The Water Values

First and foremost, hi and thanks for checking out The Water Values website!

I’m a lawyer in Bingham Greenebaum Doll‘s Jasper, Indiana, office.  Here’s my bio. I represent water and sewer utilities and energy companies and have done so since 1998. I also represent business and real estate clients, but that’s not the purpose of this website. Honestly, I never thought much about water until I started working with water utilities. Now, I’m hooked. Water fascinates me, and I love learning about its history, usage, reuses and more. I hope you find this website and the podcasts worthwhile and educational.

Growing up in the State of Washington (is that Pacific Northwest rain the core, subliminal reason for my water affinity?), my family moved to Ohio when I was around 11 years old. After graduating from high school in Ohio, I graduated from Wabash College in Indiana, headed back to Seattle for a few years, and then received my law degree from Indiana University’s law school in Bloomington, Indiana. I met my wife in Indiana, and we grew a family and stayed there until 2013, when we moved to Denver, Colorado. We moved back to Indiana in 2016, just in time for the 100th running of the Indy 500. (I’m not much of a racing fan, but the Indy 500 is special. Everyone needs to see it once).

During my second stint in Seattle, I worked for the Bellevue Fireplace Shop for a period of time. We worked on all kinds of fireplaces, including the fireplaces on Paul Allen’s estate on Mercer Island, and during the summer, we sold and installed barbecues. I had the privilege of installing Jeff Nelson’s (the MLB middle reliever) barbecue and Jay Buhner’s barbecue. The latter on the day before the major league baseball strike in 1994. Jay - if you read this, I’m ready to have that beer with you now!

My wife and I have three great kids. My wife is originally from Jasper, which explains why we now live here. Jasper is a small town, but it generates a significant amount of economic activity and produces a lot of athletes. A Fortune 500 company is headquartered here (Kimball International), and the area is home to many furniture manufacturers. So many so that some call Jasper the furniture capital of the world. Ever heard of Jasper Engines & Transmissions? That’s another Jasper-based company. There are many more. My father-in-law says if you can’t find a job in Jasper, you’re unemployable. And sports — Jasper has great sports. The Indianapolis Star recently called Jasper the baseball capital of Indiana. It’s produced numerous MLB draftees and an 8-time Gold Glove winner/7-time All-Star in Scott Rolen. Add in a quarterback that won a national title in NCAA football with LSU (Matt Mauck), who also played a couple of years in the NFL, and you’ve got yourself a nice little sports town.

Pro football and major league baseball dominate my own sports interests (outside of my kids’ sports pursuits). The Mariners, Seahawks and Sonics (R.I.P.) were my teams even after relocating to Ohio. (I was a charter member of the Mariners Baseball Fan Club). Those allegiances stuck with me through my various adventures until the late 1990’s when the Seahawks moved to the NFC and changed their uniforms. The old AFC West was awesome, and I missed the games against the Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders. Watching the guys in the new unis just wasn’t Jim Zorn or Dave Krieg throwing the ball to Steve Largent, Curt Warner toting the rock, or Jacob Green getting the sack. So, living in Indianapolis at the time, I migrated my fandom to the Colts. Today, I’m a die-hard Colts fan (and season ticket holder). I remain faithful to the Mariners, even though at times, the M’s have given us fans reason to look elsewhere (don’t believe me? check this out).

Thanks again for checking out the website and please let me know what you think of the content!

Dave