October 23, 2022
...AFTER 47 YEARS
John Glenn has been with Rathbun Regional Water Association (RRWA) since 1974, one year before the first piece of pipeline was ever laid, acquiring right-of-way easements and then being in charge of RRWA’s contract inspectors as they began to lay water lines throughout Southeast Iowa.
John held many positions at RRWA and eventually advanced to the CEO position in 1997 and continued to lead the company in unprecedented success. RRWA grew under John’s leadership from an original 4 county system with a few hundred customers in the very beginning to one of the largest rural water systems in the country. Today, RRWA serves all or parts of 18 counties in Iowa as well as 4 counties in Northern Missouri with 22,000 active meters, 22 franchised communities and 40 bulk connections with other cities and rural water districts.
Since John’s appointment as RRWA’s CEO in 1997, he has overseen growth in its customer base of more than 10,000 additional meters-in-service; annual water usage increasing from 1½ billion gallons a year to over 3 billion last year; production capacity increasing from only a 4 million gallon per day treatment plant to two treatment plants with 14 million gallons per day capacity; and total assets of the company growing from $70 million in depreciated assets to almost $150 million today with over $100 million in equity for its membership. In addition to the Association’s impressive growth under John’s leadership, Randy Eddy, RRWA Board Chair, points out that “One of John’s greatest contributions to RRWA has always been his ability to assemble and guide a team of talented, dedicated, and hard-working professionals who care deeply about producing and delivering the highest quality drinking water to our customers.”
John’s leadership has put RRWA at the forefront of water utilities in Iowa. He has also significantly contributed to such important areas as source water protection and rural economic development. John is a current or former member of the board of directors and committees of the Iowa Rural Water Association, Iowa Association of Water Agencies, Rathbun Land and Water Alliance, Appanoose County Economic Development Corporation, Mercy Medical Center of Centerville, and a founding member of Appanoose County Cattlemen’s Association. John has also served as a governor- appointed member of Iowa’s Environmental Protection Commission. In addition, John Glenn is widely recognized for his efforts as a farmer and conservation leader in protecting Iowa’s soil and water resources.
John was recently inducted into the Iowa Rural Water Hall of Fame. John was presented this honor during the IRWA’s Annual Conference held at the Veteran’s Memorial Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center February 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa. For Iowa Rural Water Association, John served on the IRWA Board of Directors between 1996 and 2010, serving many of those years as Vice President of the Board. In addition to serving on the board, he spent many years as the Chair of the IRWA Bylaws Committee as well as the Chair of IRWA’s Legislative Committee, where he still serves in that capacity. He has been a true advocate for rural water regulatory and legislative issues, making numerous visits to the Capital and attending countless meetings with elected representatives and DNR and EPA leaders. He was also selected by his peers as Rural Water System Manager of the Year in 1999 as well as promoter of the year in 2010. John was always counted on to support IRWA and its mission.
John made his announcement to the RRWA board in early 2021 to retire as CEO at December 31st, 2021 and agreed to remain in an advisor capacity as needed throughout the 2022 year. Since his decision to retire, RRWA has promoted the company’s CFO, Rod Glosser, to the CEO position effective January 1st of 2022. Rod has been with RRWA for over 25 years. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa majoring in both Accounting and Business Management and successfully passed the Iowa Certified Public Accountant exams. Prior to his employment with RRWA, he served in a similar position as CFO for a rural hospital in Iowa.
RRWA would like to thank John for his dedication and leadership in the water industry and his lifelong service to RRWA and the people and communities of Southeast Iowa and Northern Missouri.
Read More