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George Powell
Education
BS Civil Engineering (1976, University of Maine)
Engineering Career
George’s career started with the Maine DEP Industrial Waste Division where he was assigned the inspection of numerous fish processing facilities. He was delighted to then receive an offer to work for Consumers Water Company as an engineer in training working out of their Portland Maine Office. There he performed various engineering tasks for the Maine, New Hampshire and New Jersey properties.
In 1979, he was transferred to Consumers, New Jersey operation, Garden State Water Company where he was the engineering staff, performing assignments on long range capital improvement planning, design of water main extensions and managing water well development and treatment projects.
In 1981, he was promoted to the position of Manager of Engineering after obtaining his New Jersey PE license. As Manager, he developed the Engineering Department to provide oversight of capital improvement planning, budgeting, and implementation. During the course of his career with Garden State Water Company, he oversaw the development of twelve new production well stations, including associated water treatment facilities, four new elevated water storage facilities and a major renovation of an existing ground storage facility, construction of two regional office/garage facilities and over 60 miles of water transmission and distribution mains.
In 1992, he was promoted to Vice President, Operations where he became responsible for oversight of all utility operations and the Engineering Department. In this role he was responsible for implementing a quality management support structure ensuring that process improvement teams had necessary training, resources and direction to realize maximum effectiveness. He then reengineered several business processes using cross functional teams to significantly shorten cycle time, lower costs and increase customer satisfaction. He also developed and implemented a comprehensive employee safety program which successfully reduced on the job injuries and resultant lost time.
In 1996, he accepted the position of Vice President, Operations for Artesian Water Company, serving suburban Wilmington Delaware where he developed objective performance measures (for all operational staff) designed to encourage and reward excellence, teamwork and customer satisfaction. He also led a cross-functional team to implement a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system to monitor and control the company’s many remote well and pump stations and storage facilities.
He returned to Maine and in 1999 took a position as Civil Engineer for the Maine Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands, Boating Facilities Division where he utilized his talents for land acquisition and facility design and construction to improve the public recreational boating access to the waters of the State of Maine.
In 2001 he was promoted to Director of the Boating Facilities Division where he has been responsible for the acquisition of 25 new boat sites and development of 36 new boating facilities and renovation of 61 boating facilities.