Four Illinois American Water supervisors were honored last week by the U.S. Department of Defense Employee Support of the Guard and Reserves (ESGR) for their support of an employee and co-worker who is deployed with the National Guard.

Four Illinois American Water employees received the ESGR’s Patriot Award, which recognizes supervisors who are nominated by a Guardsman or Reservist employee for support provided directly to the nominator. The Illinois American Water supervisors were nominated by Jack (Jake) Sciuto, a production technician at Illinois American Water’s water treatment plant near East St. Louis, Ill. Sciuto is deployed in the National Guard and stationed in Texas.

Receiving the ESGR’s Patriot Award were:

• Fred Campbell, Senior Manager, Production
• Mark Barton, Senior Superintendent, Production
• Jeff Lampe, Senior Superintendent, Production
• Ken Bast, Senior Supervisor, Production

Campbell, Barton, Lampe and Bast received the awards from ESGR representatives at a brief ceremony on December 8 at the Illinois American Water treatment plant near East St. Louis where they work and serve as Sciuto’s supervisors.

ESGR, a Department of Defense program, was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. ESGR is supported by a network of more than 3,000 volunteers in 54 committees located across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam-CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Volunteers, hailing from small business and industry, government, education, and prior military service bring a vast wealth of experience to assist in serving employers, Service members, and their families. Together with Headquarters ESGR staff and a small cadre of support staff for each State Committee, volunteers work to promote and enhance employer support for military service in the Guard and Reserve.

Illinois American Water President Justin Ladner said the company is proud to be a military-friendly company. “We thank Jake (Sciuto) for his service. We support his continued commitment and dedication to the National Guard. It is an honor for our employees, and company, to be recognized by the Department of Defense.”

American Water earned the 2021 Military Friendly® Gold Employer, Spouse Employer and Supplier Diversity designations produced by VIQTORY. American Water provides reliable water and wastewater services to 15 million people across the US, including 17 military installations.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois 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 and wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water (NYSE:AWK) is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,500 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to an estimated 14 million people in 25 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

ILLINOIS AMERICAN WATER RANKED HIGHEST IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH LARGE WATER UTILITIES IN THE MIDWEST FOR TWO YEARS IN A ROW.

For J.D. Power 2021 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards

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