Spotlight on Chris Cowell
Assistant Region Manager, Missouri
Hailing from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Chris Cowell learned good lessons growing up – like not to be afraid of challenges, enjoy the process of solving problems, take pride in your accomplishments and responsibility for your mistakes.
His path into water and wastewater took the long way around, with Chris working in IT as the head of store support and network administrator. (Did we mention he likes solving complex problems?) When the retail chain he was working for closed, Chris decided to try his hand as a water plant operator/distribution tech in Bethany, MO. “I found that I could employ the same troubleshooting techniques I had used in IT, as well as work outside,” he said. Chris began working for PeopleService July, 2015 when we formed our partnership. “PeopleService was by far the most professional of the management service companies we talked to,” Chris said. “It was also clear that they promoted the continuing education and growth of their employees,” he added. “What I like about this career is the challenge of taking on a situation and using knowledge, experiences and resources to figure out a solution or achieve a goal.”
Now that Chris is in the water/wastewater field, we asked him why he thinks people don’t really appreciate what he and PeopleService do every day in terms of assuring clean, safe water and clear, safe wastewater. “For the most part, water and wastewater resources are out of sight and out of mind,” he replied. “They get overlooked because they are a basic need and people just expect that they will be there to utilize. I also think that the general public is not really aware of the ever-changing regulatory requirements and environmental difficulties that are associated with the treatment of water and wastewater or how hard industry professionals work to consistently provide safe, clean and clear water to the public.”
Husband to Kelli for nearly 21 years and Dad to son, Hunter and daughter, Laramie, Chris encourages other problem-solvers like him to join this industry. “This line of work can have a lot of ups and downs, but if a person possesses the ability to roll with the punches and they pride themselves in doing a good job, it can be a rewarding profession.”