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BNH Business and Civic Awards: CORPORATE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
A Liquid Community Asset
Water authority's good deeds far more that just a drop in the bucket
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Business New Haven
2/2/2004
By: Melissa Nicefaro
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The folks at the Regional Water Authority seem to know that what their organization takes out of the community has a lot to do with what they put into it. Not only do they sell some of the best water anywhere, they've made some pretty good friends here in the New Haven area.
"In the service industry, it's keenly important that you understand what your customers are thinking about, what the stakeholders are thinking about," explains Patricia B. Sweet, the RWA's vice president of external affairs.
"You're doing business within a lot of different arenas and it's very important that you understand how decisions are made in your place of business - whether it is a utility or a bank, a hospital or some other service industry - and that you understand what impact your decision will make. It's very important to make that relationship."
It's also vitally important for companies that have sizable numbers of employees to make sure that the region where their employees live is a healthy one.
"I think it's important from many aspects," Sweet says. "It's important to understand your customers and stakeholders. It's important to help your community where your employees live and it's important to know that their communities are strong and safe and healthy and vibrant.
"It's also important for many companies not in the service industry who are trying to attract top employees from other parts of the country," adds Sweet. "You want the area to be a thriving one with a strong cultural base with social services. You don't know what the needs are for somebody who may move here from Chicago. They may have a handicapped child, they may have a musical child, or different needs. You want the area that you work in to be able to attract those kinds of employees where their needs are going to be met," Sweet says.
RWA employees have ample reasons for supporting volunteer activities and supporting the region where they work.
"It certainly is an important aspect of what we do. It's not just water, we're interested in the environment. We have many issues that we need to understand and involvement in the community helps us to understand these issues," Sweet says.
The United Way of Greater New Haven is on the receiving end of quite a bit of RWA employee largess, both through the people who serve on the board and those who serve in leadership positions. For those broad community-wide organizations, the RWA has employees involved in all levels, from CEO down to the rank-and-file.
"What I really love is that it involves people at all levels of the organization," Sweet says.
RWA employees raised nearly $30,000 for the Greater New Haven United Way last year. Money came from employee payroll deductions, donations to the United Way and additional fundraising activities organized by employees during the campaign.
Besides several bake sales, the RWA held a successful fund-raising carnival in its garage. There were games of chance and a dunking booth at the carnival. Several members of the senior executive team were "dunked." The RWA has also supported the United Way's annual September "Day of Caring." The projects undertaken for 2003 were painting at Casa Otonal and cleaning a trail at a Girl Scout camp.
"Another organization where we have more than one person on the board is the Watershed Fund," Sweet explains. "It's an interesting organization. We started the fund and have four or five employees involved on that board. We have people from outside of the Authority also involved with the board."
Established in 1999, the Watershed Fund is dedicated to acquiring threatened watershed lands and supporting local environmental-education programs. The fund operates independently of the water authority and is the first of its kind established by a New England water utility.
The idea for starting the fund grew from discussions at the RWA after seeing ecologically sensitive watershed land be at risk to development or misuse.
"Recognition of the link between development of watershed land and degradation of water quality has long guided the authority's acquisition and management of more than 24,000 acres of land in this region. But alone the authority cannot do all that needs to be done," Watershed Fund President Claire Bennitt explains.
"By starting the fund, we created a way to enhance and expand protection of open space and water quality across this region."
The Watershed Fund has two primary objectives: to purchase open space as part of protecting the drinking water-quality of the region. Over time, increased development of watershed land often results in poorer water quality. By protecting sensitive watershed lands, the fund will preserve river, stream and drinking water quality.
The first large parcel of land the fund acquired was an 82.3-acre parcel in Madison known as the Abbott Property. In late 2002, the Watershed Fund also helped to purchase 51 acres of land in Hamden from the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).
The Watershed Fund also offers support programs that will teach children and adults throughout the region how to protect the environment and preserve water quality. This gives area residents who care about the environment a chance to act locally on their beliefs. Examples of some programs that have been supported by Watershed Fund grants include Solar Youth, Schooner Inc. and Upper Room.
Beyond non-profit programs like Solar Youth and Schooner, the fund in 2000 expanded its grant-making program to include scholarships to graduating high-school students. In 2003, the fund awarded $17,700 in scholarships to 16 students.
An annual golf tournament sponsors the scholarship fund. In 2003, the tournament raised $25,000.
"About 25 different employees went out and sold ads and found sponsors and worked at the tournament," Sweet explains. "Some of the authority's board got involved with helping the tournament. We thought it was a wonderful thing."
Other RWA community involvement includes:
o The fountain on the New Haven Green - Surrounding the War Memorial and flagpole on the New Haven Green is a new focal point: a commemorative fountain that celebrates 150 years of water service to the region.
Water from Lake Whitney first reached the New Haven Green in January 1862 via 18 miles of pipe that the RWA's predecessor, the New Haven Water Co., installed in the city of New Haven.
The authority, the city, the proprietors of the Green, Yale University, and individual donors paid for construction of the octagonal granite fountain with its 32 jets of water.
o Breast Cancer and the American Heart Association - Annually, RWA employees play an active role in these two campaigns. In 2003, more than $2,400 was raised for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign.
The American Heart Association also raised more than $2,000 for its campaign. On a personal level, RWA CEO David Silverstone was offered a challenge: If more than $2,000 could be raised for the heart association, would Silverstone shave his beard? After consulting with his daughter Ari, who gave the thumbs-up for her father to shave his beard, he agreed. Employees quickly began to raise money for the Heart Association Walk. Just over $2,200 was raised for the Heart Association. Silverstone shaved his beard in front of RWA employees.
o Whitney's Bottled Water - Long Wharf Theatre and the Yale Repertory Theatre, two of the region's leading cultural organizations, sell the RWA's own bottled-water, Whitney's Pure Water, at performances.
The non-profits purchase the elixir from the RWA at a reduced cost. The groups in turn sell the water to help raise funds for their respective organizations. In addition to being a source of income for the organizations, it helps the RWA support the non-profit organizations in the region.
The RWA began bottling its water in January 1998. Whitney's Water is named after Eli Whitney Jr., son of the cotton gin inventor and creator of New Haven's first reservoir and distribution system. Whitney's Pure Water sells for $7.95 a case (24 16.9-ounce bottles). Non-profits purchase the cases at a reduced rate.
This outreach program has received positive feedback from both the Yale Rep and Long Wharf theaters.
"It's selling very, very well," says Sylvia Traeger, the director of audience services at the Yale Rep. Proceeds from water sales help the theater's Project Discovery, a program offering $3 theater tickets to groups who would otherwise be unable to attend due to financial constraints. Depending on the performance, tickets normally sell from $12 to $20.
Besides the arts organizations, the authority fields many requests from civic groups looking for water for road races, fairs and area Little Leagues. Some of the organizations that have used Whitney's Water are the Women's Health Clinic at Yale-New Haven Hospital, the Branford Rotary, New Haven Youth Services, the Freddie Fixer Parade and the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. It is also the official water of the New Haven Labor Day Road Race.
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