This week marks two significant milestones—the one-year anniversary of bringing Aqua and Peoples together under Essential Utilities, and the one-year mark of operating through the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a milestone that has arrived much more quickly than any of us could’ve possibly imagined.
A year ago, just as we prepared to bring our two companies together, our way of life abruptly and dramatically changed. In fact, the day that Aqua and Peoples officially came together under Essential on March 16, 2020 was the same day that many of our employees began to work from home due to the pandemic. A day that was meant to be an exciting celebration was suddenly shadowed by the uncertainty of a virus that was gripping our country.
What happened in the months to come was nothing short of inspiring. As we all adjusted to unique, unfamiliar challenges, our employees persevered time and time again. Almost overnight, we saw herculean efforts from our customer service, IT, facilities, safety, and operations groups to implement new safety measures and work arrangements for employees. We saw departments move forward with service and technology projects across our organization without missing a beat. We saw our employees adapt to new tools and embrace virtual collaboration. We saw our incredible colleagues in the field continue to maintain and improve our infrastructure across ten states. Day in and day out, we saw our employees putting our customers first.
It may have been a difficult year, but when we take a step back and see all that we’ve accomplished together, we’re immeasurably proud and grateful. In the face of enormous challenges, our teams have come together in support of a combined mission to safely deliver Earth’s most essential resources. We are all excited to continue our journey in the months and years ahead.
To all members of the Essential family, thank you for everything you’ve done and everything you continue to do to support our customers, communities, and each other.