As a subsidiary of American Water, the country’s largest regulated water and wastewater utility company, Indiana American Water (INAW) has played an instrumental role in Northwest Indiana’s development. INAW has provided generations of Northwest Indiana residents with life-sustaining resources and service for 116 years and the company is always on the lookout for other ways it can help support life in the Region.
With the help of grants provided by the American Water Charitable Foundation (AWCF) and other American Water-funded grants, INAW donated over $207,000 to charitable organizations throughout the state in 2024. Justin Mount, operations manager for INAW’s northwest district, says that INAW is in an excellent position to support organizations throughout the Region in these and other ways.
“Our company has a large footprint throughout Indiana,” Mount said. “We are fortunate to have a charity foundation that is willing to help invest in the Region and give back to the roughly 90,000 customers we serve here. It’s great to see that the AWCF cares. Our staff is truly dedicated to providing safe, clean drinking water to the Region’s residents. They provide great service, even if they have to work 24/7 in extreme temperatures. Our donations are yet another way that INAW, as a good corporate citizen, seeks to benefit the Region.”
INAW has found a variety of ways to support the local community over the past year. Not only did it return as a sponsor for the 2024 Gary Air Show, it also set up a trailer at the Air Show to supply spectators with fresh drinking water. INAW also sent its trailer to the Indiana University Northwest Class of 2024 graduation to keep the attendees refreshed. Last July, INAW donated two newly decommissioned dump trucks to to Gary’s Chief Operations Officer Mike Suggs at the request of the Mayor.
Mount, who presented the trucks to Mayor of Gary Eddie Melton on behalf of INAW, says that he and his colleagues were happy to support the city with this donation.
“Gary is a very large city, so it takes a lot of effort and resources to clear the streets of snow during major winter storms,” Mount said. “Mayor Melton is very forward-thinking and looked for new ways to make snow removal in Gary more effective since before he was sworn into office. INAW had two trucks we were planning to retire, so we offered to donate the trucks to the City of Gary instead of auctioning them off. Those trucks helped augment the fleet of vehicles that the Gary Public Works Department uses for snow removal and other needs. We were very pleased to give back in this way and to give Mayor Melton more resources to work with.”
INAW made a number of generous donations to Region-based community organizations last year. These include a $25,000 donation to the Greater Educational Opportunities Foundation in August, along with a $20,000 donation to Urban League of Northwest Indiana and another $20,000 donation to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana in December.
Even though it is still early 2025, INAW has wasted no time in supporting the community this year. On January 16, Mount and INAW presented a $10,000 check to United Way of Northwest Indiana. This money will be used to support United Way of Northwest Indiana’s many community-enrichment programs. Mount says that INAW appreciates the opportunity to support an organization that does so much for the Region.
“Although American Water has supported corporate United Way in the past, this is the first time INAW has directly supported United Way of Northwest Indiana,” Mount said. “United Way of Northwest Indiana, like INAW, has an expansive footprint and serves many of the same parts of the Region as we do. We feel that this partnership is a perfect fit. United Way of Northwest Indiana’s Level Up program helps give people a chance to be successful in life and I think it’s an excellent way to help the community. We’re happy to help United Way of Northwest Indiana fund this and its other great programs.”
Come August of this year, Ogden Dunes – the location of INAW’s second water treatment plant – will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. INAW will be a corporate sponsor of the event and looks forward to supporting the centennial celebration with a donation of $2,000.
Please visit amwater.com/inaw for important service updates and more information about Indiana American Water’s charitable activities.
