LELAND - In November 2019 The Water University and North Carolina Rural Water Association (NCRWA) announced that Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer H2GO’s Jared Glick, Backup Wastewater Maintenance ORC, and Tyler Wittkofsky, Public Information Officer, earned the Utility Management Certification (UMC) credential. The UMC is the highest professional credential in the utility industry. Less than 1,200 utility professionals- less than one percent of all utility professionals in the world- have earned the UMC. H2GO now has three employees with the UMC designation.

To be designated as UMC certified, an applicant must have a minimum number of years’ experience in the water and wastewater industry and have completed a minimum number of hours of specialized professional development- which are scored in a formula to ensure that experience and training meet a minimum requirement. The applicant must then pass a stringent examination in water and wastewater system management. In order to maintain the certification, individuals must undertake ongoing professional development and activities in water and wastewater system management.

Glick has served in the water and wastewater industry with H2GO since 2011. He has worked his way up to the Superintendent of the Distribution System, earning nearly 20 of the highest certifications in wastewater, water distribution, collections, and backflow testing. He was part of the focus of an article in WaterWorld- a national water and wastewater trade publication- that highlighted H2GO’s Cooking Oil Recycling Effort program and the initiatives he took to grow the program.

Wittkofsky has been H2GO’s Public Information Officer since 2016. In his time at H2GO, he has obtained 15 certifications, including those from FEMA and OSHA, in order to better prepare the utility and their needs. He helped to lead H2GO to their Utility of the Future Today designation in 2017 due to his commitment to community engagement within the organization.

“We are extremely proud of the initiatives our employees are taking to improve themselves and H2GO,” said Bob Walker, H2GO’s Executive Director. “With Jared and Tyler’s commitment to their respective position, as well as to the continuation of their own knowledge, it is no surprise to us that they were able to obtain such prestigious recognition.” H2GO recognized Glick and Wittkofsky for their achievement at their regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners Meeting on November 19^th. Additionally, NCRWA will be recognizing them at the upcoming NCRWA Annual Conference May 11^th – 14^th at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, North Carolina and will publish their name in an upcoming issue of NCRWA’s magazine, The Tarheel Pipeline.
 
The Water University is an affiliate of the National Rural Water Association (NRWA). The NRWA is a membership organization of more than 35,000 water and wastewater systems that serve millions of customers across the United States. With support of the North Carolina Rural Water Association and other State Rural Water Associations, NRWA is the premier source of training, on-site technical assistance, and source water protection planning for the water and wastewater industry. For more information about NRWA, visit www.nrwa.org.