California American Water employees and staff take a group photo during the groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new headquarters in West Sacramento.

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Serving more than 700,000 Californians, California American Water broke ground on a new headquarters based in West Sacramento on Sept. 9, consolidating three of their locations into one central area.

Director of Engineering Lacey Carothers at California American Water, said that the facility embodies the future of the company’s employees, as well as their customers. She said the facility will allow for better coordination of personnel and resources, including acting as a central headquarters for Hawaii American Water.

“This new facility represents our long-term commitment to the Sacramento region and the City of West Sacramento,” said Kevin Tilden, president of California American Water, “It’s where we have our largest group of customers and employees, and where many of our key stakeholders are based, and where we’re planning our future together.”

California American Water employees and staff take a group photo during the groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new headquarters in West Sacramento.

California American Water has 37 water systems in 60 communities, throughout 11 counties and the headquarters in San Diego has been running a skeleton crew. The West Sacramento headquarters at 700 Riverpoint Drive in West Sacramento is expected to be completed next year. 

West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said that she was proud of the company's transition into West Sacramento. She said that the project was a “wonderful development opportunity” and that the city's Home Run Program would supply the industry’s future work force. 

President and CEO of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Robert Heidt said that the chamber is excited that West Sacramento was chosen as the location for California American Water’s new headquarters. 

“I think the mayor having that initiative and program we’re working on, the next generation workforce, anytime that we can inspire them and get them into an industry at a level where they can start to understand the ins and outs, is only going to hopefully inspire them to see that as a career trajectory for them,” Heidt said.

California American Water President Kevin Tilden (left) speaks to Buzz Oates Construction CEO Larry Albaugh during the California American Water groundbreaking ceremony at 700 Riverpoint Drive in West Sacramento.

Project partners for the California American Water project include Buzz Oates Construction, the City of West Sacramento, Johnson Plumbing and Bosley Electric. The facility's estimated size is projected to be around 40,000 square feet.  

Buzz Oates CEO Larry Albaugh said that the construction site, located at 700 Riverpoint Drive in West Sacramento, had decades-old footing on a site poised for a different construction project, leading to the footing being demolished and removed. It takes a significant commitment to see projects through from start to finish, Albaugh said, and that they might not always become what was originally planned. 

“This is a project for us that's been about 18 years in the making,” Albaugh said. “So it takes some time and some stay-with-it-ness to make something like this happen, so it takes an entire team.”

Albaugh thanked the mayor for the City of West Sacramento’s input, praising the city and chamber staff for being such great partners to work with on the project. 

Tilden said that most of the California American Water’s customers and employees are located in the Sacramento Region and that the new headquarters will better serve both of those populations. He said the company is looking to take advantage of cheap leasing and low purchase prices while those opportunities are available. 

California American Water’s West Sacramento headquarters is expected to be complete by fall 2026. More updates and information can be found at https://amwater.com/caaw/News-Community/News.

 A California American Water pickup truck sits in front of an excavator during the groundbreaking ceremony for California American Water’s new headquarters in West Sacramento.