Wootton, Sober, BTSO honored at Texas Water

At Texas Water 2022 in San Antonio, Garver made a particularly strong showing – organizing the Operations Challenge Competition, winning 2^nd place in the 5K, assisting with the planning of the week’s program on the Host Committee, and fielding 18 technical presentations from the firm’s team of water and wastewater professionals. What made the week all the better, however, were two awards given to two members of the Garver Water and Wastewater Team by the Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT), along with an honorable mention in the Watermark Award competition.

Garver Water Marketing Team Leader Heather Wootton was honored with the 2022 WEAT Emerging Leader Award and Operations Specialist Gary Sober was named the recipient of the Texas Susan B. Hier Award for Excellence in Education Award. The Watermark Award honorable mention was given to Garver’s “Behind the Scenes Operators - A Recognition Initiative.”

Within WEAT, Wootton has held multiple positions, and is the current North Texas Section Vice President. She has actively organized and supported state-wide initiatives, such as the Operations Challenge where she has served as the Operations Challenge Coordinator.

“I’m excited to receive this award that recognizes my passion and commitment to the water community,” Wootton said. “I look forward to continuing to encourage young professionals to become more involved within the industry, while also looking for new ways to support clean water across the state of Texas.”

As an operations specialist for Garver with 50 years in the industry, Sober has made a considerable impact on rising generations of water and wastewater professionals. The Susan B. Hier Award for Excellence in Education Award was established to honor achievements and contributions in the field of education and professional advancement of operators within the state of Texas.

“Receiving the Susan B. Hier Award for Excellence in Education Award is one of the great honors of my career,” Sober said. “More than that, however, is the pleasure I’ve had of mentoring so many operations professionals who have sought to make a career in this field.”

Behind-the-Scenes Operators Initiative

In Garver’s Behind-the-Scenes Operators Initiative, the firm spoke with eight operators from across the country about what it takes to keep our communities supplied with safe, reliable water amid a global pandemic, providing an inside look at what it takes to bring safe water from natural sources to our faucets and return that water safely back to rivers and lakes. Sponsored by WEAT and the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association (TAWWA), the Watermark Award competition recognizes Texas Section AWWA and WEAT members who have produced top quality communications.

“I’m so pleased that our ‘Behind the Scenes Operators’ has been recognized,” said Director of Water Services Jeff Sober, PE, BCEE. “It’s not only an endorsement of that series, however, but of the men and women who work behind the scenes, providing safe, healthy water to their communities, no matter the circumstances.”

To learn more about what Garver’s Water and Wastewater Team can do for you, visit our Water and Wastewater services page.