Aqua names new area manager
Jul. 9—DANVILLE — Aqua Illinois, a subsidiary of Essential Utilities, Inc., announced Jonathan Keim as area manager for the company's East Central division, which includes Danville and Vermilion County.
He succeeds Andrew Price, who was appointed operations director for the state.
Keim has nearly 20 years of experience in project management, utility operations, engineering operations, regulatory compliance and capital budgeting.
As area manager, Keim will be responsible for the overall management and operations of the facilities within the division, which serves approximately 55,000 customers across three counties. He will direct the staff to ensure quality customer service, regulatory compliance and outstanding community relationships.
"I am honored to take the reins as area manager of Aqua Illinois' East Central division," Keim said. "From investing in infrastructure improvements to nurturing long-standing community partnerships, this group has earned a reputation for serving with excellence. I look forward to supporting this division as they continue to raise the bar in customer service and operational efficiency."
Keim returns to Aqua after serving as a division engineer from 2012 to 2017.
According to a press release from Aqua Illinois, in his previous role with the company, Keim demonstrated success in several initiatives — including a North Vermilion project of lining water main through a busy commercial corridor to improve service to customers, and the replacement of more than 230 antiquated fire hydrants throughout the city of Danville in 2013.
Aside from his time at Aqua, Keim worked as a project manager at HWC Engineering, where he managed water and wastewater infrastructure projects from concept through construction. Most recently, he managed operations and development of a franchised roofing business as owner and chief executive manager of Lesjon Holdings LLC.
"Jonathan is uniquely positioned to excel in this role. With years of experience as an engineer and project manager in both the utility and civil sectors, his expertise and skill set are extremely valuable to the company," Price said. "He's an exceptional manager, and we're very excited that he's returning to the team."
Keim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering with a minor in environmental engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. In addition, he holds a Professional Engineer (PE) license for the state of Illinois.
Aqua Illinois currently serves approximately 276,000 people in 70 communities and 13 Illinois counties.
