Dakota Supply Group - Index

Dakota Supply Group - dakotasupplygroup - Index

Meet Malcolm Macdonald
Sioux Falls Waterworks’ New Branch Manager
All his life, Malcolm Macdonald lived in
Lawrence County, South Dakota – until now.
With the recent retirement of Jerry Lipovsky,
Macdonald will pull up stakes and relocate to
take over as Waterworks branch manager in
Sioux Falls, SD.
Macdonald began his career in the
waterworks industry as a young man. When
he was 19 years old, he went to work for
the city of Deadwood, SD, where plans
for a short-term employment grew
unexpectedly into a lifelong career, much
of which had to do with timing.
It was November of 1989, and South
Dakota had just passed the
legalized gaming initiative on
the ballot, which provided
financial support for historic
preservation. Immediately,
things started to change for
the better. Preservation
funds were used not only
to restore the historic
buildings and sites in
Deadwood but allowed for infrastructure
improvements, as well.
As a certified operator, Macdonald enjoyed the
challenges of the construction of the new
infrastructure. Input on the design and actual
inspection of the projects became an important
role and helped him find his niche
in construction management. “Digging in
Deadwood was more like an exploratory
archeological adventure – you never knew
what you might find,” Macdonald jokes.
“We always knew the difficulty of the first
installation of the water and sewer system based
on the number of beer and whiskey bottles we
would find next to the pipe.”
In 1997, with the challenges of infrastructure
construction in Deadwood becoming less
demanding, Macdonald joined the South Dakota
Association of Rural Water Systems as a training
specialist, where he provided training and
technical assistance to a wide range of water and
wastewater systems throughout South Dakota.
“My time with South Dakota Rural Water
provided a great opportunity for me to
expand and learn from all the great
people I worked with and the various
issues I dealt with.”
Macdonald’s career continued to
grow through his involvement with
the South Dakota Water and
Wastewater Association, where
he served as president, and the
South Dakota Section of
the American Water Works
Association Board of Directors.
In 2003, Macdonald brought
his vast experience in waterworks
to DSG as an outside salesman at
the Rapid City, SD branch. Today,
“My goal is to ensure a successful environment for
each associate to achieve their maximum potential...
”
he is the new Waterworks branch manager.
“My goal is to ensure a successful environment
for each associate to achieve their maximum
potential by providing the support and training
necessary,” Macdonald says. “Continually striving
to achieve this goal will enable us to provide
extraordinary service to our customers.”
Macdonald is very excited about his new role
and his future with DSG, and even though he
may not be in Lawrence County anymore,
he definitely feels he’s at home. To contact
Malcolm Macdonald about DSG Waterworks,
call (800) 660-5531.
WATERWORKS
Spring 2008 CONNECTIONS 19