Titanium Contracting Inc.

: Article by Chris Petersen; Profiles

Titanium Contracting Inc.

Not much could get done in the private or public sectors without the infrastructure that everyone depends on, and this makes the work that Titanium Contracting Inc. does throughout Ontario extremely important. Co-founder and Vice President Steve Foster says that, similarly, the quality work Titanium Contracting performs wouldn’t be possible without the talented and qualified people who form the infrastructure of the company. As it continues to build on its reputation as one of the province’s most capable and diversified contractors, Foster says, Titanium Contracting understands the value its people bring to the company every day.

Foster was one of several professionals who were working for another contractor in Ontario before making the decision to strike out on their own in 2012. With the principals’ experience and expertise in the heavy equipment general contracting world, they were able to have Titanium Contracting up and running within four months of making their initial pitch to investors.

: Article by Alan Dorich; Profiles

Swift River Hydro Operations Co.

When a manufacturer closes its hydro plant in New England, it may not spend the rest of its life collecting dust. Swift River Hydro Operations Co. (SRHOCO) can step in to rehabilitate the hydro, President Davis Hobbs says.

“What I’ve found is when industries have left the region, they no longer want to operate their hydro facilities,” he explains. “We buy it to refurbish, rebuild and replace old equipment, modernizing it to raise the plant efficiency.”

: Article by Chris Petersen; Profiles

Stillwater Electric Utility

Stillwater Electric Utility (SEU) is the largest municipal generator and transmission utility in the state of Oklahoma, and the utility has been providing its own electrical generation services since 1903. However, that long history of power generation almost came to an end more than three years ago, if the utility hadn’t adopted a bold and forward-thinking plan to help it provide for its customers well into the future.

For many years, SEU has relied on the Boomer Lake Station to supply the majority of its generation. The 27-megawatt natural gas-fired steam turbine plant was built in the mid-1950s and supplied the entirety of the city’s electrical power until 1967, when the city’s demand exceeded its capacity. The facility was upgraded in the 1990s and was converted into a peaking plant, but by 2012 it became clear that the city would need to begin thinking about other solutions for its power needs. Generation and Transmission Division Manager Loren Smith says the city faced the possibility of shutting down its generation operations along with Boomer Lake Station.

: Article by Tim O’Connor; Profiles

Seattle City Light

On any given day, when Bernie Ziemianek looks out his downtown Seattle office window, he sees 15 to 20 cranes soaring in the air. Established technology giants such as Microsoft and Amazon and manufacturers such as Boeing have created a decade-long building boom that has seen the city’s population increase by 9.8 percent since 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

But while new skyscrapers and office complexes may add to a city’s visual tapestry, they also create new energy demands. “It’s all leading to a tremendous growth in the underground, overhead network infrastructure,” says Ziemianek, director of energy delivery operations for Seattle City Light, a municipal-owned electric utility.

It’s a challenge Seattle City Light is poised to meet as a utility that has grown alongside the emerald city for more than 100 years. In 1902, Seattle residents approved a $590,000 bond issue to build the nation’s first municipal-owned hydroelectric project. The referendum paved the way for public power and in April 1910, the Seattle City Council created Seattle City Light as a lighting department in the city.

: Article by Janice Hoppe; Profiles

People’s Electric Cooperative

People’s Electric Cooperative (PEC) has been distributing reliable energy to members for more than 75 years. To maintain and improve its high level of service, the cooperative has begun strengthening its system with the latest technology. “Because we own our own transmission, which, as a distribution cooperative, is unusual in the state of Oklahoma, we are working to make our system more efficient and robust,” Senior Vice President of Operations and Engineering John Hudson says.

The Ada, Okla.-based cooperative was established in 1936 to provide farmers and ranchers with electrical service. PEC began as the Interstate Cooperative Electric and Power Co. after Congress passed the Rural Electrification Amendment to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

: Article by Jim Harris; Profiles

OGE Energy Corp.

Like many other utilities, OGE Energy Corp. believes strongly in customer service. For the Oklahoma City-based energy company’s supply chain organization, this service goes beyond providing energy and timely maintenance to its residential, business, commercial and institutional customers.

“When I joined the company six-and-a-half years ago, the one thing I learned was you have to partner with internal customers, which are the other business functions supported by supply chain, so you can align goals and objectives and get moving in the same direction,” Enterprise Supply Chain Director Sherryl Love says.

: Article by Chris Petersen; Profiles

North Alabama Electric Cooperative

Before the implementation of the Rural Electrification Act in 1935, large areas of rural Alabama were without electrical power, making it difficult for the region and its residents to create growth without the infrastructure in place for industry to grow. In 1940, the North Alabama Electric Cooperative (NAEC) was established to serve rural areas with the electrical infrastructure that the large power companies of the time were unwilling to risk serving. The investment of the co-op’s members paid off, and today NAEC has connected nearly 2,000 miles of power lines throughout Jackson and Marshall counties.

Although the NAEC’s efforts helped to modernize the region and promote growth, General Manager Bruce Purdy says the organization finds itself in a similar position to when it first started out. As industrial customers have left the region, the NAEC is now tasked with the job of modernizing its infrastructure once again to promote more economic growth and revitalize the region.

: Article by Eric Slack; Profiles

Newberry Electric Cooperative

First organized on June 17, 1940, Newberry Electric Cooperative (NEC) is a member-owned, nonprofit electric distribution utility. Based in Newberry, S.C., NEC has been serving members since its system was energized on Jan. 7, 1941. In 2015, NEC is celebrating 75 years of service.

“Local individuals formed the cooperative to bring electricity to this rural area,” Vice President of Member, Public and Government Relations Debra Shaw says.

Today, NEC has 41 employees and more than 1,520 miles of line. NEC serves 14,000 members. Over time, the co-op has transitioned from serving a mostly agricultural area to serving many industrial, manufacturing and residential accounts.