Leaders in New Mexico & Georgia Win Partnership Awards From CH2M HILL OMI

Three leaders from two cities have earned CH2M HILL OMI’s top award for clients, the Partnership Award.

The Partnership Award is presented annually to exemplary individuals who work with CH2M HILL OMI to accomplish mutual goals. Criteria for selecting the winners include making a personal commitment to people and safety, demonstrating willingness to work through challenges as a team and acting as a champion for public-private partnerships.

This year’s awards were presented to:

• Larry Webb, utilities division manager for Rio, N.M.
CH2M HILL OMI has operated and maintained the city’s water and wastewater system since 2002. A believer in the power of partnership, Webb helped the team successfully manage a 500-year flood event, contribute to several community causes and maintain a strong safety record. Most notable, in 2007, Webb’s full support for developing a safety culture helped the team earn the New Mexico Environment Department Occupational Health and Safety Bureau’s highest designation for workplace safety—the “Zia Star” status in its Voluntary Protection Program. In addition, the team earned the National Safety Council’s Significant Improvement Award, the Milestone Award for more than 500 days without a lost-time accident and the Perfect Record Award for 168,432 hours without an accident resulting in days away from work.

• Eva Galambos, mayor, and John McDonough, city manager, both of Sandy Springs, Ga.
CH2M HILL OMI has provided complete municipal services to this city of 90,000 since it incorporated Dec. 1, 2005. Over the past two years, Galambos and McDonough have not only provided superior executive leadership for their city but also openly shared what they have learned with other officials. They have participated in dozens of media interviews, presented the city’s story at conferences, and jointly submitted an application that helped the city and CH2M HILL OMI win a Public-Private-Partnership Award for innovation from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships in 2006. Their vision and understanding of how to build cohesive teams helped launch a groundbreaking partnership that has served as a model for several other communities to follow.

“Our success depends not only on delivering outstanding management, operations and maintenance services but also on having exemplary partners like Rio Rancho and Sandy Springs that are committed to working together to achieve great results for citizens,” said Elisa Speranza, president of CH2M HILL OMI. “It’s a privilege to serve as an extension of their teams and a source of pride when we meet and exceed the high standards they set for our work.”

The Partnership Award was established in 2005—CH2M HILL OMI’s 25th anniversary year—to acknowledge the important contributions that clients make to the company’s overall success.

Source: CH2M HILL