PETER LUKENS – NORTH WALES WATER AUTHORITY’S VISIONARY LEADER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:
Tim Davey, Director of Marketing
Timmons Group
804.200.6367
tim.davey@timmons.com

Peter Lukens began his career with the North Wales Water Authority (NWWA) in 1977 as Manager of this small Municipal Water Authority located in the Borough of North Wales (outside of Philadelphia ).

Today, as their Executive Director, Peter should be comfortable looking back on his organization’s many awards, milestones, and achievements of the past twenty-plus years knowing that his steadfast dedication to the organization’s Mission and Values has enabled them to become what they are today – the Region’s water provider of choice with over 26,000 customers dispersed over a fifty square mile service area.  But rather than rest on his laurels, Peter is working to shape the Authority’s next fifty years.  We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Peter and discuss the Authority’s various accomplishments and his experiences in establishing the culture and values that drive the organization’s mission today.

In the Authority’s early days of rapid growth, Lukens says his most taxing assignment was leading the efforts in establishing a long-term reliable water supply for the Authority and its customers.  The project was complicated by numerous lawsuits that had to be dealt with in order to keep the efforts on track.  This fifteen year project culminated with the opening of the Forest Park Water Treatment Facility in 1994.  With this facility, which at the time of its construction was the most advanced in the nation using ozone as both a pre and post-treatment oxidant, NWWA’s patrons are ensured an ample supply of safe water through 2030 – 2040.

NWWA has sustained itself through the years while avoiding privatization and acquisition by a larger utility.  Lukens points to the Authority being in the right place at the right time and meeting a demand for high quality drinking water in the area it serves as one of the keys to their success.  Secondly, NWWA places a strong emphasis on quality service and competitive rates and fosters strong relationships with a customer base that includes their rate payers, regulators, suppliers and consultants.  Keeping all of these entities “on board” translates into a successful business model, states Lukens.  NWWA also lives by the philosophy that, “we are never quite where we want to be – there is always room for improvement and new challenges to be discovered and met.”

Lukens recently re-structured the Authority into a truly team-run organization.  The results of this challenging five-year endeavor have been a resounding success, as NWWA has realized significant improvements in their operating efficiencies now that every employee is empowered to make mission critical decisions and perform their jobs without meddling from upper management.  Lukens explains that this has been the most rewarding accomplishment he has helped the organization achieve since the result is a staff of independent, self-thinking employees eager to assume accountability for their actions and consistently perform at the highest levels of efficiencies.  Employees know their individual contributions collectively add to the bottom line and ensure the fulfillment of the Authority’s Mission.

The re-organization has also been Lukens’ most challenging assignment since it required changing employees’ expectations and work habits, and required them to embrace a new culture that shed the traditional top-down characteristics everyone had grown accustomed to over the years.  However, the results speak for themselves, as the Authority has been able to reduce its work force by eighteen percent through attrition while maintaining a growth posture and remaining financially healthy without raising rates since 1994.

The “new” NWWA organization fits well with Lukens’ management style and philosophy of hiring good people, paying them well, instilling the Mission and Vision of the Authority, and “getting the hell out of their way and letting them do their job!”  According to Lukens, innovation is what sets NWWA apart form the pack.  Innovation results in the Authority’s ability to maintain their leadership role within the industry, deliver superior customer service and a quality product, and operate the most advanced WTP in the nation.  “You can do it, do it right, and do it well – at reasonable rates by placing decision making power at the lowest levels of the organization, which results in independent teams that operate efficiently, thereby improving the organization’s bottom line.”

Lukens’ experience and wisdom come to light as he explains his vision for the future of NWWA.  “Every challenge is an opportunity – we will be an organization that is adept from wave crest to wave crest.  We will not coast down the back sides of waves, as it takes much more effort to get to the top of the next wave if you do this.”
Lukens is a firm believer that it is imperative and necessary for the water supply and distribution industry to remain within the public sector.  According to Lukens, it is unfortunate that the public sector’s proven inability to perform – based largely on political, budgetary and bureaucratic influences has given rise to the privatization movement.  Under Lukens’ direction, NWWA has proven that public sector entities can perform effectively if they are properly managed and if the employees are empowered to make the right decisions.  In Lukens’ view, an organization must assume a certain level of risk if they expect to reap any rewards for their efforts.

According to Lukens, a number of challenges need to be met over the next twenty years to ensure NWWA maintains its vitality and improves upon its already high level of service.  These include: 1) being able to stay in tune with and get out in front the next wave of innovation; 2) finding ways to continually improve our relationships with our customers; 3) continuing to deliver a high quality product at a competitive price; 4) positioning ourselves to capitalize on existing and emerging technologies such as GIS, the Internet; automated meter reading; on-line bill payment; and 5) being able to continually offer our customers innovative, value-added services such as our lateral maintenance program.  NWWA is currently developing their business plan for the next twenty years – a comprehensive project that examines the organizational structure, infrastructure, financials and customer base.

The future is bright for NWWA – they have a secure water supply; their infrastructure is in great shape; their rates are 50 – 80 percent less than the private sector utilities; they are poised for growth; and they are positioning themselves to fulfill their objectives.  Lukens and his organization have proven, and the industry should take notice that, “you can do it, do it right, and do it well.”  For more information visit NWWA at www.nwwater.com

About Timmons Group
Timmons Group (www.timmons.com) is the largest full-service engineering firm in Central Virginia providing technology and GIS services in addition to engineering, surveying and landscape architecture services. Timmons Group’s Technology Services Division is one of the leading Mid-Atlantic ESRI Business Partners and focuses on delivering geo-spatial solutions to local, state and federal organization and offers a broad range of vertical geo-spatial services to markets including public works, public utilities and public safety among others.

For more information about Timmons Group services, contact Lowell Ballard at lowell.ballard@timmons.com

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