Latest news with #AustinUtilities
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin Utilities announces retirement of long time engineering supervisor
May 5—Austin Utilities has announced the retirement of Keven Maxa, engineering supervisor with 24 years of service effective June 30. Maxa joined Austin Utilities in 2000 and has been the Engineering Supervisor ever since. Prior to his career with AU, Keven was employed at Owatonna Public Utilities for over 10 years in the Engineering Department. "Thank you to Keven for his long-term career at Austin Utilities," said Mark Nibaur, General Manager at Austin Utilities. "We greatly appreciate his leadership to better serve our community. We wish Keven the best in his retirement." During his tenure, Maxa has seen many changes in the engineering field, most notably how much the use of technology has increased both in the office and in the field. Maxa has dedicated significant time to serving on numerous local and state boards. For 24 years, he organized the local Dig Safe meetings, demonstrating his long-standing commitment to utility safety. He served as president of the Prairieland Utility Coordinating Committee (PUCC) from 2004 to 2008 and again from 2012 through 2025. Additionally, he was an active member for the 216D Gopher One-Call Statue Review Committee from 2003 to 2025. In his retirement, Maxa hopes to do a lot of traveling and check off some locations on his bucket list. He plans to visit all 50 states. He's also looking forward to spending more time with family. "Keven has been a cornerstone and trusted resource at AU for many years," said Utility Operations Director Alex Bumgardner. "His dedication to continuously improving our infrastructure and his unwavering commitment to our customers will be deeply missed. We wish him a very happy next chapter in retirement."
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin Utilities recognized for reliable electric service to the community
Apr. 21—Austin Utilities has received national recognition for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2024. The recognition comes from the American Public Power Association (APPA), a trade group that represents more than 2,000 not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities. "We are proud to receive this recognition. It is a testament to the hard work of all our staff to ensure that we keep Austin powered," said Mark Nibaur, general manager at Austin Utilities. APPA helps electric utilities track power outage and restoration data through its subscription-based eReliability Tracker service. Once per year, APPA's Reliability Team compares this data to national statistics tracked by the U.S. Energy Information Administration for all types of electric utilities. "Year after year, data consistently demonstrate public power utilities provide highly reliable service." said APPA Director of Research and Development Paul Zummo. "The utilities recognized here are truly elite when it comes to keeping the lights on. Their communities should be proud of the hard work and dedication of their local power providers as they earn this truly deserved recognition." Nationwide, the average public power customer has their lights out for less than half the amount of time that customers of other types of utilities do. "Our system is constantly being improved by installing underground lines in areas that were previously overhead. Focusing on the lines trapped in the backyards where trees are difficult to trim and the lines that are hard to get to. Last year we put 65,000 feet of underground cable in, this commitment to upgrading to underground has made a big impact on reliability. We rebuild overhead lines to higher standards than before and our tree trimming program covers a quadrant of town annually. All of this results in reliability numbers that are above the industry average." said Bill Bumgarner, Electric Distribution Supervisor at Austin Utilities. For more information on Austin Utilities and its commitment to reliability, visit
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin Utilities recognized as a reliable public power provider
Apr. 14—Austin Utilities has earned a Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) designation from the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe electric service. The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement. "Receiving an RP3 designation is a great honor signifying a utility has demonstrated commitment to industry best practices," said Jeremy Ash, Chair of APPA's RP3 Review Panel and General Manager at Kansas City Board of Public Utilities, Kansas. "And ultimately, the culture developed from this pursuit of excellence and continued improvement through the RP3 program results in measurable value delivered to the local community." Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. Austin Utilities joins more than 250 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation. "We couldn't be prouder to be honored with this designation," said Mark Nibaur, General Manager of Austin Utilities. "This is the culmination of a lot of work from a lot of people who really care about powering our community. But this designation is not a final destination. We are committed to continuing to look for ways to improve our operations and service to our customers."
