BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) announced today that Executive Vice President and CFO Daniel J. Schuller has been named one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s CFOs of the Year for 2020.
“I congratulate Dan on this well-deserved honor. His extensive financial, operational and strategic experience is integral to our mission to strengthen our nation’s infrastructure and provide essential resources to the communities we serve,” said Essential Chairman and CEO Christopher Franklin, who nominated Schuller for the award. “Dan played an instrumental role in the development of our growth strategy and spearheaded Essential’s expansion from water and wastewater into natural gas.”
Essential closed its acquisition of Pittsburgh-based Peoples in March. Last year, Schuller led the efforts for Essential’s successful $2 billion secondary public equity offering and $900 million initial public debt offering to secure financing for the Peoples acquisition and other corporate purposes.
“I’m honored to be recognized alongside many of Greater Philadelphia’s esteemed financial professionals as a CFO of the Year,” said Schuller. “I believe this award reflects the collective efforts and spirit of partnership of our entire team at Essential.”
Schuller is responsible for all financial operations for Essential, including accounting, SEC reporting, financial planning and analysis, tax, treasury, rates and internal audit. He drives operational performance and growth and leads the company’s communications with its auditors, banks and rating agencies. Schuller was named to his current role in October 2018. He was previously executive vice president of strategy and corporate development, a role he held since joining Essential in 2015. Schuller instituted the formal process and framework to drive the company’s municipal acquisition initiative and collaborated with state subsidiaries to structure and value specific acquisition opportunities.
The Philadelphia Business Journal presents the CFO of the Year awards annually to financial professionals throughout the Greater Philadelphia region for outstanding performance in their roles as corporate financial stewards. Criteria include demonstrated contributions to company growth, strategic thinking, success in overcoming business challenges, and commitment to fiscal integrity and accountability.
About Essential
Essential is one of the largest publicly traded water, wastewater and natural gas providers in the U.S., serving approximately 5 million people across 10 states under the Aqua and Peoples brands. Essential is committed to excellence in proactive infrastructure investment, regulatory expertise, operational efficiency and environmental stewardship. The company recognizes the importance water and natural gas play in everyday life and is proud to deliver safe, reliable services that contribute to the quality of life in the communities it serves. For more information, visit http://www.essential.co.
