Craig J. Patla Named to Serve as President of Connecticut Water Service and Connecticut Water Company Following Retirement of Maureen P. Westbrook
Brings 32 years of experience at Connecticut Water and nearly a decade on the leadership team
Maureen P. Westbrook is retiring after a distinguished 34-year career at Connecticut Water
CLINTON, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Connecticut Water Service, Inc. (CTWS), a wholly owned subsidiary of SJW Group (NYSE: SJW), announced today that Maureen P. Westbrook, president of CTWS and the Connecticut Water Company (CWC), plans to retire on Dec. 31, 2022, and Craig J. Patla, vice president of service delivery, is expected to succeed her as president of CTWS and CWC, effective on Jan. 1, 2023.
“Maureen has been vital to our success in serving our customers and communities and achieving meaningful environmental goals. She has been a strong leader of our people, with a focus on driving our culture and values,” stated CTWS and SJW Board Chair Eric W. Thornburg. “The water industry and our own customers and employees will benefit from Maureen’s contributions well into the future, and we thank her for her service.” Westbrook began her career at CWC in 1988 and has been president since October 2019.
Thornburg continued, “Craig is the ideal successor to Maureen, given his extensive operational expertise and unwavering commitment to customer service, community connections and employee safety. In addition, he reflects the values of honesty, integrity, trust and respect that are critical in our business.”
Patla started his career at CWC in 1990 as a field engineer working on drinking water infrastructure projects. Over the years, he has held positions of increasing responsibility, and since 2014, he has served as the vice president of service delivery and has been a member of the Connecticut leadership team.
“Craig has been an integral part of many critical business decisions at the company for nearly a decade and has worked on water utility matters with state regulators at the Department of Public Health, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection,” stated Westbrook. She added, “He is highly respected in the water industry and by local officials in our service communities. I am confident that Connecticut Water is in good hands under Craig’s leadership.”
In Patla’s previous role, he was responsible for all company supply operations, field services, water quality, environmental compliance, safety and engineering, and planning functions for the company. He led a statewide team of professionals providing safe, reliable drinking water and delivering infrastructure projects in communities the company serves. He led the company’s emergency response efforts during major storm events and widespread power outages and is engaged with PURA on its Emergency Support Function #12 team. He is an active and vocal leader in water industry issues through his participation in industry professional associations, including the Connection Section of the American Water Works Association, the Connecticut Water Works Association and the National Association of Water Companies.
“I am honored to take on the role of president of CTWS and CWC, and I look forward to working with our talented, passionate team of water professionals to build on our record of water quality, service and environmental stewardship,” stated Patla. He added, “I have been fortunate to be mentored by Maureen and other exceptional leaders at Connecticut Water for more than three decades, and I look forward to building on the strengths of the organization and its people.” Patla will immediately focus on identifying successors for his current position and further defining the Connecticut Water leadership team to deliver on the company’s short- and long-term strategic goals.
Patla is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Connecticut. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts. He lives in Madison and has been involved personally and professionally in various community organizations, including multiple chambers of commerce, ad hoc town commissions for property evaluations, and multiple coaching and youth leadership and mentorship programs.
About Connecticut Water Service, Inc.
Connecticut Water Service, Inc., the New England subsidiary of SJW Group, serves approximately 141,000 connections that serve a population of approximately 460,000 people in 81 municipalities throughout Connecticut and Maine and more than 3,000 wastewater connections in Southbury, Connecticut. The subsidiaries held by CTWS include the Connecticut Water Company, headquartered in Clinton, Connecticut, and the Maine Water Company, headquartered in Saco, Maine.
About SJW Group
SJW Group is among the largest investor-owned pure-play water and wastewater utilities in the United States, providing life-sustaining and high-quality water service to about 1.5 million people. SJW Group’s locally led and operated water utilities — San Jose Water Company in California, the Connecticut Water Company in Connecticut, Maine Water Company in Maine, and SJWTX, Inc. (dba Canyon Lake Water Service Company) in Texas — possess the financial strength, operational expertise and technological innovation to safeguard the environment, deliver outstanding service to customers and provide opportunities to employees. SJW Group remains focused on investing in its operations, remaining actively engaged in its local communities and delivering continued sustainable value to its shareholders. For more information about SJW Group, please visit www.sjwgroup.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” “strategy,” or “anticipates,” or the negative of those words or other comparable terminology. These forward looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, but not limited to, the following factors: (1) the effect of water, utility, environmental and other governmental policies and regulations, including actions concerning rates, authorized return on equity, authorized capital structures, capital expenditures and other decisions; (2) changes in demand for water and other services; (3) the impact of the Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic on our business operations and financial results; (4) unanticipated weather conditions and changes in seasonality including those affecting water supply and customer usage; (5) climate change and the effects thereof, including but not limited to, droughts and wildfires; (6) unexpected costs, charges or expenses;(7) our ability to successfully evaluate investments in new business and growth initiatives; (8) contamination of our water supplies and damage or failure of our water equipment and infrastructure; (9) the risk of work stoppages, strikes and other labor-related actions; (10) catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, ice storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, terrorist acts, physical attacks, cyber-attacks, epidemic, or similar occurrences; (11) changes in general economic, political, business and financial market conditions; (12) the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms, which can be affected by various factors, including credit ratings, changes in interest rates, compliance with regulatory requirements, compliance with the terms and conditions of our outstanding indebtedness, and general market and economic conditions; and (13) legislative and general market and economic developments. The risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of SJW Group to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Results for a quarter are not indicative of results for a full year due to seasonality and other factors. Other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to materially differ are described in SJW Group’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and speak only as of the date made. SJW Group undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts
SJW Group Contact:
Willie Brown
Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
408.315.8242
Willie.Brown@sjwater.com
Media Contact:
Dan Meaney, APR
Director of External and Corporate Communications
860.664.6016
Daniel.Meaney@ctwater.com
