Reader Profile: Alan Heymann

Throughout his water utility career, Alan Heymann has taken on unusual positions in the industry. Heymann is both chief marketing officer (CMO) for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority and co-founder and president of Blue Drop, a non-profit spinoff begun in November 2016 that markets products and services developed by DC Water to provide ratepayer relief and help utilities become more engaged in their communities.

As CMO, Heymann explores, identifies, and drives the execution of new revenue sources for DC Water by working with the executive team to sort through financial, governance, and workforce challenges, such as an outdated revenue model in which bills increase while consumption declines. Average residential water bills in the nation’s capital have more than doubled in the last decade with the fastest-growing portion of the bill paying for infrastructure upgrades. Maximizing resources, increasing the service area, and sharing knowledge are other job components.

Heymann also was involved with a $2.6 billion long-term control plan to reduce combined sewer overflows in its DC Clean Rivers Project. Blue Drop is the utility industry’s only nonprofit, public sector, peer-to-peer consulting service provider. Its activities focus on providing relief from rising rates to District of Columbia Water and Sewer customers and surrounding jurisdictions through sharing DC Water’s expertise with other utilities to create efficiency and economies of scale in fleet management, emergency response, and technology solutions for metering and third-party applications. Blue Drop also delivers peer-to-peer consulting services to other utilities.

A third component is Bloom Class A Environmental Protection Agency-certified Exceptional Quality biosolids. DC Water was the first North American utility to commission the thermal hydrolysis process CAMBI, converting sewage received from the District and surrounding jurisdictions into renewable energy and EQ biosolids. Bloom is a nutrient rich, pathogen-free, moisture-retaining, and weed-resistant soil amendment suitable for commercial soil blending, landscaping, and urban gardening.

What He Does Day to Day
Heymann executes his responsibilities affiliated the utility’s executive team—including advising the CEO and general manger—as well as Blue Drop. With Blue Drop in the startup mode, Heymann does business development, client consulting services, and future planning, while mapping out staffing plans and doing bookkeeping. “I’m wearing many hats,” he says. “But it’s an exciting time.”

What Led Him to This Line of Work
Heymann’s background is entrenched in communications, marketing, policy, government, and nonprofits. He earned a B.S. in journalism from Northwestern University and worked in television news in Illinois before moving to the District of Columbia, where he worked in government while studying law and earning a J.D. at The George Washington University.

Heymann met George Hawkins when he was running the District Department of the Environment. Hawkins recruited Heymann from the mayor’s office to work with him there and again when he started leading DC Water. Together, they designed and implemented the utility’s re-branding campaign, attracting attention throughout the water sector for its community outreach efforts, including social media. Heymann left DC Water in 2013 for a nonprofit leadership position, returning later to the water utility to jumpstart Blue Drop.

What He Likes Best About His Work
Heymann likes that with colleagues Hawkins, vice president Gloria Cadavid, and “problem solver” Saul Kinter, he’s starting something new and completely different. “From our branding and business cards to consulting work and the apps we use to run the business, everything is unusual and outside the norm for a large government organization.” DC Water’s backing during the three-year startup phase offers the security and comfort to be creative and bring in work and worry less about “how to keep the lights on,” says Heymann. Success will help stem the tide of rising bills for DC Water’s retail and wholesale customers and help other utilities nationwide, notes Heymann, pointing out Blue Drop clients benefit from present-day, public-sector water utility expertise at much less expense than building their own large team or hiring a private firm.

His Biggest Challenge
Taking a wider view of Blue Drop’s future is challenging while he’s
engaged in building the basic business infrastructure and day-to-day operations, says Heymann. Some responsibilities will be assumed by other team members as he focuses more on strategy and business development, and explores growth opportunities.