Pushing Asset Management Boundaries with MentorAPM

Pushing Asset Management Boundaries

Holistic asset management is helping AlexRenew future-proof their infrastructure

Large utilities often experience a substantial system upheaval about every 20 years. AlexRenew, the wastewater management authority for more than 300,000 people in Alexandria and Fairfax County, Virginia, is experiencing such a period with new leadership, the launch of a five-year strategic plan and the near culmination of RiverRenew, the largest infrastructure initiative in the history of Alexandria.

With a $615 million investment, RiverRenew is based on a new deep tunnel system that connects the city’s four combined sewer overflows so that runoff can be captured, treated and returned clean to the Potomac River.

“The last couple of years have been a time of significant transition at AlexRenew, which has given us the opportunity to make a valuable cultural shift,” says Justin Carl, who joined the organization as CEO in February 2023.

At the core of this shift has been a refreshed focus on asset management. While the practice was not new to AlexRenew, advancements in asset management software and technology presented an opportunity to revisit their approach to asset management to see if they could reap even more benefits. As it turns out, they could.

Starting at the top

As Justin Carl was taking the helm at AlexRenew in February of 2023, the utility also was starting a new contract with advanced asset management providers MentorAPM and CDM Smith to deploy a new computerized maintenance management system. This presented a good opportunity for Carl to create a line of sight on the project from top leadership all the way to frontline staff.

“AlexRenew was interested in a holistic approach to asset management, a much broader scope than utilities typically take,” says Tacoma Zach, co-founder and CEO of MentorAPM. “The significance of this commitment from leadership cannot be overstated — it has been fundamental to their success.”

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Read the rest in Municipal Sewer & Water Magazine:

https://www.mswmag.com/editorial/2025/06/pushing-asset-management-boundaries

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