As Chief Financial Officer, Ben Smith is responsible for overall financial management, including acquisitions, divestitures, mergers, financial plans and policies, as well as relationships with financial institutions, investors and shareholders.

Mr. Smith joined SouthWest Water in 2006 as divisional chief financial officer of the contract services group and was promoted to corporate level as vice president of financial services in January 2008. In this role, he oversaw regulated and non-regulated accounting, payroll, and the procurement departments. In May 2009, he was appointed principal accounting officer.

Mr. Smith has over 12 years of leadership and management experience. Prior to joining SouthWest Water, he served as a manager at Calpine Power America where he was responsible for retail and customer service operations, assisting the marketing team with strategy and analyzing accounting systems. His career also includes executive management positions with Commerce Restructuring, LLC, and Veras Investment Partners.

Mr. Smith is a Certified Public Accountant, and holds a bachelor degree in business administration from Lamar University in Beaumont , Texas.