CH2M HILL Shares Expertise At Utility Management Conference

Will discuss utility management, asset management, automation and knowledge management as well as release results of a CH2M HILL/McGraw-Hill Construction research study

Employees of CH2M HILL , a global full-service consulting, design, construction and operations firm, will be sharing their expertise at the 2013 Utility Management Conference (UMC), jointly hosted by the Water Environment Federation and the American Water Works Association, being held March 10-13 in Glendale, Arizona. CH2M HILL’s consultants will be leading workshops and presenting alongside clients on utility management, optimizing operations, asset management, automation, and knowledge management. Results of a CH2M HILL/McGraw-Hill Construction research study, “Water Infrastructure Asset Management: Adopting Best Practices to Enable Better Investments,” will also be presented during a March 12 breakfast. CH2M HILL is proud to sponsor both the overall UMC conference and the Young Professionals Summit, held in conjunction with UMC to help foster the development of the newest generation of water industry leaders.

Asset Management Research Study Release at UMC: March 12 Breakfast
As part of CH2M HILL’s commitment to advancing industry understanding of asset management and awareness of the benefits of adopting asset management practices, CH2M HILL partnered with McGraw-Hill Construction on the research study, “Water Infrastructure Asset Management: Adopting Best Practices to Enable Better Investments.” Initial results of the study were released during the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the full report will be released during UMC.

UMC attendees are invited to join CH2M HILL and McGraw-Hill Construction for breakfast on March 12, 7 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. in Solana FG at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel to hear more about the results of the study from Harvey Bernstein, vice president of Industry Insights and Alliances with McGraw-Hill Construction, and Scott Haskins, CH2M HILL director, Management and Strategic Consulting.

CH2M HILL Employees Technical Session Participation
Sunday, March 10                                       
8:30 a.m. Workshop – So You’ve Made Knowledge Management a Priority, What’s Next: Tools and Approaches for Managing and Sharing Information     
Moderator: Sharon Jean-Baptiste
This interactive workshop will expand participants experience with knowledge management beyond awareness to implementation. Through utility case studies, individuals will gain a firm understanding of knowledge management and what organizations are doing to address this important workforce topic; learn about approaches employed in developing and prioritizing an organization's knowledge management program and activities; and hear about practical examples of tools, technologies, and initiatives for implementation.

Monday, March 11
10:30 a.m. Changing Utility Operations to Achieve Positive Outcomes
Speakers: John Fortin and Sam Paske (Session: Leading Change – A Case Study in Uniting People and Processes for Results)
Finding a strategic approach to utility operations that balances internal resources and budgets with external risks and financial liabilities can be difficult. Learn how three water utilities have made calculated efforts to optimize their operations with successful results.

1:30 p.m. Is Your Capital Improvement Program Delivering As Expected?
Speaker: Don DeWolfe (Session: Doubling CIP Delivery through Business Process Improvement and Automation)
Hear how two water utilities have refined their capital improvement programs to balance cost, schedule and quality goals, all while meeting or exceeding performance metrics. Also included in this session is a review of a WERF-funded project that is part of an EPA research agenda that supports efforts to put the nation‘s aging infrastructure on a pathway toward sustainability.

Tuesday, March 12
10:30 a.m. Optimizing for Success: Tools and Technique for Utility Management
Speaker: Mike Matichich (Session: Creating and Testing a Benchmarking Framework for the 10 Attributes of Effective Utility Management)
The sustainability of water utility all comes down to effective management. This session will cover benchmarking programs and management techniques that ensure that the customer needs are met in the most cost-efficient, safe and compliant manner.

3:30 p.m. You Can Do It, Too! Successful Application of Asset Management Programs
Speaker: Gareth Lifton (Session: Robust, Defensible and Transparent Decision Making? The City of Winnipeg Corporate Asset Management Program)
Across North America, cities are facing numerous challenges including limited funding, increased growth, constrained capital and operating budgets, and deteriorating infrastructure. Come hear how three water utilities have applied a consistent, robust and repeatable approach to allocate their limited resources to the assets most in need of attention.

For media in attendance at UMC, please contact Bill Doughty, CH2M HILL Communications Director, who will be at the conference, at bill.doughty@ch2m.com.

About CH2M HILL
Headquartered near Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. The firm’s work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environmental, energy, facilities and resources. With US$7B in revenue and 28,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record and named a leader in sustainable engineering and environmental services by Verdantix. The firm has been named a FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For six times and was named Water Company of the Year at the 2012 Global Water Awards. For more information,Visit www.ch2mhill.com.