DiversityInc - January/February 2007

United Water: Dedicated to Diversity

“Dedication and emphasis” has paid off for United Water and its diversity efforts.

The company—which provides water and wastewater treatment to about 7 million people in the United States, including the residents of Indianapolis—is committed to promoting inclusivity in the workplace and in society as a whole.

“We don’t just sit back and wait for people to come to us, we reach out,”
explains Tom Brown, General Manager for United Water Indianapolis.
Nowhere is that more apparent than with United Water’s Supplier
Diversity Program. Last year 36 percent of company purchases were to
Tom Brown local minority- and woman-owned businesses, and over the past three
years, its expenditures to M/WBEs has totaled more than $32 million,

according to Addison T. Simpson, External Affairs Director.

As part of its Supplier Diversity Program, United Water helps its business partners to expand. For example, when United Water needed to have its gas meters tested, the company suggested to its gas-meter provider to expand into testing. “It helped us, and it helped him,” Brown says. Internally, United Water also emphasizes diversity. All employees received diversity training, and the company has substantially increased the number of women and minorities in management.

“We want our corporate office to reflect the City of Indianapolis and its diverse population,” Simpson says.

United Water, which was one of five businesses to win the City of Indian- ^{Addison T. Simpson}apolis’ Celebration of Diversity Award in 2003, believes that promoting diversity is part of its broader social responsibilities. The company has adopted Arlington High School, and approximately 30 of its employees step up to act as mentors to 15 to 20 students. “We get involved in the lives of the kids,” Brown explains.

Summing things up, Simpson says: “Diversity is not just a livelihood; it is a way of life at United Water. We don’t just do it because it’s part of our jobs—it’s because it’s what we do.”

Photos: Tom Strattman (top), Harold Miller (bottom);

Courtesy of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.

residential units will be priced below market rate, providing shelter for families with limited income and those at risk of homelessness. “Red Maple Grove marks the beginning of a thriving, diverse, mixed-income community that will be a catalyst for further economic development and investment on the city’s south side,” Mayor Peterson recently said.

Additionally, the city has invested in seven downtown “commercial corridors” as part of a project called FOCUS (Fostering Commercial Urban Strategies). This initiative, designed to stimulate small-business growth, provides participating companies with improvement grants, loans and other support. In the first half of 2006, FOCUS staff assisted more than 100 companies with everything from marketing to zoning.

Redevelopment projects such as these are fueling Indianapolis’ construction industry, attracting visitors and creating jobs. Through November 2006, city officials facilitated 33 projects with commitments to create more than 3,600 new jobs and retain 13,905 positions. Other projects in the works: a $1 billion expansion of the Indianapolis International Airport and a $900 million Indianapolis Colts stadium and Convention Center.