Wednesday, June 21, 2023

WELCOME!


Aidan Baker is the ISFSI Security Manager. Aidan was most

recently employed at Paragon Energy as a Lieutenant and Systems Administrator.

Kaiden Boberg is an Indentured Apprentice Construction Lineworker in Transmission Construction. Kaiden was most recently employed at Arcadia Electric Utility on the Electrical

Ground Crew.

Amber Manke is Treasury Manager in Finance Division Management. Amber was most recently employed at Coulee Bank as a VP Business Analyst.

Cade Fremstad is a Summer Laborer in Alma Fuels and Solid Waste. Cade is a recent graduate of Mondovi High School.

INTERN TOUR

Strategic Priority: People First

Photo: Supervisor, Electrical Maintenance Bob Ottaway provides background on Dairyland's core business in the "transformer yard" portion of the Service Center.


Dairyland hosted a tour of the La Crosse Campus for interns from Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (Ellsworth, Wis.), Riverland Energy Cooperative (Arcadia, Wis.) and Oakdale Electric Cooperative (Oakdale, Wis.) on Tuesday. Two Dairyland interns – Lucas Fink (Organizational Development) and Riley Briggs (Human Resources) – also joined in for the tour of the System Operations Center, Biology and Chemistry labs, Powered Printing and Service Center.

NEXT WEEK: SAFETY STAND-DOWN MEETING

Dairyland's third quarterly Safety Stand-Down meeting is Tuesday, June 27. Outlook calendar invitations were emailed to all employees from Director, Safety & HR Elizabeth Ressie.


NEW: To better accommodate the diverse workforce schedules of Dairyland teams, two meeting time options were scheduled (6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.). Employees may choose the time that works best for them to attend on June 27.


Attendance is required by all employees. Recordings are posted on the Breaker; if you are unable to attend in real time, it is an expectation that you view the recording promptly.


About Safety Stand-Down Meetings: As a continuation of Dairyland's focus on safety and aligning expectations across the organization, quarterly Safety Stand-Down meetings were launched in January. The all-hands meetings will help maintain organizational focus on our #1 priority of Safety. If you would like to review the April meeting, please click here.

OUT & ABOUT

President and CEO Brent Ridge presented on a sustainability panel with industry leaders at the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation's (CFC) annual forum and membership meeting this week in Seattle, Wash. Brent discussed operational integration of new technologies to help meet low-carbon goals. (Pictured with CFC VP, Corporate Communications Charlie Gloeckner.)


Brent will participate in the NEI Used Fuel Executive Task Force Strategy session on Friday in Washington, D.C. As a zero-emissions and always available resource, nuclear is an essential part of the clean energy transition.

VP & CIO Nate Melby is being honored at the 2023 Wisconsin CIO ORBIE® Award Ceremonies in Milwaukee on Friday. The ORBIE Awards recognize Chief Information Officers who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership. Congratulations, Nate! 

RIVERSIDE CAFE SALES UPDATE

The Riverside Café will be launching a new Point of Sale System on Monday, June 26. This advanced system will make transactions faster, boost efficiency and improve customer experiences. 

Why: Implementing the new system will increase efficiency in clerical processes and reduce time spent on transactions for all employees.

Why Now: There is an opportunity to streamlined processes in order to enable café staff to perform more efficiently.

What’s Changing: Employees will be asked for their employee number at checkout when choosing payroll deduction. 

What’s not changing: The Riverside Café will continue to prioritize and maintain our high-quality food and excellent customer service. 

CLASSIFIED ADS

The Classified Ads site on the Breaker has been removed, due to minimal usage and retirement of the vintage application. If you would like to include an item to advertise in Short Circuits, contact Katie Thomson or Ellie Meyer.

CIRCUIT BREAKER

DAIRYLAND AWAREDED BROADBAND GRANT TO HELP EXPAND RURAL INTERNET ACCESS

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded a $14.89 million Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant to Dairyland to expand internet access in underserved rural communities.


Dairyland applied for the grant in 2022 to support the communities served by its member cooperatives in rural Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. Through this grant, 240 miles of Dairyland’s transmission network will be retrofitted with optical ground wire (OPGW) during its Tri-State Fiber Deployment Project. The majority of the fiber optic installation is expected to be completed within two years.


Internet access is an equity issue, detrimental to population health, safety, education, economic growth and social ties in communities with insufficient infrastructure.


“Electricity and high-speed internet power every aspect of our daily lives,” said Dairyland President & CEO Brent Ridge. “It is unacceptable that rural populations are disadvantaged by limited access to infrastructure supporting essential services. On behalf of our members, we are thrilled to have received funding to improve quality of life in the communities we serve.”


The growing and critical need for reliable and affordable high-speed broadband internet service, coupled with Dairyland's grid modernization plans, led to the development of the Tri-State Fiber Deployment project plan. According to USDA population standards, all counties within the project’s service area are rural and have median household incomes that are less than the national average of $64,994.


About the grant: The NTIA’s Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program is a $1 billion program that provides funding for the construction, improvement or acquisition of middle mile infrastructure. NTIA’s release on the grant program is here and the list of funding recipients is here. “Middle mile” refers to the mid-section of internet infrastructure that carries large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances. 


The build-out of middle mile infrastructure will assist regional retail rural broadband providers as they will have access to a more expansive, reliable and affordable fiber network with new areas of service. The following areas in Dairyland's service territory will be supported by the grant (substations listed):

  • Apple River (Range, WI) to Barron (Barron, WI)
  • Barron (Barron, WI) to Washco (Spooner, WI)
  • Big Sand (Hertel, WI) to Washco (Spooner, WI)
  • Postville (Postville, IA) to Harmony (Harmony, MN)
  • Orchard (Osage, IA) to Adams (Adams, MN)
  • Twin Lakes (Twin Lakes, MN) to Adams (Adams, MN)
  • Adams (Adams, MN), to Harmony (Harmony, MN)
  • Harmony (Harmony, MN) to Genoa (Genoa, WI)

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: JESSICA SANDRY

Dairyland Strategic Priority: People First

Employees are Dairyland's greatest asset and the key to our success as a safe, sustainable and reliable electric cooperative. As part of our People First initiative, we want to recognize the people behind the power.

 

Dairyland's employee spotlight series features an employee each month, shining a light on their interests and what it’s like to be part of the Dairyland team. The June 2023 spotlight is on Right of Way Agent - Senior Jessica Sandry. Click here to read Jessica's feature on the Breaker, which will also be posted on Dairyland's Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

 

WorkTango incentive: Each featured employee will receive 5,000 WorkTango points for sharing their perspectives and experiences in the series.

GENOA SITE: D&D PROGRESS & PLANS

Photo: G-3 in 2010

Final phase milestones for the decommissioning and dismantlement (D&D) of Dairyland’s retired Genoa Station #3 (G-3) coal-fired power plant are in place, following actions taken during the June Board of Directors meeting.


Veit Co. has been awarded the main contract for major facility demolitions of the G-3 turbine building, boiler, stack, river structures and the LACBWR Administration Building.


Implosion of the boiler house and 500-foot G-3 stack is scheduled to occur in April 2024. Information regarding safety, road closure and coverage of the event will be shared in March 2024. Full D&D project completion is expected in November 2024.


Reduce, reuse, recycle: Dairyland is contracting with Alter Metal Recycling to recycle the estimated 14,000 tons of heavy metal steel scrap materials expected to result from the facility demolitions.


“Dairyland continually looks to be as sustainable as possible during this major project, both from an environmental and economic standpoint,” said Project Engineer III Mike McCullick, who manages the D&D project. "The 14,000 tons we anticipate salvaging from the upcoming demolitions is in addition to the 6,000 tons we have already recycled."


In addition to the environmental benefits, the sale of steel has helped deflect project costs by nearly $1.5 million to date. Mike notes that concrete from the stack structure, foundations and slabs will be repurposed as gravel at the Genoa Site.


Dairyland’s G-3 Site Redevelopment and Reuse (R&R) Project: Potential commerce opportunities for reuse of the closed power plant site are being explored, with benefits and risks of each option evaluated for long-term sustainability. An update will be shared when plans are finalized.


D&D Project Background: Dairyland’s Genoa Station #3 coal-fired 345 MW power plant was retired on June 1, 2021, following 52 years of providing safe, reliable power to the region. Dismantlement and decommissioning of G-3 has since proceeded safely and in full compliance with regulatory requirements.

DAIRYLAND LEGAL SERVICES: HERE TO SERVE

Keeping costs down for members: Bringing Legal Services in-house resulted in a 30% cost reduction in the last six months of 2022 alone.


In 2022, Dairyland created an internal Legal Services team with a mission to “provide high-quality comprehensive legal services that protect Dairyland’s interests, ensure efficiencies of legal spending, and create cost-savings by strategically utilizing both internal and external counsel.”  


The Legal Services department is now fully staffed as a team of five:  

  • Joyce Peppin, General Counsel 
  • Kathleen Galioto, Deputy General Counsel 
  • Ryan Verhulp, Associate General Counsel 
  • Rob Maly, Staff Attorney 
  • Elyssa Cook, Paralegal 


“Our goal is to get engaged and involved with all of Dairyland’s legal matters,” said Kathleen. “We want employees to come to us with their questions. There are no questions too minor. While things may seem harmless, they may in fact invite legal risk for Dairyland and we encourage employees to ask rather than wonder. Each employee helps us to manage Dairyland’s legal risk by asking questions and bringing matters to Legal Services.” 


The transition to an in-house legal services department has already resulted in significant cost reductions, increased system efficiency and enhanced risk management. When specialty legal services are required, the Legal Services team can source outside counsel, with management and oversight by our team.  


Connect with the team: To better assist Dairyland’s employees with accessing support for their legal needs, a Legal Services Request Portal was created on the Breaker under Resources > Business Operations > Legal Services. Employees can use the Portal to request legal review of contracts and documents they have received from third parties and request legal advice on a variety of matters. Utilizing the Portal reduces the chance of a message getting lost in an inbox and improves efficiency in that requests will be immediately assigned to an attorney for review and tracked to closure.


When possible, requests or questions should be submitted a minimum of one week before they’re needed. For urgent legal needs, employees should not hesitate to call or email Joyce or any member of the Legal Team.   


Joyce Peppin is Dairyland’s General Counsel. In addition to the Legal Services team, Joyce oversees Government Relations, Economic Development and Grants and Records & Information Management. Joyce represents the interests of Dairyland and provides legal advice and counsel to the Board of Directors and Executive Team. She also assists with contract negotiations, review of legal issues, sits on cross-functional teams as Dairyland’s internal legal advisor and ensures Dairyland’s risks are being properly managed.  


Kathleen Galioto is Dairyland’s Deputy General Counsel. Kathleen assists Joyce in building Dairyland’s in-house legal services department, including negotiating contract terms and conditions to obtain goods and services for transactions and projects.


Ryan Verhulp joined the team this month as Dairyland’s Associate General Counsel. Ryan's role is “to assist Dairyland employees in their roles if, and when, legal analysis or opinions are needed on laws, regulations, contracts or risks associated with their work.”


Rob Maly is Dairyland’s Staff Attorney. Rob started his position in Legal Services in March 2023, but has been with Dairyland since 2015 as a Right-of-Way Agent. Rob primarily supports Supply Chain and the Real Estate and Right-of-Way Department.


Elyssa Cook is Dairyland’s Paralegal, providing support to the Legal Services team in all areas. She assists with registered agent duties, maintains the organized flow of systems, manages the Legal Services Request Portal, helps with Board committee notes, assists outside firms and manages contracts and invoices.


-Maddie Geszvain, Communications & Member Services Intern

THE FUTURE IS HERE: DAIRYLAND'S INTERNS FORM A PROFESSIONAL COHORT

Dairyland's Internship Program is designed to offer a dynamic and immersive experience that will benefit both the intern through experience and Dairyland with fresh perspectives and skills.


Last week, Dairyland interns kicked-off their cohort meetings, taking the opportunity to get acquainted with one another and their roles at Dairyland. This unique cohort was established to encourage lasting connections among interns, even after their Dairyland internships come to an end. As summer unfolds, this group will engage as a cohort both within and beyond Dairyland's walls, with fun and educational opportunities.

TURTLE NESTING SEASON: SLOW DOWN!

Photo: Building Services & Groundskeeper Helper Max Fabian rescues a turtle from East Avenue on Tuesday. The Building Services Team rescues turtles daily during the height of nesting season.


Every summer, turtles along the Mississippi River follow their nesting season instincts to lay eggs. At Dairyland's La Crosse Campus, that instinct often puts them at odds with traffic along East Avenue and in parking lots. 


Turtle nesting season will extend to mid-July, so please be aware of our "turtle crossing" when driving to and from work. It’s important to check around your car in the parking lot prior to driving. Turtles sometimes seek shade or rest behind tires or under vehicles.


If you see an at-risk turtle and would like to assist it to safety, please follow these tips from Director, Environmental & Compliance Brad Foss: "The recommended approach is to move the turtle to a safe location in the direction that it was traveling, rather than returning it to the area it was coming from. Also, try not to transport the turtle too far from where it was found, as they have a strong homing instinct and are generally trying to reach a specific location, which, if they are moved too far away could end up putting them in a more precarious position."

YOU FIRST: WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWS

Dairyland Strategic Priority: People First


Benefit Spotlight of the Month: Travel Assistance

As part of your Metlife insurance coverage, you have access to Travel Assistance services where you and covered family members can contact AXA representatives to administer emergency medical, travel and personal assistance services on your behalf wherever you are in the world. For more information click here.

Published Wednesdays by Dairyland Power Cooperative, La Crosse, Wis.

Contact Editor Katie Thomson at 787-1323. (Area codes are 608 unless indicated.)

Dairyland Power Cooperative is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.

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