Bill has been in the business for over 40 years. He serves the Association of Water Board Directors (Texas) as a Trustee, is a member of the Utility District Advisory Council, and has helped shaped the financing of Utility Districts in Texas.

Mr. Blitch, who is also a Registered Texas Assessor/Collector, is president of Blitch Associates, Inc., specializing in financial advisory services for water districts and cities.

Mr. Blitch holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, along with over four years of post-graduate work.  He has attended the South Texas School of Law as well as a public finance graduate program at the University of Michigan.  Among his past and present professional affiliations are the following:

• Member--Research Committee of the Securities Industry Association (two years)
  
• Trustee--Association of Water Board Directors--Texas (twelve years)
  
• Board Member--Utility District Advisory Council (fifteen years)
• Board Member--Grand Mission MUD No. 1 (thirteen years)

 

George Blitch has been involved in public finance for the past 5 years. He previously worked as a Mutlimedia Manager in a marketing firm and has run a few of his own companies with great success in the last decade.

George holds a Bachelor's degree from Northeastern University in Boston, where he graduated Cum Laude. George is not one to limit his education at all, as he continues to take courses from a variety of continuing educational programs, and even classes at Rice University.

Among his past and present professional affiliations are the following:

• Member--AWBD Program Commitee (four years)
• Board Member--Fort Bend MUD 134A

 

Don has been in the Public Finance profession for almost forty years serving as financial advisor, underwriter or portfolio buyer.  For the ten years prior to joining Blitch Associates, he was manager of Wells Fargo’s Public Finance Private Placements and Municipal Leasing Division in Texas.  While at broker dealer firms prior to Wells Fargo, he served as financial advisor to several large and many smaller municipalities, as well as state agencies for the States of Texas , Alaska, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Prior to entering the field of Public Finance, Don was a practicing Certified Public Accountant with KPMG and his own firm.

Mr. Grimes has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Texas since 1966 and is a graduate of Lamar State University in Beaumont with a degree in business administration and accounting.

Mr. Grimes serves as Financial Advisor to the City of Seward, Alaska and has for the past thirty years.  Over this period, financings completed for the City include a state prison lease and refinancing, numerous port facilities, the Alaska Sea Life Center, electric, water and sewer projects, small boat harbor improvements, equipment leases and most recently, a new long-term care facility.

For the past ten years, Don concentrated on providing affordable lease-purchase financing for Emergency Service Districts in Texas for fire stations, fire trucks, ambulances and other capital needs and was a frequent speaker on this subject.  He has provided expert testimony for various capital projects and served as lecturer for public finance continuing education courses.