California American Water Announces New Monterey Peninsula Director of Operations

SAN DIEGO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California American Water announced that Chris Cook has been promoted to Director of Operations for the Monterey Peninsula, replacing Eric Sabolsice, who left the company in July.

A native of the Monterey area, Chris came to California American Water in 2015 as Assistant Engineering Manager and was promoted to Engineering Manager the following year.

“I am delighted to welcome Chris as our new Director of Operations,” said Garry Hofer, vice president of operations. “Chris has the necessary experience and knowledge of our business in the community to lead the Monterey team. He is an exceptionally talented engineer, and we are excited to have someone with his proven strengths.”

Before joining California American Water, Chris held engineering positions with CMS Collaborative and the Guidant Corporation. He also served a two-year stint with the Peace Corps in Guinea, Africa.

Chris has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from The University of California, San Diego and a Masters of Business Administration from Santa Clara University.

In his new position, Chris will assume the overall leadership role in Monterey, guiding the division’s operations, $31 million operating budget, union relations and safety culture. Chris will also continue to work with the design, permitting, and construction teams for the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project.

Chris brings a hometown pride, collaborative management style and an engaging enthusiasm to his new position, as well as more than 13 years of experience in engineering, project and workforce management.

“I am honored to be selected as Director of Operations,” Chris Cook said. “I look forward to continuing to work with our excellent team of employees and enhancing further the water resources, environmental stewardship, and service that our customers and others have come to expect from California American Water.”

California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 690,000 people. Information regarding California American Water’s service areas can be found on the company’s website www.californiaamwater.com.

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to over 14 million people in 45 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.