January marked the 16th Anniversary of the company’s start. Founded in January 2007 by Rick Ailiff, Steve Cawood, and the late Paul Jackson, CWS’s success began quickly and has soared ever since. The first two projects the company was ever awarded – North Choctaw Water & Sewer Authority and Perry County Water Authority – were both awarded in our first year of business and continue successfully today.
“We’ve done a lot of things right…and we’ve learned a lot of lessons throughout the years,” said Rick Ailiff. “From the beginning, we have always focused on taking care of our employees, serving our clients to the best of our ability, and doing what is right. We are proud of where we are today and look forward to the next 16 years.”
When looking back to the beginning of the business, the success is obvious. In the first year of service, we had two projects under contract – both in Alabama. Our revenue was $565,486 and we had ten employees. Today, we have hundreds of facilities, across 12 states, with 580 employees, and an annual revenue (in 2022) of $30.76 million.
“What a story we have to tell,” said CWS CEO, Steve Cawood. “We started CWS to take care of some of Goodwyn Mills Cawood’s (GMC) municipal clients who needed assistance with their water and wastewater facilities. I’m not sure any of us would have dreamed we would be where we are today and where we are headed. It’s a great time to be a part of CWS. We appreciate the effort of all of our employees who have made us what we are today.”
