Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/592194
important way—the way it benefits many people. "When you volunteer with associations, like the work I and the other directors do at NGWA, it has a positive impact on so many people," he believes. "That's what I like about it." Williams' father encouraged him to volunteer for the Ver- mont Ground Water Association in the 1980s when he was just beginning in the industry, and one of their suppliers nomi- nated him to serve as secretary. He went on to serve the Vermont association as its secretary, treasurer, and president—for nine years. When he met water well contractors Loyd Watson, MGWC, CVCLD, Scott Fowler, CWD/PI, and Art Becker, MGWC—all active volunteers with NGWA at the time and now all past presidents of the Association—he was inspired to become more involved at the national level. "Loyd came up to me and said, 'You really ought to think about volunteering at NGWA and possibly running for direc- tor,'" Williams remembers. "He told me, 'I think you're the kind of guy we want.'" So, he volunteered for the Safety Committee. Then he ran for the Board of Directors at the 2007 Groundwater Expo in Orlando, Florida. "I ran against a pretty good field of well-known guys," he will admit. "I was one of five people running for four positions, and I was the one who lost out." But Williams didn't see it as a defeat. Instead, he saw it as a lesson of what he needed to do in order to be successful as a volunteer for a national association. Watson was also encour- aging after his loss, telling him not to give up because many successful volunteers also didn't make it onto the NGWA Board their first try. Over the next two years, Williams joined more committees to get the experience, background, and contacts necessary to be ready to run for the NGWA Board. He became an active member of the Government Affairs Committee and the Geo- thermal Heat Pump Subcommittee, which he still chairs. "In Orlando, I didn't feel it," Williams con-fesses. "I didn't have the confidence when I stepped up to the lectern to give my speech. I didn't have the experience. I didn't have the knowledge, but I was bound and determined that I was going to get it." When he ran a second time for an NGWA director position in 2009, he made it. Six years later, he feels the Association has given him so much he says he's proud to give back to it. Specifically, he points to his Master Groundwater Contrac- tor and Certified Vertical Closed Loop Driller designations. The certifications and educational opportunities through NGWA have given him the confidence he has needed to build his company and succeed in the groundwater industry. "(Customers) today get on the Internet, and they believe everything they read on there," Williams thinks. "They sec- ond-guess what you're doing out in the field. You have to step your game up so you can communicate with people and edu- cate them about what you're doing." Before the certification process, Williams felt like he knew his job well, but admits he had nothing to compare it to. By passing the exams, it proved he had what it takes. "I understand so much more about what I do, the technical aspects of what I do, and the terminology of what we do," he sums it up. "When you talk to somebody and you're confi- dent, you give the customer a much higher level of confidence in your ability because that's really all they've got to go on. What else do they have?" In the coming year, Williams wants to make sure members know the value of NGWA and what they get for their mem- Jeffrey Williams, MGWC, CVCLD, and his wife, Carol Ann. Williams will become NGWA Board of Directors president at the NGWA Groundwater Expo in December. Williams participated in a field trip in Hinesburg, Vermont, as part of the 2015 NGWA Conference on Groundwater in Fractured Rock last month. WILLIAMS from page 47 48 November 2015 WWJ waterwelljournal.com "When you talk to somebody and you're confident, you give the customer a much higher level of confidence in your ability because that's really all they've got to go on."