WEAT Exemplary Employer Award

EXEMPLARY EMPLOYER AWARD

...recognizes Texas employers that support and facilitate employee involvement and activities within the Water Environment Association of Texas and the Water Environment Federation.

Signature Automation

Established in 2012, Signature Automation provides professional engineering services specializing in electrical, instrumentation, and controls. Its primary market focus is on municipal water and wastewater utilities. In 2017, Signature Automation expanded its presence with locations in San Antonio and Phoenix.

Recently, the firm was named among the 2017 Dallas 100 fastest-growing privately held companies by the SMU Cox School of Business. A young and growing company of 30 employees, Signature Automation places great importance on developing its team to be the best and brightest. This includes encouragement and support for staff members to author technical articles and conference abstracts for industry-related organizations, especially WEAT. If an employee is interested in developing presentation skills but is unsure where to start, Signature Automation encourages them to discuss their ideas with management for help with refining potential presentation topics. Additionally, the marketing team offers support for writing abstracts and, if selected, developing the final presentation. This approach to encouraging the submission of technical content has generated numerous successful presentations and articles over the years. Several team members have presented at past Texas Water conferences and at the annual WEAT North Texas Section February Seminar. Team members have also submitted articles for WEAT’s bi-monthly magazine publication, TexasWET. Starting from their first day at the firm, employees are encouraged by Signature Automation and its executive leadership to join and actively engage with WEAT. Information about WEAT, including the financial assistance available from the company, is provided as part of new employee orientation documents. Financial aid includes reimbursement for membership fees, dinner meetings and other event fees, mileage to and from events, and travel costs such as meals and lodging for special conferences like the WEAT Leadership Summit and Texas Water.

Information about WEAT is a routine part of biweekly staff meeting agendas, including discussion of upcoming WEAT events, volunteer opportunities, and calls for journal and conference abstracts. Internal WEAT champions also distribute this information continuously to encourage participation. The company also sponsors numerous WEAT events and programs throughout the year to help demonstrate support to staff and provide opportunities to participate. Currently, almost half of all Signature Automation employees are WEAT members. Signature Automation routinely has staff participate in technical webinars, section meetings, and social events such as tournaments, Young Professionals’ happy hours, and facility tours. Signature Automation is truly an exemplary employer and champion for WEAT and water quality in Texas.