Rob McElroy is the General Manager of Daphne Utilities in Daphne, Alabama. He is a graduate of the University of South Alabama and a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Alabama. He serves on the Board of Directors of several local civic groups including the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, the Mobile Historic Development Commission, the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance and SmartCoast.

Mr. McElroy has a broad resume which includes project and construction management of heavy-industrial projects in support of the chemical industry while participating in more than $347MM of capital construction over ten years of service.

Mr. McElroy is experienced in facilities management in support of higher education serving as the Assistant Director of Operations for the University of South Alabama. While at USA, Mr. McElroy also developed and implemented the highly successful campus transit system known as JagTran which continues to serve well the students and faculty of this great university.

In 2005, McElroy was named the General Manager of Daphne Utilities in Daphne, Alabama; a community of 18,000+ on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay.

Daphne Utilities has transformed itself under Mr. McElroy’s watch into one of the most progressive and innovative utility providers in Alabama. Since joining the Utility, he has led it through an extensive reorganization which focused on unity and cooperation both internally and with various City agencies. A constant emphasis involves the focus of being “One Utility” (not separate and isolated departments) and running the Utility in a businesslike manner. Daphne Utilities also published its first Strategic Plan under McElroy’s watch and direction.

Mr. McElroy has implemented a number of innovative programs since taking the helm of Daphne Utilities including a highly successful Used Oil Recycling and Grease Management Programs. These have done much to limit oil and grease in sewer lines, a primary cause of sewer overflows. Since 2004, the Utility has seen a 40% reduction in sewer spills and grease blockages in the collection lines! A Biodiesel Plant was added in 2005 which converts this collected oil into clean-burning fuel for the Utility’s use for about $1 per gallon! Both of these programs have drawn attention from across the country and garnered awards both locally and statewide for their effectiveness and impact to the entire community.

Daphne Utilities has stunned the business world by being named one of the “Top 35 Small Workplaces in America” by the Wall Street Journal in 2009 and a “Finalist” in the “Top Small Company Workplaces” by Inc. Magazine in 2010. In both of these programs, Daphne Utilities was noted as the only utility company every to be named such!

The company was also nominated by ADEM for an “Award of Excellence” from the EPA in two separate categories in 2009 – Large Groundwater Operations and Outstanding Consumer Confidence Report.

Among the many awards and recognitions he has personally received, Mr. McElroy was nominated for “Water Utility Director of the Year” in 2007 and the “John A. Garrett Outstanding Service Award” in 2009 from the Alabama Rural Water Association. In 2010, the Mobile Area Council of Engineers named Mr. McElroy “Engineering Manager of the Year”.

A prolific public speaker, McElroy is a much-sought presenter at many conferences around the country including The Utility Management Conference, WEFTEC, AWWA, Urban Water Management Conferences, as well as many regional conferences (AWEA, AWPCA, MWEA, etc.) and local civic groups such as the Chamber of Commerce.

Never content with the status quo, McElroy continues to raise the bar for operations at the Utility. He is passionate about the issues facing the utilities industry and seeks to constantly improve the quality of service Daphne Utilities provides to its Eastern Shore community!