Aquastructure: Breaking Ground in Franklin County, Ohio
After some time in a smaller facility, our Aqua Ohio team is finally getting a big upgrade! Large windows with natural sunlight and energy-efficient fixtures are in the works within a larger space so our team members can better service our Ohio customers.
The goal of this facility improvement project was to create a professional and safe work environment for our employees and visitors. We also wanted to maximize space while minimizing capital costs, which means almost 100% of our space will be utilized in one way or another. Dave Dunn, area manager for Aqua Ohio’s Franklin Division, has kept us updated on the building’s progress, informing us that things are going well so far.
So, what’s new?
“Our old office had a very small conference room—so small that we needed to rent out spaces for meetings that involved more than eight people,” Dunn tells us. A conference room with a white board for collaboration and strategic planning was a key part of the facility’s upgrade. Of course, the open office environment also takes the social distancing guidelines and precautions of our new normal into account so that team members can work together both safely and productively.
Dunn estimates that the building will be ready for use within six months of breaking ground.
How does this affect our customers?
“We’re adding updated water and wastewater laboratories that manage all testing requirements for 10 different locations in central and southeast Ohio,” Dunn informed us. “We're also including an environmentally controlled garage space for equipment and load trucks.” This means our tools will have longer lifespans and our response times will improve for customer emergencies.
“We’re working with our local fire department to allow them to do training on our old office once we vacate,” Dunn adds. The department will conduct firefighter rescue training, smoke training, and even live fire training in the space.
We’re so glad our old office space can be of use while we provide a new and improved experience for our Ohio team and customers. Here’s to a new era of Aqua in Ohio!