CEO’s Message – November 2024

The Only Constant is Change

We’ve all heard that 1 before. It’s a cliché, and it’s true. I also believe it to be true that anticipating change and preparing for it is a lot better than adapting to change after it happens. With that in mind, Columbia REA has done a bit of internal staff restructuring to put our available resources in line with the shifting demands of your co-op as we move into 2025.

For starters, welcome back, Doug Case! It has been great having Doug back in the office after a long absence. Doug’s job title has been tweaked a bit to more accurately reflect the work being done on a daily basis in our Marketing Dept. His new title, Manager of Communications and Community Engagement, reinforces Columbia REA’s focus and commitment to supporting our members and giving back to the communities we serve.

Along the same lines, Brendan Johnson, Manager of Technology (formerly manager of IT), will now oversee our Member Services Representatives (MSRs). As member interaction, internal communications, information security and the everyday workload in general, has migrated online and into various digital tools and apps, the collaboration between IT and the MSRs is constant, and this move is the culmination of a goal to bring the needs of both departments into alignment.

And finally, for the first time in several years, we have created a new Management position at Columbia REA. Dan Andrews has accepted the position of Manager of Power Services and Regulatory Affairs. Dan has been with Columbia REA for 27 years and served in many roles, most recently as Power & Energy Services Field Engineer. He has extensive experience helping Columbia REA evaluate power supply issues, working with BPA, and designing our current rate structure. Dan has also worked with Washington state on the Climate Commitment Act, Clean Energy Transformation Act, and other compliance issues. The Manager of Power Services and Regulatory Affairs is a new position at Columbia REA that will focus on power supply issues, be the lead contact with BPA & PNGC, and address the ever-increasing workload around regulatory reporting and compliance issues from Washington, Oregon, and the federal government.

To say that it’s important to have someone fully dedicated to the issues and details around power supply, regulatory issues, rate design, and compliance is an understatement. As the details of our next BPA rate contract slowly come into focus and the Tier 2 energy markets continue to creep upward, Dan is uniquely qualified to handle this mission-critical function as we head into 2025, which promises to be a very interesting and potentially volatile year in our industry. Thank you, Dan, for taking on this valuable and significant role.

Best,
Scott Peters
CEO