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Louisville Water has transformed from a traditional water utility to “a hub of innovation,” said Matthew Griffith.
As the company’s Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Manager, he oversees activity in the hub, launching new businesses and bringing new products to market. For example, he led the development and launch of such products as Pure Spout and the WaterPro Water Leak Protection Program.
With a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an MBA from the University of Louisville, Griffith first joined Louisville Water in 2012 as a Business Development Analyst.
He is a Class of 2015 member of Ignite Louisville, a Leadership Louisville program, and he holds certification from the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional.
One of the SBU’s ventures is Blue Focus, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Louisville Water. Griffith said it functions as an “innovation studio,” harnessing science and technology to create and market scalable products, services, and partnerships.
He uses the phrase beyond the meter to summarize the commitment to going beyond the traditional water utility role.
“The meter typically demarcates the boundary of a water utility’s responsibilities—everything up to the meter, including water treatment and infrastructure maintenance,” he said. “By going beyond the meter, we are expanding our role to address broader societal challenges while generating additional value for customers, the company, and our owner.”
Griffith noted that the SBU’s innovation strategy “combines a portfolio approach with evidence-based decision-making. We identify high-potential initiatives based on strategic fit, economic impact, and feasibility, and then advance them through our innovation framework. Our objective is to not only solve customer or business problems in new and novel ways, but to productize, monetize, and scale those solutions.”
He pointed out that the beyond the meter approach also “highlights our commitment to the community, demonstrating how our innovations generate revenue that is reinvested back into the Louisville Metro area as well as the company itself.”
Looking ahead, Griffith said his focus is on implementing and expanding existing initiatives such as Pure Spout and WaterPro while “leveraging Blue Focus to bring innovative solutions to market. We understand that innovation is collaborative, and we will continue to seek partnerships within and outside the water industry to drive our initiatives.” Griffith also anticipates a number of new inter-company collaborations, such as the company’s Digital Innovation initiative and its Employee Innovation initiative.
When he’s not at work, Griffith enjoys powerlifting, backcountry camping, and riding dirt bikes. He also enjoys mountain biking at numerous parks within an hour or two of Louisville. He and his wife, Nicole, have two children: Matthew Jr. (MJ), 10, and Caroline, 5.
He is also involved in the community. Griffith is the founder and a past president of Echelon Louisville, a community of diverse young adults who serve as an auxiliary to The Salvation Army through fellowship, fundraising, and volunteering.
