BLOG: McEllhiney Lecture Series in Water Well Technology

William A. McEllhiney

The William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology was established National Ground Water Association, and a groundwater contractor and civil engineer.
in 2000 to foster professional excellence in water well technology. The lecture series honors William A. McEllhiney, the 1948 founding president of the

Each year, a panel of groundwater contractors invites an outstanding groundwater professional to share his or her insights and work experiences with the industry. The Groundwater Foundation is pleased to have Jeffrey Williams, MGWC, CVCLD, as the 2020 McEllhiney Lecturer.

Requests to host the 2020 lecture are now open! If you're interested in hosting a lecture, complete and submit the request form to be considered for a McEllhiney Lecture host.

Jeff Williams

2020 Lecturer: Jeffrey Williams
Jeffrey (Jeff) Williams, MGWC; CVCLD began his career in the groundwater industry with his first full-time job at Spafford and Sons in Jericho, Vermont, in June 1980.  He and his father purchased that company in 1984. Jeff’s experience has been varied both in water well supply and geothermal heat pump operations. Like all water well supply contractors and one involved in a family business, he understands first-hand the challenges of working with a resource that consumers can’t see until it is brought to the surface, the immediate business impacts of regional and national economic conditions, and the critical need to plan for all types of contingencies. He became active in NGWA in 2006 as a member of the Safety Subcommittee and as a director candidate. He served on the NGWA Board and was association president in 2016. Jeff and his wife Carol Ann enjoy boating and family activities.

Williams' lecture for 2020 is titled "Running a Business or Doing a Job: Combining Professional Expertise with Business Savvy."
You are a business owner, or you are responsible for running a company. Have you made the mental transition from viewing your business as a series of individual jobs or as an entity offering a pallet of groundwater services? If you have any plans and goals for diversification, they require capital as well. Kudos to those who have, but this is not an easy journey mentally, financially, or emotionally. If your primary benchmark is how much you are charging per foot or for one water system installation, then you need to start the transition now. How do you begin thinking big picture and setting financial and production goals? What are the benchmarks? How do you manage equipment, time, and human and financial resources better? Are you planning your business model to include training, certifications, licensing and equipment replacement? And how do you bring others involved in the company in this much broader and more goal- oriented transformation. Just getting by isn’t an option—just like hoping to win the lottery is an unrealistic retirement plan. Planning and managing for greater profitability will determine the state of your business in the future.

For more information about the McEllhiney Lecture, including a current schedule of presentations for the 2019 lecturer, Gary Hix, check the Groundwater Foundation's website.