CWS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development
As a Business Development professional for ClearWater Solutions, Barrie works with public entities to ensure that the project enhances, accommodates, and meets their individual needs. He serves as a liaison...
As an Executive Vice President for CWS, Ben focuses on operational oversight, including finances and construction, and provides engineering support as needed. Ben has over 20 years of experience and holds a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Missouri. His technical specialties include Site Design, Water and Wastewater System Design, Construction Administration, Hydraulic Modeling/Analysis, conducting public meetings, and Stormwater Management.
Ben has extensive experience in design including large and small commercial development, storm sewer collection and detention, residential development, and municipal water and wastewater engineering and analysis. Ben's expertise with site development, surveying, and water and wastewater design makes him a key member of the CWS team and provides timely support that allows contractors, as well as staff, to make decisions to continue moving to project completion.
Beth Turner is the Director of Marketing for CWS. She has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from Auburn Montgomery (AUM) and has more than 27 years of marketing experience. Beth provides a wide range of internal and external marketing efforts for both companies including preparation of project proposals, development of presentations, management of social media content, planning and hosting large and small scale events, maintaining the corporate website, organizing conference and trade show booths, and designing ads and other printed materials. In addition to ensuring brand consistency throughout the company, Beth works diligently to foster employee engagement by planning activities for the various offices and initiating community involvement efforts for the company. She assists the CWS team during project transitions by handling new uniforms, developing news releases, and ensuring the company brand is implemented throughout the project.
Beth's commitment to the community is evident through many avenues of volunteer service. Beth is a certified Alabama Planning & Zoning Official and serves on the Planning Commission for the City of Tallassee. She is an active member of the Tallassee First United Methodist Church serving on various committees, teaching Sunday School, and volunteering in the nursery. She is a past member and former Treasurer of the Tallassee Rotary Club, a past Board Member for the Tallassee Chamber of Commerce, volunteered with the Tallassee Athletic Club, and former member of the Tallassee City Schools' Capital Improvements Committee. She has served as a Board Member for the GMC Charitable Foundation, as well as the company's United Way captain for many years.
As the Regional Manager for the company's Mis souri and Arkansas territories, Brady Graves provides the operational expertise and management support necessary for the clients in that area.
Brady has been part of the CWS (formerly Midwest Water Operations) team since 2017. His experience includes repairing, rehabbing and building water and wastewater infrastructures; completing daily operations and troubleshooting throughout Missouri; and installa tion and setup of a vast number of Mission SCADA panels and Pre cision Digital well controllers. He is experienced in the operation of industry equipment such as excavators, backhoes, skid loaders, dump trucks, mini excavators, road graders, rollers, papers, trac tors and more. Brady also built 5 Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor sites throughout Missouri and completed overhauls on several activated sludge plants. He is versed at pipe threading and welding and has installed/wired new blowers, motors and control panels. Brady has demonstrated success excavating and setting new concrete struc tures and laying miles of pipe to grade.
Brian Tveitnes, SHRM-CP, PHR Director of Human Resources As the Director of Human Resources, Brian is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources for CWS. Brian possesses three years of water and wastewater experience and 14 years of... More about Brian Tveitnes, SHRM-CP, PHR
With a background as an environmental scientist, Chris is well versed in the process of evaluating water quality and finding pollution causes and remedies for stormwater, rivers creeks and streams. He has cultivated a proficiency in developing and maintaining compliance with the Clean Water Act. As a Regional Manager for CWS, Chris oversees wastewater and drinking water facilities to ensure compliance for partner communities in Kentucky and Tennessee. He also oversees construction projects and manages all employees throughout the service area.
With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, Chris has developed an extensive working knowledge of water and wastewater systems. He was previously the President of Lakeview Environmental,...
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Officer
- Manager
Houston Black has been in the water and wastewater industry for over 10 years. Houston started with CWS as a Wastewater Lagoon Operator, later operating an Activated Sludge Plant with daily lab operations, then moving into the Drinking Water Treatment Plant as an operator. At the Beulah project, he was a Project Manager overseeing four employees, a Water Distribution System with over 200 miles of distribution pipe, one ground storage tank, and over 3,300 customer services. He was also responsible for developing the Cross Control Program & Flushing Program for the water distribution system. Along with the Water Distribution System, Houston also managed and operated two wastewater treatment facilities. In addition, he has been providing tank inspections since 2015 and oversaw a tank demolition, as well as various renovation projects in Beulah. Houston has gained experience and knowledge in budget development and financial management; accounting; financial planning; management of multiple budgets totaling over $2 million; working with engineers and contractors during major construction projects; problem-solving; innovative thinking; personnel management; motivation of personnel's individual growth; and the development of leaders.
Houston is a proven manager with a tremendous understanding of water and wastewater systems who was recently named as Chief Operations Officer for our firm. His accomplishments have not gone unnoticed as he was recognized by the AWWA Alabama-Mississippi Section as the "2016 Young Professional of the Year".
Job Titles:
- REGULATORY COMPLIANCE MANAGER
As the Regulatory Compliance Manager, Joe works to develop processes and strategies to track, evaluate, and mitigate regulatory issues and aid in improving operational performance. He reviews state and federal regulations for new and existing operational areas and ensures every CWS project meets the requirements to maintain compliance.
Through his work experience, Joe has developed an expertise in tracking multiple escalation and enforcement activities in multiple environmental media and offices. He has participated in and led numerous enforcement negotiations with regulated entities, and has been afforded the opportunity to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other staff, regulated entities, government and industry officials, professional organizations/groups, and the general public. He can evaluate and communicate with senior management on emerging issues, environmental emergencies, and problematic concerns. He is proficient in the preparation, evaluation, communication, and supervision of the preparation of concise reports, presentations, plans, grants, bids, contracts, and cooperative agreements.
Job Titles:
- REGIONAL MANAGER
- Regional Manager for Lou
Kenneth Crawford is the Regional Manager for Lou isiana and Texas, bringing nearly 30 years of water and wastewater expe rience to the position. Since Febru ary, 2022, he has served CWS in the capacity of project manager for the Midlands Project in the South Carolina area. Kenneth possesses licenses in multiple states and is a certified public works man ager. He has also successfully com pleted Rutgers University's Public Works Manager Program.
Throughout his career, Kenneth has operated and/or main tained over 100 different water treatment facilities ranging from 5 GPM to 180 MGD and including small package plants, lagoons and industrial wastewater treatment plants. He has operated both surface and groundwater systems and can navigate complexities such as alum and potassium permanga nate coagulation; membrane, greensand/synthetic and Tonka filtrations; clarifications for both dissolved air flotation (DAF) and updraft clarifiers; granular and powdered activated car bon; gas, sodium, calcium, ozone and chloramination disinfec tion; corrosion control including both cathodic protection and phosphate; and solids and residuals handling.
Lawrence Hughes has more than 25 years of experience in management and sales resulting in a consistent track record of exceptional success. He recently merged his own company, Artesian Utilities Systems Management, Inc., with CWS Solutions in order to provide his clients with enhanced services and resources. Through his experience, Lawrence has managed multiple water and wastewater systems and a staff of 48 employees. He has developed client and board member relations through negotiation of contracts, and has also been affiliated with systems that have utilized funding from USDA, ADEM, and CDBG grant monies.
Lawrence is responsible for supporting contract operations, maintenance, management (O&M), and related services project sites. He coordinates the delivery of support resources for CWS' O&M project teams at various facilities throughout the South, drawing from the regional resources of our firm, which include experts in management, technical and operations areas.
Paige is the company-wide Environmental Health and Safety Officer with more than 12 years' experience in the Water and Wastewater industry. In this position, Paige oversees the safety practices in all facets of our business. She compiles safety topics for the company to ensure the monthly project safety meetings are conducted with relevant and accurate information. She is in charge of OSHA reporting and maintaining accurate safety records. Paige also conducts site specific safety inspections of all plants to meet OSHA regulations and selects appropriate safety materials.
Paige Cawood Environmental, Health & Safety Director Paige is the company-wide Environmental Health and Safety Officer with more than 12 years' experience in the Water and Wastewater industry. In this position, Paige oversees the safety practices in... More about Paige Cawood
As one of the founders of ClearWater Solutions in 2007, Rick has been instrumental in the overall growth and success of the company. His career spans over 38 years, with 30 plus years in leadership roles in the public works, water, and wastewater industries. He has worked in both the municipal and private sector of the industry. Rick has served as the President of CWS from its inception and continues to provide operational support and insight while serving on the Executive Committee.
Highly motivated and intuitive, he is effective at human relations and able to work with people on individual goals and their personal growth. His experience and background includes optimization and performance of systems, financial planning, managing budgets, team building, and overall efficient operations. Rick is passionate about building communities by bringing innovative ideas to help satisfy our client's needs. He is committed to promoting the CWS culture; being compassionate, strong family values, working with integrity and grit, and doing what we say we are going to do. He is proud of the CWS training program that provides employees opportunities and growth. Early in Rick's career, this type of opportunity and training led to him being named West Virginia "Water Operator of the Year".
As CEO of CWS, Steve focuses on the overall vision and direction of the company. He was one of the original founders of the company in 2007 and continues to provide leadership in all aspects of the business from strategic planning to financial planning, business development, client management, operations, and training.
Before coming to CWS, Steve served as the CEO, Principal-In-Charge and Executive Committee member for Goodwyn Mills Cawood - an architectural and engineering firm with offices located throughout the United States. Steve has over 44 years of engineering experience with both public and private sector projects. His experience includes all phases of project development and implementation including project planning and studies, preliminary and final project design, rate analysis, permitting, procurement and contracting, construction supervision and inspection. He has provided services to a wide variety of public officials, governmental agencies, private developers and industrial developers. Steve has extensive experience assisting local governments and industries in obtaining grant funds for a variety of improvement projects.
Terry is a company executive with CWS. His role includes executive leadership of the CWS company, client management, and business development. He provides direct oversight of each state manager, and serves as a liaison between the client and the project team. Terry leads the traveling/startup team, ensuring that every project is transitioned smoothly. He has provided direct oversight of 110 facility startups.
For 25 years, Terry has gained a tremendous background in the water and wastewater industry where he has held such titles as Director of Marketing and Business Development, Division Manager, Local Manager, and System Manager. He has helped communities understand the benefits and logistics of contract operations for water, wastewater and public works functions. Terry served as the primary contact for prospective client-partners and directed the appropriate team experts as they examined a potential partner's unique operational and budgetary needs. He oversaw full management, operations and maintenance services of water and wastewater facilities, distribution and collection systems, and meter reading. Terry holds both Class A Water and Wastewater certifications in Missouri. He was awarded the Missouri Section of the American Water Works Association's Operator's Meritorious Service Award (2005) for implementing a maintenance schedule and innovative repairs to water plant equipment, along with employee development and training in his division.
Job Titles:
- Regional Manager
- Regional Manager and Project Support Team Member
Tim served as Superintendent of Water Distribution and Wastewater Collections for the City of Phenix City, a system with over 15,000 customers, before joining CWS in 2011. As Superintendent, he was responsible for overseeing the Cross Control program. While with Phenix City, Tim was instrumental in developing a flushing program which reduced DBPs and increased water quality.
Tim serves as a Regional Manager and Project Support team member for CWS. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, he has gained a tremendous understanding of all facets of public works including the management of staff, operations of facilities, and the maintenance of building, grounds, and equipment. Tim has extensive experience with project management, training, compliance, documentation and record keeping, reporting systems, maintenance and repairs, new construction, permitting, etc. which enables him to effectively lead the regional team of project staff. In addition, he holds various certifications in water, wastewater, plumbing and gas that allows him to support each function when needed. His commitment to success earned him the title of "Project Manager of the Year" in 2013, and under his direction, the water treatment system at which he was the manager was named "Best Operated Plant" and "Best Operated Distribution System" by the Alabama Water Pollution Control Operators Association in 2015. Tim has served as an Adjunct Instructor at Columbus Technical College and Training Specialist for Birmingham Water Works Board, where he directed classes on Water Filtration, Wastewater Treatment Processes, Backflow Prevention Tester training, and Operator Certification training. Tim currently serves as Training Coordinator for CWS.
Torrey Jones is the Regional Manager serving the South and West Dallas Water Authorities, as well as Perry County Water Authority, Butler County Water Authority, Lowndes County Water Authority, North Choctaw Water & Sewer Authority, Hale County Water Authority, Billingsley Water Authority, and Vance projects in Alabama. Torrey served as a Project Manager for the West Dallas and South Dallas Water Authorities for the past 10 years where he has not only been responsible for the daily operations of the systems, but has also been involved in numerous capital improvement projects. In 2008, Torrey oversaw a $3.5 million project that included a new automated greensand filter plant, a new water tank, three new generators, and several miles of water main for South Dallas. In 2014, he completed a $1 million service line rehabilitation project that included replacement of 1,200 old service lines and meters. Between 2008 and 2012, Torrey was responsible for a two-phase project that included 400 new customers, 66 miles of water main, a booster pump station, pressure reducing valve, all new meters, and a water tank for West Dallas. Torrey is a certified Grade 3 Water Operator in Alabama.