California Water Service Group Named Great Place to Work(R) in 2016

SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/03/16 -- As part of its continued commitment to being a top workplace, California Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT) announced today its first-time certification as a Great Place to Work® by the Great Place to Work® Institute. The recognition is reflective of the culture and employee opinions at each of the Group's regulated subsidiaries in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Washington.

The 2016 Great Place to Work® certification is comprised of two components. The first is a Culture Audit© designed to understand the company's programs and practices regarding hiring, internal communication, developmental opportunities, training, recognition, and diversity. Second is a Trust Index© based on employee responses about their experience with the company. In the employee survey, team members at California Water Service, Hawaii Water Service, New Mexico Water Service, and Washington Water Service were asked their opinions about factors such as leadership, credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie in their workplace.

Scores were benchmarked against best workplaces in the United States to assess a company's results, according to the Great Place to Work® Institute. Additionally, 93 percent of the company's respondents answered favorably when asked whether, taking everything into account, they considered the company to be a "great place to work."

"When an employee comes on board with our company, we want them to grow with us and make their careers here. This is part of our commitment to providing quality, service, and value, to not only our customers and communities, but also our employees," said President and Chief Executive Martin A. Kropelnicki. "And, I wholeheartedly believe that if we take care of our employees, they will take care of our customers."

"I'm honored to be recognized by our employees and the Great Place to Work Institute, and intend to build upon the already high standards we set for ourselves to continue earning our employees' trust and loyalty in order to make them our best ambassadors," Kropelnicki said.

The 2016 designation certifies California Water Service Group and its subsidiaries as a Great Place to Work® for one year. Fortune magazine's annual Best 100 Companies to Work For® is compiled from among the companies certified as a Great Place to Work®. The Institute publishes additional Best Workplace rankings each year.

California Water Service Group is the parent company of California Water Service, Washington Water Service, New Mexico Water Service, Hawaii Water Service, CWS Utility Services, and HWS Utility Services. Together, these companies provide regulated and non-regulated water service to approximately 2 million people in more than 100 California, Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii communities. California Water Service was ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Water Utilities in the West" in 2016 by J.D. Power in its inaugural Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. Group's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CWT." Additional information is available online at www.calwatergroup.com.

Released October 3, 2016