Virginia American Water President William R. Walsh To Retire

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Virginia American Water announced today long-time President William R. Walsh will retire from the company January 1, 2016. Barry Suits will replace Walsh and will begin his role on November 9, 2015.

Walsh began his career with American Water in 1984, working in the engineering department and eventually serving as operations manager for Virginia American Water. In 2002 he was promoted to vice president, and in 2004 he began managing the operations for both Virginia American and Maryland American Water. In 2008 he was once again promoted, this time to president of both. Highlights of his career include the expansion and upgrade of the Hopewell water treatment plant, the company’s acquisition of its Eastern District service area in 2000, and its acquisition of Dale Service Corporation in 2013. This last acquisition, valued at nearly $28 million, was the company’s first acquisition of a wastewater system and one of the largest acquisitions in parent company American Water’s history, increasing the size of Virginia American Water by 30 percent.

“When you work in water for as long as I have, the team you work with becomes like family. We’ve been through a lot together in the last few decades, and I believe it’s their trust and comradery that I will miss most,” said Walsh.

Walsh will work alongside his successor, Barry Suits, for about six weeks to ensure a smooth transition. Suits brings more than 20 years of leadership and engineering experience to his new role. He has served as vice president of operations for Illinois American Water since 2011, following his promotion from manager of network operations.

“We are fortunate at American Water to have bench strength with a leader like Barry, who can bring his experience from Illinois to lead our operations in Virginia and Maryland, and we are pleased he accepted this new opportunity,” said Walter Lynch, president and chief operating officer of American Water’s Regulated Operations.

Suits began his career in the water utility industry when he joined Northern Illinois Water Corporation as a project engineer and later was selected to lead the company’s engineering department. He also served as a regional engineer for the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association and worked as a resident engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Suits received a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois.

About Virginia American Water

Virginia American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water services to approximately 339,000 people. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. Headquartered in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found at www.amwater.com.