Editor’s note: As we were finalizing this issue of NewsSplash, the East Coast of the United States was feeling the impact of Hurricane Sandy. Many of our employees and clients, along with their families, have been affected. Numerous staff members, particularly those serving municipal clients, have remained on the job. Support crews have been brought in from other locations to assist and others are on standby should their help be needed, now and in the days and weeks of cleanup that lie ahead. Our thoughts go out to them and all those in the storm’s path.
This month, read about our new partnership focusing on collaborative service delivery; check out a video about a Florida city’s “government lite” philosophy; and learn more about a Georgia promotion for students linking athletics and academics, a coastal cleanup in California, a webinar on “managed competition,” and two Washington heroes who saved a drowning girl.
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CH2M HILL, ICMA Center for Management Strategies join forces
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 CH2M HILL has formed a partnership with the International City/County Management Association Center for Management Strategies to support the Center’s research and education initiatives in leading practices of collaborative service delivery, including shared services, regionalism and public-private partnerships. CH2M HILL will serve as a leading research partner, private-sector thought leader, and investor in the center’s work to bring forward research, education and technical assistance to local governments regarding this emerging topic, which offers local government managers varying options to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery to their customers. Read more.
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Florida city has small town charm, big bright future
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 A recent video by the International City/County Management Association showcases how Bonita Springs has figured out how to deliver good government to its citizens even in a down economy. The city is committed to its pioneering philosophy of "government lite" featuring fewer municipal employees and more partnerships. Bonita Springs works with a variety of governmental, community and private-sector entities such as the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement, the YMCA for recreation programs, and CH2M HILL, which has provided community development services since 2008. The city even contracts with its own fire department to service all its vehicles and purchase fuel. City Manager Carl Schwing says the approach enables Bonita Springs to provide quality services for the city’s 45,000 residents while offering flexibility and cost savings.
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California employees participate in 2.1-mile coastal cleanup
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 CH2M HILL employees in Gilroy, Calif., recently participated in the city’s Uvas Creek cleanup program, with 11 employees and family members contributing to the 2.1-mile coastal cleanup.
“As a result of everyone’s hard work, Gilroy city staff was able to immediately start a habitat restoration project in one of the most impacted areas along the creek,” says Gregory Williams, assistant project manager.
The effort was part of the 28th Annual California Coastal Cleanup. Preliminary results from Santa Clara County, which includes Gilroy, show there were 1,643 volunteers, 73.67 total miles of creeks and shoreline cleaned, and more than 35,000 pounds of trash disposed of—with 9,388 pounds recycled.
CH2M HILL has provided operations and maintenance services to the City of Gilroy for its municipal and recycled wastewater systems since 1986.
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Georgia ticket promotion links athletics, academics, careers for students
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CH2M HILL’s Atlanta office recently partnered with elected officials from the City of Atlanta and Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, Henry and Rockdale counties to provide 200 tickets to deserving youngsters for the annual Atlanta Football Classic game between Florida A&M University and Southern University at the Georgia Dome. The recipients represented more than 30 schools, churches, community centers, YMCAs and youth commissions. Teachers awarded the tickets based on the quality of the students’ work.
“Both of the participating universities (in the Football Classic) have an engineering curriculum,” says Greg Wilson, Georgia area manager who worked with elected officials and coordinated the event. “Our clients thought this event was an innovative way to link STEM (Science, Math, Engineering and Technology) skills, academic excellence, collegiate environments and ultimately, successful careers.”
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Dec. 13 webinar examines ‘managed competition’
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 “With competition everyone has to try harder.” – U.S. District Court Judge Harold H. Greene
Managed competition offers local government leaders a framework for assessing options for delivering services to their citizens by creating a competitive review of private companies alongside government employee units. The “Managed Competition” webinar, hosted by the Alliance for Innovation 1-2:30 p.m. EST, Dec. 13, will address how to create a competitive evaluation process that compares the provision of services by public employees with that of the private sector on the same service requirements including price, quality, competency and capability. Panel members include Leonard Martin, city manager, Carrollton, Texas; Susan Mays, vice president, marketing and strategic initiatives, CH2M HILL; and John Trujillo, public works director, Phoenix, Ariz. Register here.
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A.S.K. a Corporate Partner at Congress of Cities
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If you’re heading to the National League of Cities 2012 Congress of Cities at the Boston Convention & Exposition Center Nov. 28-Dec. 1, be sure to take advantage of the A.S.K. a Corporate Partner opportunity for free 20-minute, one-on-one consultations with NLC Corporate Partners, who will answer questions, provide solutions and share knowledge on a wide range of issues. CH2M HILL’s Susan Mays and Chris Thomas, vice president, state and local government affairs, will answer questions about public-private partnerships, sustainable cities, and economic growth and development.
Mays also will join our partners Marilu Goodyear from the University of Kansas’s top-ranked School of Public Affairs and Administration, and Rick Norment of the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships, for the presentation “Innovative Service Delivery through Public-Private Collaboration,” at 11 a.m. Nov. 29 to discuss the latest academic research and local government practices relating to PPPs. And while you’re there, be sure to stop by Booth 623 at the exhibit hall and say hello. We look forward to seeing you.
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Walla Walla duo rescue drowning woman
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 Last month, we told you about four employees in Rio Rancho, N.M., who came to the aid of an elderly woman who was badly injured in a backyard fall. This month, we bring you the story of two Walla Walla, Wash., workers whose quick thinking saved the life of a young girl.
Plant operator Ian Grant and lab analyst Velma Zamora, along with their families, were enjoying a day at Warehouse Beach on the Columbia River in Oregon, about 45 minutes from Walla Walla. Late in the afternoon, a woman ran up to Grant and told him there was a girl unconscious in the water. Grant and his son ran down the beach and swam out to the victim, where they were able to get her into a raft and back to shore. There, Zamora began CPR while another person called 911. Thanks to their efforts, the girl survived.
Grant and Zamora attributed their successful response to the safety training they received at the CH2M HILL-managed Walla Walla wastewater treatment plant, where all 13 employees are first-aid certified.
“What a wonderful story this is,” said Elisa M. Speranza, president of CH2M HILL’s Operations & Maintenance Business Group. “This is the true definition of ‘everyday heroes.’”
CH2M HILL has provided operations and maintenance services to the city of Walla Walla since 2000.
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Last week was a great one. By my standards, great weeks always include a few key ingredients: client interaction, progress on key initiatives, and contact with our team members. So last week I got to represent the company at the annual meeting of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies in Portland, Ore. Major water utilities from around the U.S. were there including lots of our clients. Topics on the agenda included the state of the economy and impacts on the water business, emergency response situations and a very compelling session on risk communication. Alan Heymann, chief of external affairs for DC Water, gave a great talk and demonstration of how DC’s water and sewer utility is using social media to communicate with customers.
All the challenges our water clients are facing are challenges for our operations and maintenance business as well. It struck me listening to the talks that running our business group is like running a really big utility, only really spread out since we have projects from California to Rhode Island, Washington to Florida, and even Ontario, Mongolia, Australia and Kuwait.
Friday I was a panelist at the “Quest for Excellence” event here in Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence organization hosted a few hundred quality practitioners (some might call themselves quality geeks) for their annual awards program.
Because CH2M HILL (then OMI) was the first Colorado company to win the Malcolm Baldrige Award in 2000, we have a little bit of celebrity status in the quality and performance excellence world. I was on the panel along with Rulon Stacey from University of Colorado Health and Sharon Clinebell from Montfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.
The discussion was about how we won our awards, and how it changed the way we do business. In our case, the Baldrige Award sparked a legacy of quality we call “Everyday Excellence.” Some tangible results include dramatic improvements in our safety record, a 99 percent contract renewal rate, a cadre of quality coaches sharing our “you’re paid to think” approach with our associates, and a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Later on Friday I got to attend the commencement ceremony for this year’s LEAD class. LEAD is CH2M HILL’s “Leadership Excellence through Accelerated Development” program. Congratulations to all the LEAD graduates and to CH2M HILL University for running such a great program. Developing the next generation of leaders is critical to our sustainability as a company.
So all in all, a great week – with the exception of watching my Saints fall to the Broncos on Sunday Night Football. Oh well, nothing’s perfect I suppose. Stay safe!
Respectfully,
Elisa M. Speranza
President
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Headquartered near Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, program management, design, construction, and operations for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. With US$6.4 billion in revenue and more than 30,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record (2009). The firm’s work is concentrated in the areas of energy, water, transportation, environmental, nuclear and industrial facilities. The firm has long been recognized as a most-admired company and leading employer.
CH2M HILL partners with communities and companies to deliver a complete range of custom-tailored operations and maintenance solutions. Our sustainable O&M solutions include water and wastewater system optimization; contract O&M of water, wastewater and other utilities; facilities management; and complete municipal operations, including administration, public works and community development.
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