What do you do outside of serving on Dawson PPD’s board of directors?
I farm and ranch with my family east of Brady in Lincoln County. I also enjoy serving on the board of Trustees at the First United Methodist Church in Gothenburg and attending Nebraska Cattlemen and Dawson County Cattlemen meetings and activities. My fun hobby is to raise show pigs for 4-H and FFA kids with my sons Patrick and Evan.
What made you want to serve on the Dawson PPD Board of Directors?
The opportunity presented itself in 2014 to run for the Lincoln subdivision and I have always had an interest in how the electrical power system worked and benefited farmers and communities. I am currently serving my second term and treasurer of the Dawson PPD board.
What is your favorite memory serving on the board?
Being a young fellow coming on the board and being able to sit with legends such as Paul Neil, Bill Henry, Dave Dwiggins and the current board members; and how they were open and mentored me to be the current board member I am.
Why is it important to serve on Dawson PPD’s board?
Nebraska is a public power state and needs to be served by individuals in the state that are consumers of the product. In order to maintain the public power model, we need to ensure that we maintain safe and affordable public power from today through the tomorrows.
What does the future hold for public power?
Some exciting times, but also some challenging times lie ahead. We need to ensure that the electrical generators maintain a healthy mix of base load generation with the right mix of renewable energy generation. Along with this, the need to incorporate our customers’ renewable generation such as home solar and wind projects into the electrical formulas. The mix of all of this is to make sure we have continuous power to the District’s customers 24/7. The future is bright for Dawson PPD and this could not be done without the workforce at Dawson PPD who maintain our infrastructure, poles, wires, equipment and provide customer service all while monitoring the continuous increased cost of inputs and maintaining affordable rates to our customers.
OTHER NEWS
Between the lines: Our loss is your gain
By Gwen Kautz, General Manager gkautz at dawsonpower.com 308-324-2386 The unusually wet years of 2018 and 2019 have impacted many customers and public power districts. Some of our farmers and ranchers experienced unusual issues of their own due to the rains. If there...
SmartHub saves: Wendell and Joanne Stevens, Kearney
This series focuses on Dawson PPD customers who use SmartHub to manage their electrical use. SmartHub is a free web and mobile app available to all Dawson PPD customers. To sign up, call Dawson PPD at 308-324-2386 or click here. What do you use SmartHub for?...
Businesses eligible for EnergyWise rebates
The Lexington Walmart's 10 week remodeling efforts rewarded them with a $29,730 rebate through the EnergyWise program. More than 3,000 light bulbs and fixtures in the building and parking lot were replaced with energy efficient LEDs. About $320,000 went into...