City of Marquette

Source: Energy Digital

Date :11/04/2008 02:00:15

With a customer database of 16,000 and increasing, Kirby Juntila explains the benefits of working independently as part of a small company

Written by Amelia Williams and Produced by Lenny Antoine

The City of Marquette is a beautiful, picturesque city with a unique climate and high quality of life. Indeed, it is one of America’s premier cities. The area’s residents work hard to preserve Marquette’s natural beauty while being a progressive community making efforts towards continuous improvement, which have been rewarded with a number of national recognitions.

Located in the central region of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Marquette has a population of 20,714. All of these residents receive their electricity from one utility – the Marquette Board of Light and Power (MBLP), a municipal electric utility.

“As a municipal utility the MBLP is owned by its customers,” Kirby Juntila, Executive Director of the Marquette Board of Light and Power (MBLP) says, who goes on to explain that “one of our strengths - our number one asset - is the commitment of our employees to the customers. This level of commitment to service is due to the fact that our customers are our friends, neighbors and relatives. Staff are not working just for the benefit of a large group of shareholders, as they would be in a larger utility.”

The MBLP has been building up this reputation as a small business with a good rapport with customers since 1965. The company has been in operation longer than that though; since 1889 in fact, under the administration of the City of Marquette.

After running into hard times in 1965, the utility became a separate entity and the MBLP was placed under the jurisdiction of its own, publicly-elected five-member Board.

Since then it’s enjoyed a “very successful run,” Mr. Juntila says, going on to explain the ways in which the company’s small size - far from hindering business development and growth - has actually helped it get to the successful position it is in today.

Big is not always best

If there is a problem or issue that needs solving, key staff and employees can be assembled very quickly.

“In a large corporation there are layers of bureaucracy and territory. We have broken those down so when a critical issue comes up we can address it immediately.”

Not only can any problems that do arise be dealt with quickly, Mr. Juntila explains that, as a smaller utility, Michigan’s difficult economic times haven’t kept the utility from growing, prospering. “Our system is still growing around two percent compared to statewide growth which is averaging about one percent or even less. Large manufacturers are suffering.”

Teamwork is the key and working together to resolve things quickly and efficiently is repeatedly stressed by Mr. Juntila. “We are resourceful and work together on issues to advance and to remain competitive in the electrical industry. We have to be proactive so we don’t find ourselves - as some industries have - unable to meet challenges because they did not strive daily to be innovative and creative to move forward,” he says.

Innovative Staff

Mr. Juntila also told Exec about the “talented and innovative” staff at MBLP whose co-operation and passion allows the company to use cutting-edge technologies that only very large IOUs had been able to use previously. “It’s very exciting that we are able to go at that pace,” says Mr. Juntila.

“I’ve been in this industry since 1982,” he continues. “I started as a power plant laborer with an engineering degree. Then I managed a small coal-fired power plant. I then came to Marquette Board of Light and Power as an Operations Manager. About two and a half years ago I was promoted to Executive Director of the utility - so I’ve worked my way from the bottom to the very top.”

It is perhaps this extensive knowledge of the utility industry built up over the years and his “very interesting career” path that inspires pride in Kirby Juntila about where he is now.

Capitalizing on a number of factors, from his long and successful career, and his current company’s long history and excellent reputation, to his “talented and innovative” staff, his ambitions for the future include pursuing renewable energy options while maintaining the utility’s excellent rapport with the local community. He explains more about future plans for the company and the move towards more renewable energy resources.

Sustainability

Four percent of the MBLP’s energy is currently generated using renewable hydro power. But this is something the company is keen to expand on. It recently conducted a two-day bio-mass test burn examining how to generate additional renewable credits by looking to locally produced biomass fuel as opposed to Eastern coal. “It would keep money and jobs locally,” says Juntila of the benefits this would bring - besides the obvious environmental ones -“We’re very optimistic about the test burn.”

As a further benefit to the local community and to the environment, the MBLP has been using soy-based fluid-filled transformers. It is far less harmful to the environment than the former petroleum-based coolant and also helps farmers who grow the soy-beans.

The Board of Light and Power has also had discussions with large wind developers, and is studying the viability of adding wind generation to the utility’s power portfolio.

“We’ve got hydro and it looks like soon we’ll be using bio-mass as a resource. We need to be able to add wind generation to the mix. Diversity, is very important to us.”

While recognizing the real concern of global warming, the MBLP understands that the move towards renewable energy has to come at a sustainable pace for the economy. “It is a gradual progression and will take a generation at least,” Juntila estimates.

In the meantime, he suggests focusing energies on clean coal technologies. “Coal is something we have an abundance of at the moment. We continue to invest in clean coal technology and are working to add green power to the mix.”

Future Plans

While completing these two developments the company is looking to the future; it is hoping to embark on a two-three year implementation plan aimed at cutting costs for their customers by investing an estimated $3.5 million in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), utilizing two-way communication. Once this has been achieved, other plans for Mr. Juntila and MBLP include conversations with the City of Marquette and local gas companies about the possibility of reading their meters with the utility’s AMI technology.

The company is certainly moving at an exciting pace, as Juntila explains: “People who have been in the company 20 years are enjoying a more exciting time now than ever in their careers. That’s very exciting from my perspective. I’m supposed to be the person determining the direction and vision for the company. So that’s my feedback. Am I giving the employees things they need to be successful? I don’t have all the answers, but I’m hopefully knocking down the barriers that impede them from being the best they can be.”