For the People: Meet George Hawkins

Our next spotlight comes from our visionary chair and CEO of Moonshot Missions, George Hawkins. George says that the vision for PRESERVE—a peer to peer network of small utilities—was part of his original vision for Moonshot Missions. 

 “The idea behind it is that we would have a small team opening up the possibility of learning from other utilities, a conduit to establishing a relationship with utilities to find the right match for solving problems,” says George. This vision ultimately led to the creation of Blue Drop, the non-profit affiliate of DC Water that works to generate revenue to result in cost savings for the customer. “The concept works,” says George, “but it can’t all be put on the utility to figure things out.”  

Drawing from his experience as General Manager of DC Water, George founded Moonshot. “The first step is to identify the problem,” he says. “The next is to connect with people who are happy to help their peers, as long as their time is carefully invested. That’s where I felt a facilitated network (PRESERVE) could shine.” 

In addition to the resource sharing and creative solutions offered by PRESERVE, George is excited about the ultimate goal of improving utility finances. His vision for PRESERVE is twofold:  

1. Meet a utility where it is: PRESERVE’s first goal is to solve a small-town problem and find a cost-effective way to do it. In this way, we solve a problem that needs solving and build a foundation of trust and a relationship with utilities. 

2. Fostering peer collaboration: Partner with other utilities to help them both learn from their peers and understand how to solve problems on similar levels. In this way we take away obstacles and make room for real change.  

“This really is a peer network of the people, by the people, for the people,” says George. To make the most of these experiences, George recommends members go in with a curious mind. “Everybody can learn something,” he says. “You don’t have to do the heavy lifting - we'll do that for you, and you can reap the benefit of engaging with and supporting your peers.”  

 George also hopes that members will take ownership and shape the future of PRESERVE, together. “We want to hear from members in every possible way how this should go,” he says. “Someone isn’t just a member, they become an owner by joining.” He considers us all responsible for making PRESERVE the best it can be. “We want a lot of cooks in this kitchen,” he says, “they’ll all come with a different recipe, and we want to hear it.”