The Wolverine Senior Team worked hard over the past ten months to deliver a revamped line worker apprentice training program.  We needed to figure out how the new program would work, develop a new Joint Apprenticeship agreement with the IBEW (Local 876), contract with a training company, and obtain approval from the U.S. Department of Labor.  Lastly, we needed to arrange for a training facility within a narrow window of time.

Wolverine recently closed on the purchase of the former Baker College building on M-66 near Lake City.  I am excited to acquire a training building in nice condition and with lots of land – about 70 acres total.  Our new Training Center will go into operation during the second week of September when the Joint Michigan Apprentice Program (JMAP) will host its fall classes for about 60 apprentices statewide.  I hope the Apprenticeship program is only the beginning for a number of exciting roles this facility might provide for Wolverine and its members.

I am fortunate to have a Land Committee of the Board, which reviews strategic land acquisitions.  With this transparency and oversight, the Board provides me with a meaningful pre-approved budget for purchasing land.  This allows the Wolverine team to move quickly when staff locates a great opportunity.  We used this authority to purchase the Baker College property and also the house and 5 acres immediately west of our Cadillac substation on M-55.  This land gives us additional long-term development options as well as important buffer around our headquarters.

Some of you expressed frustration in our Culture Survey about feeling out of the loop on the Baker College purchase.  (I get how it could be frustrating to hear about it from a neighbor who doesn’t’ even work at Wolverine!)  I’m reviewing this feedback with our senior team to identify ways that we can message better to you on future deals like this, even when we have obligations for confidentiality. The good news is that I am really proud that Wolverine will bring apprentice training to Michigan municipals and cooperatives at our new Lake City Training Center.  Our linemen provide a vital service for our members and allow us to fulfill our reliability mission.  So far the focus has been all about the linemen training as we pushed hard to meet our deadlines.  Rest assured, we will explore additional ways to utilize this great facility to make it a first-class utility training center for all Wolverine employees.