Annual Report 2018_FINAL

GEARED TO TAKE ON CHALLENGES
A message from our CEO and Board President
Delivering electricity has never been an easy undertaking. Big capital investments are required. The day-to-day work can be backbreaking
and dangerous. Electric utilities are called upon to distribute a commodity that is essential to our way of life. Industries,
businesses and homeowners require affordable electricity that is available around the clock at the flip of a switch. This is a big
task, and it is even bigger for small utilities serving rural consumers spread across the kind of rugged terrain we have here on
Colorado’s Western Slope. From the far reaches of Unaweep Canyon to Roan Creek; from Collbran and the Grand Mesa to Glade
Park; from Kannah Creek to Douglas Pass – Grand Valley Power takes on the challenge to deliver power to all our consumers.
As tough as this job has been, the challenges seem to grow with each passing year. Consumer expectations continue to evolve.
Providing reliable and affordable electric energy is just the starting point. Our consumers want something more than a traditional
utility. Renewable energy must be integrated into our power supply mix. At the same time, we must be supportive of traditional fuel
resources that are an integral part of the Western Slope economy. The tools and toys that technology provides today’s consumers
require greater electric reliability. Consumers want more information about their power consumption, and they don’t want to have
to wait for it. Our members want us to deliver power in a way that makes their lives better. More than that, they want us to make
our communities better.
As a consumer-driven cooperative Grand Valley Power is geared to take on these challenges. We use a tried-and-true approach for
dealing with these ever-changing challenges: we stick to our roots, ever mindful that we are here to do what is best for our local
members and consumers. This is second nature to us, as all our employees and all the directors that serve on our governing board
call Mesa County home. This is evident in a simple but powerful mission statement that was developed by a team of Grand Valley
Power employees and directors last year: Empowering Lives with Hometown Service.
“Empowering Lives” covers a lot of ground. Literally, it can be interpreted to mean that we provide power for our members. At the
most basic level this is what we do. Expand the interpretation a little more and it supports the idea that the energy we provide
empowers our members by enabling them to lead more productive, meaningful and happy lives. Taken a step further, and the
phrase encompasses the active role Grand Valley Power plays in the communities it serves. Again, we strive to make our members
lives better by making their communities better.
We set out to do this by focusing on “Hometown Service.” Again, this is central to our mission. This phrase conjures up the image
of linemen braving the elements when Mother Nature wreaks havoc on our electric distribution system. While they are the face of
the cooperative, it takes more than these hard-working linemen; the folks who answer the phones, serve as dispatchers, maintain
the warehouse, design and engineer our infrastructure, and provide all kinds of technical, financial and administrative support for
our team all play a part in providing this Hometown Service.
And don’t forget the board of directors that plays such a critical role for our cooperative. They are Grand Valley Power members
and consumers just as each of you are. They face the same day-to-day challenges that the other members do. They are accessible
to all the members, and they want to know where you stand on the important issues confronting us. All these folks – directors and
employees – live right here in Mesa County. That, in and of itself, provides a lot of value to our members and consumers.
To help us maintain our focus on our mission, the employees and directors of the cooperative identified four guiding principles. To
track our overall performance, it is helpful to examine how we fared in sticking to these guiding principles:
Tom Walch
Chief Executive Officer
Rod Martinez
President, Board of Directors
We are committed to the safety of our
workforce and the general public. We
continue our efforts to build a culture of
safety. We completed the Rural Electric
Safety Achievement Program (RESAP).
This is a comprehensive, no-holdsbarred,
review of all facets of our facilities
and operations by independent experts.
We go through this process every three
years, and our goal is to improve every
time. We continue to provide electrical
safety demonstrations for middle and
elementary grade students, as well
as training for contractors who work
near our high voltage lines. We are also
continuing to step up our efforts to
protect against cybersecurity threats.
In 2017 Grand Valley Power was one
EMPOWERING LIVES WI