HINESVILLE, GA, Jan. 14, 2005 -- Joining together to celebrate 20 years of public works and utility partnerships, the city of Hinesville and Operations Management International, Inc. (OMI), a unit of CH2M Hill, gathered for a dinner Jan. 13 at Fort Stewart, Ga. Mayor Ratcliffe accepted a commemorative plaque from OMI President Mark Lasswell.
"In 20 years of serving Hinesville, OMI has been dedicated to safety and the highest quality public works services possible," says Lasswell. "Hinesville is truly a public-private partnership success story."
The city of Hinesville contracted OMI to operate the city's wastewater plant in 1984, and expanded OMI's contract to include other services in 1992. Today, OMI manages Hinesville's entire public works department. Services include overseeing Hinesville's wastewater treatment plant, water production system, wastewater collection and water distribution systems, as well as refuse collection, parks and grounds maintenance, vehicle and street maintenance, mosquito control, and meter-reading. OMI employs more than 80 people from the Hinesville area.
OMI has established a strong presence in the local community organizing and participating in events including canned food drives, holiday fundraising and meal services for those less fortunate, assisting in yard work for senior citizens, and conducting plant tours and education for schools and other youth groups.
OMI has won close to a dozen awards for quality, safety and operations in Hinesville, and the OMI-Hinesville partnership earned the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships' Distinguished Project Award in 2002.
"OMI is proud of the savings and improvements that our services have brought to the city of Hinesville," says Lasswell. "We are committed to continuous improvement as we look toward the future of our partnership."
About OMI
OMI (www.omiinc.com) is a leader in the management and operation of water and wastewater systems, providing a wide range of public-private partnership and outsourcing solutions for customers in government and industry. A member of the American, employee-owned CH2M Hill Companies Ltd., OMI offers complete infrastructure development, financing, design, and operations and maintenance services. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the company manages 180 water and wastewater facilities across the U.S., including more than 30 communities in the state of Georgia. The company is the only firm in the water industry ever to earn the nation's top honor for quality, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
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