As part of its commitment to the communities it serves, Indiana American Water (IAW) and its employees take every opportunity to volunteer at public events happening throughout the Region. Whether it’s a local community gathering for a market or an event like the Gary Air Show that draws crowds from across the state, IAW volunteers are ready to lend a hand to attendees.
“We’ve been trying to do more events this summer,” IAW Pipe Mechanic Jacob Parks said. “We have a water trailer set up with dispensers so you can refill your water bottle for free.”
Parks has been with IAW for the past three years and has had the opportunity to take the water trailer into the community several times. The immediate benefit of having free, unlimited water, especially on hot summer days, sets IAW apart in the minds of those it serves.
“Some of the events we go to have people charging $1.50 for a bottle of water,” Parks said. “Our trailer offers 100% free, unlimited refills, so we always have people coming up to us to refill their water.”
In addition to directly serving the community by providing water at events, bringing the water trailer gives IAW’s employees an opportunity to connect with people. Parks appreciates the chances he gets to speak with his clients.
“It's hard when customers come up to us and try to talk to us while we're working in the field since we're busy,” Parks said. “We try to talk to them, but it's better to get out to events and actually have conversations. Our customers can learn what we do better that way. They ask a lot of questions, and it's easier to answer those questions in that setting.”
Even when the events themselves experience unexpected circumstances, IAW’s volunteers are still able to build connections and relationships with their customers. When the Gary Air Show was hit by rain, Parks was able to talk with attendees as they waited out the weather.
“We had a couple of families who stopped to get out of the rain because we had a tent set up since it was raining, and they just hung out and talked with us,” he said.
While IAW is always happy to connect with its customers, the trailer volunteers have also found attending events to be the perfect way to build new business relationships as well.
“Every single event we do, we have people come up from different organizations asking if we'll come to their event next,” Parks said.
The trailer and other volunteer opportunities at IAW are something the employees are really excited to see happening. The whole organization is stepping in to provide its service area with the water and information it needs to succeed.
“I've been with IAW for three years, and we haven’t done as many events as we do now,” Parks said. “We, all together as a company, said that we wanted to start doing more, getting out into the community, and meeting people. This summer, we really have been, and it’s been very easy to get in and use these opportunities.”
While summer may be coming to a close, Indiana American Water is dedicated to ensuring access to quality water year round. To learn more about the utility company and its community efforts, visit its website or check out its Community Impact Report.
