Ben Hodges, Director of Operations for the entity, is one of twelve individuals employed at UTRWD that will be inducted this year. In my communications with him he tells me that in addition to the 12 Double A operators employed there, they also have 12 operators that hold an A license in either water or wastewater for a total of 36 A licenses obtained by the operators employed at just the one system. 

He speaks of the pride he has in who he works for and who he works with saying that "we have some outstanding and dedicated employees." 

Clearly, this system places an emphasis on the importance of their operators and the training and abilities of these individuals and that's paid off. In my first conversation with Ben, he challenged me to find a system that employed more A or Double A operators. I have not been successful yet..... but I'll keep looking. 

Here at TWUA we want to recognize this huge accomplishment and give a shoutout to these 12 people for what they'e been able to achieve. 

So, congratulations to the following individuals. If you are attending Annual School this year and see one of them, be sure to congratulate them as well. 

And if you know of other individuals or systems accomplishing great things, let us know. We'd love to give them the recognition they deserve! 

Ben Hodges

Brian Kelm

Jody Zabolio

Jeff Mlak

Tim Brazile

Brad Rebhan

Jarrod Stevens

Mark Long

Dustin Clark

Joe Thompson

Brian "Scott" Mooe

Jason Lucero

As Senior Operations Manager at Inframark, I've spent over 11 years in this industry, working with incredible people to grow our Texas operations teams from small groups to robust workforces managing dozens of contracts. While I have my feet planted throughout the far reaches of Texas, I can only make a difference where I stand. The broader industry struggles with recruiting new talent, training inexperienced staff, and preventing burnout, threatening our ability to keep water flowing and wastewater managed safely. 

This post is a rallying cry. We need passionate people to join this vital field and innovative ideas to tackle the workforce shortage. Operator in Training programs and Texas' provisional certifications for students are a start, but we need the social media community to amplify this message. 

If you or someone you know is interested in a rewarding career in water and wastewater management, or if you have solutions to address this crisis, please reach out!

Michael Gonzales Jr.

Senior Operations Manager at Inframark

Connect with me here at: https://twua.org/member/HQH2O