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AQUARION CEO TO BE HONORED AT CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE CHOICE AWARDS

September 18, 2012

The National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, has named Charles Firlotte, president and CEO of Aquarion Water Company, to receive a 2012 Connecticut Executive Choice Award. Firlotte will be honored at an awards ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. For tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please contact 860.913.2550, ext. 52524, or meganne.staubley@nmss.org. To learn more about multiple sclerosis and the many ways to get involved, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org.

Gian Paul Gonzalez to attend and serve as keynote speaker

PLANTSVILLE, Conn. – The National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, has named Charles Firlotte, president and CEO of Aquarion Water Company, to receive a 2012 Connecticut Executive Choice Award. Firlotte will be honored at an awards ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville.

Firlotte joined Aquarion Water Company’s predecessor, Bridgeport Hydraulic Company in 1987, as director of human resources, and was elected an officer of the company within a year. He was appointed senior vice president and CEO in 1995. From 2000 to late 2003, Chuck resided in the United Kingdom and served as director of Yorkshire Water, Aquarion’s former parent, providing water service to some five million inhabitants in Northern England.

Firlotte was appointed president and chief executive officer of Aquarion Company in September 2003. Aquarion Company’s principal business is public water supply and through its Aquarion Water Company subsidiaries, is one of the 10 largest investor-owned water utilities in the U.S. serving the Northeastern states of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Aquarion is a subsidiary of Macquarie Utilities Inc. of New York City, a division of Macquarie Bank of Sydney, Australia.

Under Firlotte’s leadership, Aquarion has earned many accolades, including the Connecticut Improvement Quality Award, and the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Award for reduction of carbon footprint. For five consecutive years, Aquarion surpassed all other utilities in the state in customer service, as measured by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, and most recently Hearst Newspapers identified Aquarion as one of the Top 10 places to work in the state.

Involved in the promotion of Connecticut economic development and commerce, Firlotte is past Chairman of the Board for the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, an organization respresenting the interests of 1,000 business members, and presently serves on the board of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA). He also serves on the board of his alma mater, St. Thomas University in Eastern Canada.

A native Canadian, Firlotte has lived in three countries and two continents. He holds an undergraduate degree from St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada, a Master of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He resides in Stratford, Conn.

The Connecticut Executive Choice Awards honors business leaders in the greater Hartford and New Haven counties. The awards honor Connecticut professionals who have made significant contributions to the business, civic and cultural betterment of our community.

This year’s awards will feature keynote speaker Gian Paul Gonzalez and honor Firlotte along with president and general manager of NBC Connecticut, David Doebler; and Chandler Howard, president and CEO, Liberty Bank. NBC Connecticut reporter Todd Piro will serve as emcee for the event.

The awards take place Thursday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m. in Plantsville at the Aqua Turf Club. After a cocktail reception, the program will include the awards presentation and a keynote address from motivational speaker Gian Paul Gonzalez.

Gonzalez is best known for speaking to the 2011 New York Giants. After his “all in” speech, the Giants won every game all the way through their Super Bowl XLVI victory.

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents live with multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease for which there is no cure. Funds raised by the chapter through events, such as the Connecticut Executive Choice Awards, fund scientific research and provide for the continuation of vital programs and services offered by the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter to people in Connecticut diagnosed with MS.

The Aqua Turf Club is located at 556 Mulberry Street in Plantsville. For tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Meg Staubley at 860.913.2550, ext. 52524, or meganne.staubley@nmss.org.

To learn more about multiple sclerosis and the many ways to get involved, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org.

9/18/12

About the Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society

The Connecticut Chapter strives to provide knowledge and assistance to help people with MS and their families maintain the highest possible quality of life. These goals are achieved through vital national and local programs.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.

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