On January 1, 2017, Larry Morales, President, East Pasadena Water Company (EPWC), assumed the role of California Water Association’s (CWA) President after serving as the association’s First Executive Vice President for two years.
“We welcome Larry and look forward to reaping the benefits of his leadership and operational experience as CWA continues working on behalf of the investor-owned water utilities and their customers throughout California,” noted CWA Executive Director Jack Hawks.
Morales began his water industry career in 1992 as a meter reader for Suburban Water Systems, where he worked his way up to Office Manager of the San Jose Hills District, after earning a bachelor’s degree from Biola University. In 2001, he joined EPWC as Vice President and General Manager and, subsequently, became Vice President and Corporate Secretary of EPWC’s parent, California-Michigan Land and Water Company. Morales was appointed President of EPWC in 2015, responsible for the overall company direction, including financial results and reporting, budgets, banking and investments, business systems and controls and real estate.
“My main objective at EPWC is to provide customer service that surpasses customers’ expectations. We support this objective by consistently delivering water that meets or exceeds regulatory standards and by engaging our customers first-hand whenever possible,” said Morales. “Companies, public and private, often overlook the value of customer engagement until problems occur. At EPWC, we believe that delivering a superior customer experience creates value for the customer and our company.”
As an example of EPWC’s focus on exemplary customer service, each customer call is answered by a person instead of using a voice-controlled system thereby ensuring customers have the personal experience of talking to a company representative on first contact.
“That’s a value we hold in this company,” stressed Morales, “to create a more personal experience that empowers our employees to make quicker assessments and serve our customers in a more efficient manner.”
As President of CWA, Morales plans to help promote regulation and legislation that are in the best interest of California’s investor-owned water utilities and the customers they serve.
Morales will complete a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California in May 2018. In his spare time, he enjoys challenging hikes such as the one he completed last year in Utah at Angel’s Landing, a beautiful, yet daring, hike with drop-offs of 1,500 feet above the Zion Canyon floor.
