps prepare individuals for job opportunities with the philosophy of real jobs for real pay, and many of

the clients work in a variety of jobs including retail, food service, maintenance and office concentrations. g

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Pictured left to right: Dominic Ursino, President NJID; Venus Majeski, Director of Community Relations NJID; and Jim Mastrokalos

HALLOWEEN PARADE 2014

For the last five years, United Water South Jersey and Children’s Specialized Hospital have partnered in designing and decorating water/environment-themed Halloween parade floats for the annual Toms River Volunteer Fire Company #1 Halloween Parade, which takes place in downtown Toms River on or near the date of October 31 -- All Hallows’ Eve. The parade celebrated its 76th year in 2014 and is said to be the second largest of its kind in the world, attracting, on average, about 100,000 spectators. This year’s fun and entertaining float’s theme was “Under the Sea.” The children and their parents/guardians wore colorful, hand-made costumes representing jellyfish,

lobsters, and squid. As is tradition, a United Water truck towed the float through the main business district for everyone to enjoy! g


UNITED WATER SOUTH JERSEY DIVISION NEWSLETTER FOURTH QUARTER 2014 09

/12/10 UNITED WATER SOUTH JERSEY DIVISION NEWSLETTER FOURTH QUARTER 2014


OCEAN COUNTY VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SCHOOL COMPLETES TROPHY DISPLAY CASE FOR SOUTH JERSEYThe Division’s Toms River office is delighted with its beautiful, new custom-made rosewood finished trophy cabinet handcrafted by students of the Ocean County Vocational-Technical School (OCVTS) which adds elegant character to the reception area.

Many thanks were extended to Mr. Robert Gonsalves, OCVTS Custom Cabinetmaking Instructor and Brian Eaton, OCVTS cabinetmaking student, for the special delivery, community service and partnership. Other OCVTS students who assisted with the project were Jorge Rodriguez and Shelby McLaughlin.

Employees and visitors alike will enjoy the presentation of current and future Company awards it will proudly display in Toms River. g

Pictured left to right: Jim Mastrokalos; Robert Gonsalves and Brian Eaton, OCVTS

/13/11UNITED WATER SOUTH JERSEY DIVISION NEWSLETTER FOURTH QUARTER 2014


Senior staff from the NJBPU and NJ Department of Ratepayer Advocate recently visited the Toms River office and Berkeley water treatment facility for tours and general overviews of the locations. Jim Mastrokalos led the group event with Gary Prettyman,

United Water Harrington Park and Tim Mahady, UWTR’s Production Department, describing operations of the treatment plant. g

NJ BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES AND NJ DEPARTMENT OF RATEPAYER ADVOCATE VISIT SOUTH JERSEY

/12/12


UNITED WATER SOUTH JERSEY DIVISION NEWSLETTER FOURTH QUARTER 2014

JIM MASTROKALOS GREETS NJ BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSIONER At the November NJ Business and Industry “Meet the Decision Makers” series, Jim Mastrokalos, left, greeted keynote speaker,

newly appointed NJBPU Commissioner and former NJ State Assemblyman Upendra Chivikula. g

SERVICE AWARD


EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

Happy Anniversary!Congratulations to Walter Murog, Cross Connection Control Technician, Customer Service UWTR, who celebrated 40 years with United Water on November 27! Left to right: Walt Murog and Andrew Hoeppner, Customer Service Supervisor, UWTR

Congratulations to Ed Menges, right, United Water Princeton Meadows, on being promoted to Operator III and earning an S3 License! Great going!

CONGRATULATIONS


Toms River welcomed Kevin DeForge, Field Service

Supervisor, Customer Service, in November. Kevin and his

wife, Cindy have two children—Ally and Jack. They reside

in nearby Brick Township. We’re happy to have you on the

team, Kevin!


Welcome to Devon Bacon who recently joined United Water Manalapan as an Operator in Training. Best of luck to you, Devon!

WELCOME ABOARD


ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER

Field Service Representatives – Delivering Value to Our Customers

Peter Kiarulff and Jim Penn, UWTR, working on service replacements on Millbrook Drive, Township of Berkeley in December.


Water is Important to Good Health!

Mike Chernego, UWTR, during evening water quality

and fire protection flushing program in October.



HOLIDAY LUNCHEON 2014 On Friday, December 12, United Water South Jersey held its annual employee appreciation luncheon and welcomed nearby Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) service members, donating toys, games, clothes and books for the JBMDL’s “Operation Santa” non-profit effort. Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Morissette and Deputy Civil Engineer Christopher Archer of the U.S. Air Force, represented the Base at the event. “Operation Santa” was founded by Staff Sgt. Samuel Divita of the 5th Training Brigade, Fort Dix, NJ in 1958, when he purchased toys at his own expense to give to needy children of soldiers in his unit. The effort continues to this day which not only helps service members during the holidays but also those who return from overseas deployments or benefits those families left behind when a loved one is deployed. In addition, a monetary donation toward the cause was

presented co-jointly to the Base by the division and Local 503. g

Very special thanks to our own Peter Jester, UWTR Meter Reader/Field Service Rep, Customer Service, for providing a wonderful variety of guitar music at the holiday luncheon. Everyone enjoyed listening throughout the afternoon, and Peter’s enthusiasm and love of this craft was infectious! Thank you again!



We extended special and heartfelt thanks to our own South Jersey vets on Veterans Day 2014. g

HONORING DIVISION VETERANS

Pictured left to right: Peter Jester; Jeff Flatt;

Peter Kiarulff - UWTR

In Manalapan, the Township Council held its

first annual Veterans Day event, honoring all

veterans. Paul Osborne, Operator/Mechanic,

UWMN proudly participated in the ceremonies

held at the Town’s administration facility and

outside arboretum.

Pictured left to right: Jim Mastrokalos; Paul

Osborne UWMN; Deputy Mayor Jack McNaboe;

Committeewomen Mary Ann Musich and

Susan Cohen; and Mayor Jordan Maskowitz


EMPLOYEES IN ACTION

DIVISION FALL FESTIVAL An employee fall festival was held on September 26 at the Lakewood Blue Claws stadium in lieu of a summer picnic this year. Congratulations to the South Jersey Aquanauts who took their softball talents to the next level. Big congratulations to the teams from the Aquanauts and Potables – everyone played a vital part in the exciting game!


EMPLOYEES IN ACTION

Other activities at the fall festival were also attention-grabbing. Teams that won on varied contests and other events were awarded prizes at the conclusion of a great day of fellowship and friendly competition.

The only “entry fee” to the festival was a donation of new or lightly worn footwear to benefit Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization that distributes shoes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning the donations to qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities.


The United Water Toms River Customer Advisory Panel ‘s 4th Quarter 2014 dinner meeting was held on December 4 and celebrated the graduation of three members who completed their full CAP term.

Grateful thanks and appreciation were extended to all the dedicated and enthusiastic members of the team and the 2014 graduates:

Monica McCord, Alison McClellan and Bill Hemberger. g

UNITED WATER TOMS RIVER CAP “GRADUATES” THREE MEMBERS

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