Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> March 11, 2003
ANTON C. GARNIER is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Southwest
Water Company. He was raised on a 1,000 acre farm in La Puente, started
by his family in the late 1800s. He relocated to Orange County and
attended Newport Harbor High School, followed by Orange Coast College
and San Diego State University. After serving as a sergeant in the U.S.
Army from 1966 until 1968, he began his career as President and a
Director of Southwest Water Company. With more than 30 years of
experience in the water industry, he is well versed in all aspects of
utility ownership and public-private partnerships, as well as local and
national issues related to the politics of water. Southwest Water
provides a wide variety of water-related services across the country
through two groups of operating subsidiaries. The Services Group
includes ECO Resources, Operations Technologies, Aqua Services, Master
Tek International and CDC Ltd. The Utility Group is comprised of
Suburban Water Systems, New Mexico Utilities, Windermere Utility
Company, Hornsby Bend Utility Company and Monarch Utility Company.
Together, the members of the Southwest Water family of companies have
well over 100 years of combined industry experience. Early in his
career, Mr. Garnier earned a Grade V water certificate, the highest
level of certification awarded in California. He is a past president of
the National Association of Water Companies and the San Gabriel Valley
Watermaster, and has been actively involved in the American Water Works
Association and California Water Association. Mr. Garnier also serves as
president and a director of East Pasadena Water Company, California-
Michigan Land and Water Company, and is a board member of California
Domestic Water Company. Mr. Garnier's other current and past
affiliations include the World Business Council, Chief Executives
Organization, Cal Tech Executive Forum, California Museum of Science and
Industry, Fellows of the Huntington Library, Salvation Army, Young
Presidents Organization, U.S. Olympics, Whittier College Business
Department Advisory Board, and the Boy Scouts of America. Profile
has gone on over the past year or so that investors should focus
on?
Mr. Garnier: We've had several exciting things happen over
