Indiana American Water showcases new Northwest Indiana Training Facility during Congressman Frank Mrvan visit

On Friday, July 24, Indiana American Water welcomed Congressman Frank Mrvan to its new Northwest Indiana Training Facility, offering a firsthand look at the nearly completed training center that is expected to open in the fall.

The visit began with welcome remarks from Drake Abramson, government affairs lead at Indiana American Water, and Barry Suits, president of Indiana American Water.

“We’re very excited about this because it’s going to serve more than just Northwest Indiana,” Suits said. “It’s an example of our enterprise-wide commitment to workforce development as well.”

Justin Mount, senior operations manager for Indiana American Water, and Pete Harretos, manager of treatment for Indiana American Water, guided Mrvan through the facility. This facility is a near $1.8 million investment that is expected to strengthen workforce development, improve employee safety, and prepare the next generation of licensed water operators and skilled field employees throughout Northwest Indiana.

Designed as an outdoor “mini-city,” the training facility gives employees the opportunity to practice real-world field scenarios in a controlled environment before performing similar work in the communities they serve. The site combines classroom instruction with year-round covered practice areas and a mock street that allows employees to develop skills in production, field services, construction, and future wastewater applications.

“Our team truly wanted the hands-on experience. They  want people to come in from all walks of the industry and say, ‘Here’s a lace and grace technique,’” Mount said. “To have them come here and work with those kinds of folks from other areas, other states, is exciting to see.”

The facility will also play an important role in supporting Indiana American Water’s union workforce, including nearly 100 United Steelworkers employees.

Training capabilities at the facility include excavation, shoring, locates, traffic control, tapping water mains, boring long services, confined space work, meter installation, pipe cutting, hydrant repair, and water main repair and replacement. The site was also designed with future wastewater training applications in mind.

“The goals are that we have the chance to train all new employees, upscale all existing employees, bring in folks from around the state and also partner with various agencies,” Mount said.

For Mrvan, investing in infrastructure, workforce development, and skilled trades is extremely important to make subsidiaries like Indiana American Water run smoothly.

“I’m impressed with the investment by American Water in the workforce development of its employees. You have the United Steelworkers participating and collaborating with management in order to make a better training facility, and I think they made it perfectly clear that if a water company is successful, no one knows,” Mrvan said. “It’s when there’s failures and people don’t have water is when there’s issues. They’re doing what they need to do to invest in Gary, Indiana, and their employees in Northwest Indiana to make sure people get water.”

Beyond employee development, the center will serve as a resource for community outreach. Indiana American Water plans to host its first Flow Forward event in Indiana at the site, giving high school students from the Gary area an opportunity to explore careers in the water industry and learn about the education and training pathways available.

“It builds the middle class and it truly builds people’s lives when there’s an investment in workforce development,” Mrvan said. “They train within, and two thirds of all water treatment engineers or water treatment supervisors are trained by American Water. It creates jobs and working wealth in our community, and that’s what we’re all here for.”

The Northwest Indiana Training Facility represents a long-term investment that serves to reinforce Indiana American Water’s commitment to employee safety and professional development. By creating a dedicated space where workers can practice complex field operations before responding to real-world situations, the company expects the facility to enhance both workforce readiness and service reliability for years to come.

For more information on Indiana American Water, you can visit amwater.com/inaw.