New Jersey American Water bills itself as the state’s largest investor-owned utility, serving nearly 3 million people. And it keeps growing, in part through acquisitions. The company completed five deals for municipal water and sewer systems since 2019 – Salem City, Manville, Somerville, Bound Brook and Long Hill – following approvals by voters in those towns. American Water also added the systems in Egg Harbor City through the Water Infrastructure Protection Act.

Additionally, the company is a nearly continuous presence in towns across the state – replacing lead service lines and generally upgrading the infrastructure. It is committed to replacing all the lead lines in its service areas by 2031.

Mark McDonough has served as president of New Jersey American Water since April 2021. A lawyer by training, he previously held positions as vice president, general counsel and secretary of American Water Enterprises, president of the company’s Military Services Group, and vice president and chief compliance officer for American Water.

In this edition of NJBIZ Conversations, McDonough describes how the company pitches itself to voters about potential acquisitions, how the infrastructure work is going and what its charitable arm is up to.

To watch the interview, click on the video below (a link to the podcast can be found at the bottom of this story):

To listen instead, click on the podcast below: