New Council members brush off Chamber of Commerce - Columbia ...

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By Sean Spence
Alliance Water Resources, quietly going
about its business at its corporate headquarters
on Keene Street, has grown during the years into
one of Missouri’s leading managers of water and
sewer systems.
“There are other companies that do what we
do,” Sandy Neal, vice president of marketing
and business development, said. “No one does
as much as we do here in Missouri.”
The primary job Alliance performs
is to manage and maintain
water and sewer systems for communities
and districts. The company
provides service to 25 locations,
ranging from smaller communities
such as Bowling Green to the
largest district it serves, St. Charles
County Water District No. 2, with
more than 100,000 customers.
“We’re a Columbia-based company
and serve communities all
throughout Missouri and two communities
in Iowa,” Neal said.
In recent months, Alliance announced renewal
of its contract with the Public Water Supply
District No. 1 of Franklin County, with whom
Alliance first started working in 2005, and the
award of a new five-year contract to manage the
city of Nevada’s wastewater treatment system.
Alliance Water Resources started in 1976 as
Mid-Missouri Engineers Inc. to provide specialty
services to the water and wastewater industry.
In the early 1980s, the company began to
play a role in the professional management and
maintenance of water and wastewater systems
and districts, the role it fills today.
Across Missouri and in Iowa, Alliance employs
more than 250 people, mostly in the communities
and districts it serves. The Columbia
BUSIneSS PROFILE
FROM LEFT: Dale Wagner, sandy neal and Dick tuttle are vice presidents at alliance Water resources in Columbia.
Alliance Water Resources
expands presence in Missouri
gary anger, president of alliance
headquarters offices 15 employees, including
President Gary Anger and other company
leaders.
The company does not have any contracts in
Boone County.
The diversity of Alliance’s services occasionally
goes beyond water and sewer system management
and maintenance. In Bowling Green,
for example, Alliance started managing the
water and sewer systems and expanded the relationship
with the city over many years. Now,
Alliance serves as the community’s
department of public works. Its
services include non-water-related
activities such as mowing the cemetery,
making minor street repairs
and putting up the city’s Christmas
lights.
“The city liked what we were
doing, so eventually we added to
the scope of services,” Neal said.
Neal said a key advantage that
Alliance offers is access to the
entire company’s expertise. In Ste.
Genevieve, for example, the city typically would
have hired four people to do the job that Alliance
was hired to do. Alliance provided a staff of
four but with access to the rest of its employees
throughout the company.
“If one of our community’s has a problem,
instead of completely relying on the knowledge
of the local staff, they can reach out to the rest of
our company to find someone with the expertise
they need,” Neal said.
“Instead of buying four people, they bought
a company of resources,” Neal said. “There is
no way these communities, particularly smaller
communities, can even begin to afford the multitude
of service that they get, as they need them
and when they need them.” v
21 April 16, 2011 Columbia Business Times | ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com