A field supervisor stopped in my office this week to share a story about attitude. He was in Cadillac to discuss some operational issues with his colleagues, and apparently he got steamed over a disagreement as to how to solve a particular problem. He decided to step out of the meeting for a moment to “walk it off.” [...]
Michigan is the sunshine state! Huh? This summer has been so nice that you might just think Michigan could steal Florida’s state name. Of course our memories of winter’s gray skies fade with summer sunshine. Amidst this beautiful weather, our sun sits centered in one of the electric industry’s hottest debates — solar power. Solar [...]
Midwest Energy President & CEO, Bob Hance We recently had a message from Henry on our Facebook page. He’s not a member, but looking to build in southwest Michigan and asked about a specific property address in Dowagiac. “We are looking at building at this address, which is currently vacant land. Does Midwest [...]
Independence Day, July 4th… arguably, no other holiday evokes such a strong emotion of being American. July 4th is the quintessential summer holiday, especially in years like this when the Fourth abuts the actual weekend. We enjoy parades, festivals, fireworks, boating, family time, sunshine, and bonfires with s’mores. Michigan provides the perfect playground for all [...]
Some of you have asked me what happens at a Board meeting. Some think it's top secret discussions and endless deliberation. Others envision a private club, unapproachable and scary. In truth, our Board meetings concern real people doing real work for Wolverine. Last Thursday’s June meeting unfolded with some ordinary and extraordinary conversation. Kim Molitor [...]
When I look around Wolverine I see many different teams, formal and informal, working to achieve different goals. We have so many talented employees who care about their jobs and take pride in doing them well. I literally see it more in our new HQ, because I can see teams working together in collaborative spaces, [...]
Almost there… Wolverine generation crews work tirelessly to bring Alpine Generating plant to full power. They continue to perform commissioning tests on Unit #2, while they wring out the bugs on Unit #1, which they expect to bring to full load early next week. This project has been a grind for our employees. We gave [...]
As a “financial guy,” I’ve always been interested in numbers. When I became Great Lakes Energy’s (GLE) president and chief executive officer on March 29, my focus switched slightly. The members and employees of GLE are now the number one priority in my new role. I served as GLE’s chief financial officer for 12 years, [...]
Imagine you enter a race, fully accepting the challenge and expectation that you must finish first. How would you feel when you learned that the rules made you start six months behind everyone else! Jon Johnson accepted this very challenge when he took the lead on the Alpine Transmission projects. In order for the Alpine [...]
Early coal miners would take canaries deep into the mines with them while they worked to act as early detection systems. Commonly, carbon monoxide and/or methane gas could build up to dangerous levels, killing miners with no warning. Canaries were more sensitive to the gasses and so literally if the bird was alive, the miner [...]