Sept-Oct. 2011 Flash

OPPD recognized asENERGY STAR Leader

Senior ManagementW. Gary Gates ........................................PresidentDave Bannister ................................Vice PresidentTimothy J. Burke ..............................Vice PresidentMohamad Doghman .......................Vice PresidentEdward Easterlin ..............................Vice PresidentJon Hansen ......................................Vice PresidentSherrye Hutcherson .........................Vice President

Board of DirectorsJohn K. Green ....................Chairman of the BoardN.P. Dodge Jr ............. Vice Chairman of the BoardJohn R. Thompson. ................................. TreasurerMichael J. Cavanaugh .............................SecretaryAnne L. McGuire ...........................Board MemberLloyd Scheve .................................Board MemberFred J. Ulrich ..................................Board MemberDel D. Weber .................................Board Member

ReportersRandy AlsmanKim BarnesSara BiodrowskiKarma BooneJoanne BrownCec ChristensenJeannie CoreySharon DickmanRebecca FinnKelly FlemingAnne ForslundNatalie GingNancy GoddardBarbara GullieJill HanoverEd Howell Traci Hug

Sharon JeffersonDebbie JensenTerri KellyShelley KendrickMelinda KentonSuzanne KrajicekBecky KrugerLaura ManningSharon MelodyDoug MickellsJamie MooreShawn MooreShelly MruzBeth Nagel Karen Nelson Rick PerrigoTrudy Prather

Pam PriceLana PulverentiHeather RawlingsKathy RoyalTerri SaladoPeter SchiltzKaren SchuttJim ShipmanJammie SnyderJennifer St. Clair Kathy StolinskiClint SweetVince TimmermanDennis VanekDawn Varner

Contributing StaffChris Cobbs Django Greenblatt-SeayJeff Hanson Sharon JeffersonMike Jones Lisa OlsonAlthea Pietsch Laurie Zagurski Terry Zank

Published bimonthly by the Corporate Commu-nications Division, Flash magazine provides OPPD employees and retirees with strategic industry- and job-related news, and human-interest articles about associates and their families. Flash is one of several tools that comprise our communication strategy. Employees and retirees can access timely OPPD news weekdays via OPPD News online.

Flash Editor ............................... Paula Lukowski Associate Editor .............................Vicker Sykes Creative Director..........................Joe Comstock

To contact the Flash editor:

phone .............. 402-636-3759

email .............. [email protected]

address ............ OPPD, Flash, 3E/EP1 444 S. 16th St. Omaha, NE 68102-2247

Vol. 91, No. 5, September/October 2011

Contents

On the cover: Energy Plaza is one of fi ve OPPD “Leader

Facilities,” where substantial energy savings have been realized.

16

10

2 Eleven in ’11OPPD has been honored for residential customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates for the 11th consecutive year.

3 Monitoring Regulatory ImpactsHow will regulations being proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency impact OPPD operations and, more importantly, ratepayers?

4 Flood RecoveryThe utility transitioned to fl ood-recovery mode in early August.

6 A Hearty Thanks from RetireesRetirees thank employees for their outstanding efforts with the fl ood.

8 A Leader By ExampleOPPD’s “conscientious” energy-saving effort trims 10 percent and earns recognition by the Environmental Protection Agency.

10 Engineer of the YearEd Thiele, senior project engineer in Facilities Management, receives this OPPD Society of Engineers award.

12 Apprentice Boot CampApplicants vying for 12 line technician openings competed in a boot camp at the Elkhorn Service Center.

14 Ethics TrainingAn update on OPPD’s Employee Code of Ethics & Business Conduct Policy.

16 United Way Campaign Kicks Off

19 PeopleAnniversaries, retirements, deaths, sympathies and club notes.

September/October 2011 Flash 1

Line Items

OPPD offi cials have committed to improving per-formance and processes at Fort Calhoun Station.

The commitment follows OPPD’s mid-year per-formance report from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In a letter, regulators said that FCS will receive additional oversight over the next year and that the agency has moved the plant to Column 4 in its Reactor Oversight Process. The col-umns serve as measurements for plant performance.

Despite the decision for additional oversight, the NRC said it remained confi dent in OPPD’s ability to continue to operate the plant safely and that public health and safety has never been at risk.

The additional oversight comes as the power plant emerges from safely withstanding the longest-duration fl ooding of any nuclear power plant in U.S. history. OPPD crews have been successfully battling elevated river levels along the Missouri River since June 6.

OPPD offi cials said the NRC’s announcement was unrelated to this summer’s fl ooding. The district also says the issues raised by the NRC have validated OPPD’s plan to improve how it operates the plant.

“We take this very seriously,” said OPPD Presi-dent and CEO Gary Gates. “While our employees performed admirably during the recent Missouri River fl ooding, we know that we must fi nd ways to constantly improve and change our organizational speed to address issues that come with running a plant.”

OPPD already has launched a special initiative to improve the performance of the plant. A detailed analysis of recent station performance, plus input from outside agencies such as the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), found specifi c areas that needed improvement. Addressing condi-tions before they become adverse was at the root of a “white fi nding,” one of two inspection fi ndings noted by the NRC.

The white fi nding is the agency’s second-lowest adverse classifi cation and indicates a low to moder-ate safety concern. The white fi nding referred to an electrical component (a contactor) in the plant’s control system that failed during testing, although

there were several backups to the com-ponent that remained in working order. OPPD has since replaced the component and all of its backups.

The other fi nding still pending is a “yellow fi nding.” The yellow fi nding is more safety signifi cant than a white fi nding in the NRC’s process. This fi nding deals with fl ood procedures and whether they would be effective. Those measures were later corrected and contributed to the plant’s success-ful protection of the plant this summer. OPPD had notifi ed the NRC previously that it was ready to be inspected to clear this fi nding, but the summer fl ooding intervened.

Gary noted besides INPO assistance, OPPD will seek guidance from other high-performing power plants in improving how Fort Calhoun Station operates. The process of moving out of Column 4 will take a dedicated effort to accomplish.

“Our goal at OPPD is to continually look at ways to provide our customer-owners with safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally sensitive energy,” said Dave Bannister, Vice President and Chief Nuclear Offi cer. “We are committed to resolv-ing these regulatory issues and building on the improvement actions we have already taken at Fort Calhoun Station.”

OPPD Takes Responsibility to Improve Performance at Fort Calhoun Station

There’s An App For ThatNow you can connect with OPPD at the touch of a

button. OPPD recently launched an app, OPPDconnect, for users of Apple’s iPhone®, iPod Touch® and iPad®.

The app includes many features for mobile users:

• Report home and streetlight outages and view the outage map

• View energy-effi ciency tips and videos

• Access residential products and services information

• Contact OPPD by phone or fi nd an offi ce location on a map

• View OPPDCares tweets

Users with an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad can download the OPPDconnect app free on the App Store® or by scanning the QR code.

“We are committed to resolving these regulatory issues and building on the improvement actions we have already taken at Fort Calhoun Station.”

– Dave Bannister Vice President and Chief Nuclear Offi cer

2 Flash September/October 2011

Line Items

OPPD Wins 11th Straight J.D. Power Award

OPPD has been honored for residential customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates for the 11th consecutive year, based on results of its 2011 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Studysm.

OPPD is the only midsize utility to receive this award 11 years in a row.

In its news release, J.D. Power and Associates said, “Omaha Public Power District ranks highest among midsize utility companies in the Midwest re-gion.” The fi rm defi nes midsize utilities as those serving between 125,000 and 499,999 residential customers.

The release said the fi rm’s study measures cus-tomer satisfaction with electric utility companies by examining the following six key factors. OPPD ranks fi rst in its segment in all six categories: power quality and reliability, price, billing and payment, corporate citizenship, communications and customer service.

“This award is based on the great work all of you do every day," said President Gary Gates. “That’s been especially evident in recent weeks, as we’ve worked together as a team to deal with the ongoing fl ooding situation.”

OPPD is one of more than 40 utilities across the U.S. that has received and will be test-driving a Chevrolet Volt as part of a demonstration project. The Volt will help OPPD better serve the needs of customers who plan to drive an electric vehicle in the future, according to Dean Mueller, division manager of Sustainable Energy & Environmental Stewardship.

The demonstration project is sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and General Motors, and made possible with a grant of $30.5 million from the Transportation Electrifi cation Initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The project will gather information regarding such things as driving behavior and charging information, while giving utilities like OPPD more hands-on experience with this type of electric vehicle and providing the technological foundation for integration of the vehicles into utility systems.

The Volt operates solely on electricity for its fi rst 40 miles when the battery is fully charged. When the bat-tery becomes depleted, an engine kicks in to power a generator that sustains the battery charge, extending the car’s range up to 260 miles.

Electricity is a cleaner source of power than gasoline. In addition to being cleaner, charging the Volt costs an average of $1.50 a day, about the same as running your refrigerator.

Although it may be years before such cars signifi cantly penetrate the Omaha-area market, OPPD employees have laid the groundwork to get OPPD EV-ready.

To help educate customer-

owners on electric vehicles,

OPPD has launched a website,

oppd.com/EV, set up a special

phone line, 1-855-OPPD4EV

(1-855-677-3438) and created

a targeted email address,

[email protected] .

OPPD Adds a Chevrolet Volt to its Vehicle Fleet

Sure, Shell had the degree, but Roo, Bugs and Hoppy were still a little skeptical about his chances.

I'll have you know, I have a

PHd in hopping mechanics.


OPPD Monitoring Impact of EPA Regulatory Guidelines

It is the question that every utility com-pany across the country is asking. How will all these regulations being proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) impact operations and, more impor-tantly, ratepayers? OPPD is among those looking to find answers.

“The bottom line,” said Russ Baker, manager of Environmental & Regulatory Affairs, “is that it is still too early to say with any degree of certainty what will happen. However, there is no question that these new regulations could end up being very expensive for us and every other utility out there, especially those that operate coal-burning plants.”

Many of the new guidelines are still in various stages of consideration or propos-al, but at least one new standard is sched-uled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

The new standard is known as the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), previ-ously called the Transport Rule. The rule, issued by the EPA this past July, sets new limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from fossil-fueled power plants.

These limits are in the form of allow-ances and are intended to create a “cap and trade”-type market to reduce emis-sions. The rule was proposed after the EPA conducted modeling of the larger power plants in Nebraska and determined that these sources contributed to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Milwaukee, Wisc. The EPA hopes the new standard will minimize such impacts.

The January effective date for the new rule has already prompted NPPD to approve an emergency resolution to buy and install $35.5 million in emission- reduction equipment at its largest generat-ing plant, Gerald Gentleman Station near Sutherland, Neb. Meanwhile, the Fremont Utilities Department in Fremont has announced it is considering spending

$35 million to upgrade three of its gener-ating units to reduce emissions to comply with the new regulation.

Russ says OPPD has been evaluating its potential compliance strategies in con-nection with the Cross State Air Pollution Rule to find a solution that will maintain compliance with this new regulation. Those strategies include acquiring tech-nology that would inject material into the furnaces to reduce SO2, the use of ultra-low sulfur coal and natural gas, and limit-ing off-systems sales.

Russ says another option is buying allowances for sulfur dioxides and nitrous oxides from other companies; however, this opportunity appears to be very lim-ited at this time. Preliminary estimates appear to be in the range of $10-15 mil-lion to comply with this rule, depending on the combinations of options used.

Russ notes there are other regulations on the horizon that have the potential to affect the operation of our power plants. One example is the 316(b) Fish Protection Rule. The proposed rule would require changes in “cooling water intake struc-tures” considered vital to the operation of coal, gas and nuclear steam-electric gener-ating facilities, as well as a wide range of manufacturing and industrial facilities. As proposed by the rule, monitoring of the intakes will be required for several years and the state of Nebraska will determine what is the best technology to minimize the impacts to aquatic animals.

Another proposed rule would address coal combustion by-products, fly and bottom ash. The driver behind these changes is an incident that occurred in 2008 in Tennessee where a failure in an ash-impoundment dike released ash slurry across 300 acres of land, including dozens of residential homes. The EPA is targeting these changes, primarily toward wet ash- handling facilities, although all facilities would ultimately feel some impact. OPPD

facilities use dry ash-handling and storage. As a result, an incident such as the one that occurred in 2008 could never occur at an OPPD facility.

One of the major new regulations would be a proposed change in the emission standards for certain existing coal-fired units. These would be units designed for coal greater than 8,300 Btu/lb. The emissions targeted for lim-

its include non-mercury metal hazardous air pollutants, acid gas hazardous air pollutants (such as hydrogen chloride or sulfur dioxide) and mercury.

This new rule is expected to be finalized in November. Existing affected units are required to comply no later than three years after the date of the final rule’s publication by the EPA. The types of emission controls necessary to meet these limits could include costly SO2 scrubbers, bag houses for particulates and selective catalytic reduction systems (SCRs) for NOx.

Russ says these are just a few items that OPPD must continue to study and analyze.

“We need to look at all of our options to determine the best compliance strategy for the OPPD. Right now, we are still trying to decide what that will be and how much it will eventually cost.”

By Mike Jones

“The bottom line is that it is still too early to say with any degree of cer-tainty what will happen. However, there is no question that these new regulations could end up being very expensive for us and every other utility out there, especially those that operate coal-burning plants.” – Russ Baker Manager of Environmental & Regulatory Affairs


Floodwaters at Nebraska City Station continue to recede. Photo by Gale Wagner, System Planning & Cost Management.

After weeks of working to fortify more than $3 billion in OPPD assets that were in harm’s way due to unprecedented Missouri River flood-ing, the utility transitioned to flood-recovery mode in early August. Some flood-mitigation work continues at scattered sites.

Aerial photography shows just how much water spilled over the banks of the Missouri River during the 2011 flood, but OPPD employ-ees who have been on the front lines of the flood fight don’t need that imagery.

The prolonged flooding lasted their entire summer, and its far-reaching effects will spill over into their fall, too.

Employees across the district stepped in to do tasks they probably never imagined they would be doing: filling and stacking sandbags, con-structing earthen berms, rolling out aqua berms, constructing raised walkways, relocating offices because of flooding that overtook parking lots and nearby grounds, pumping down drainage ditches and conducting levee watches day after day after day.

While fortifying structural assets, OPPD took measures to ensure the safety of its invaluable human assets by implementing things such as safety stand-downs and pre-job briefings.

More than 970 employees received tetanus shots at clinics set up for employees working near floodwaters. Floodwaters are potentially filled with sewage and chemicals, so employees were offered the shots and reminded to continu-

ally wash their hands and shower thoroughly after their shifts.

“Flood-protection efforts worked well,” said President Gary Gates. “Employees pulled together the way families do in the midst of a family crisis: they jumped right in and helped, did whatever it took, with purpose and inten-sity. We appreciate their families’ support, too, because we know they made many sacrifices for OPPD’s sake.“

Floodwaters impacted Fort Calhoun Station, Nebraska City Station, North Omaha Station, many transmission and distribution lines, and several substations. Rail lines had to be raised to allow continued shipment of coal. T&D per-sonnel had to manage summer storms while working on a multi-prong attack to ensure OPPD could provide electricity to its more than 346,000 customers.

“We implemented our Corporate Incident Command team in early June. The group met twice a day in the early weeks of the flooding event to coordinate OPPD’s flood-response efforts from all locations. Our goal was to pro-tect our assets and our ability to generate elec-tricity, without compromising the safety of our employees or customers,” said Gary.

Ken Roth of Production Engineering & Tech-nical Support, Ron Johansen of Facilites Man-agement, Greg Krieser of Production Opera-tions and Jim Foley of System Planning & Cost Management worked as incident commanders.

Flood Recovery

“Employees pulled together the way families do in the midst of a family crisis: they jumped right in and helped, did whatever it took, with purpose and intensity. We appreciate their families’ support, too, because we know they made many sacrifices for OPPD’s sake.“ - Gary Gates President & CEO


By Paula Lukowski

A key component of this business-continu-ity effort was distribution of a flood newslet-ter and blog to keep employees, customers, media and community officials apprised of the situation and to show them steps OPPD was taking. Safety messaging appeared in each issue, covering topics such as flood and water safety, heat stroke and heat exhaustion, dehydration, proper use of personal protec-tive equipment, and standby electric genera-tor safety.

“Now the flood-recovery and clean-up phase is under way, and we have a long way to go,” Gary said.

OPPD set up a Business Continuity Flood Recovery Team to oversee and coordinate the recovery phase of its flood response. Tom Larsen of T&D Operations and Clint Zavadil of Production Operations were named recov-ery section chiefs for this team.

In addition, the following employees are serving as leads over these four areas for the Flood Recovery Team:

T&D/Substations: Leland Jacobson of Sub-station OperationsNuclear: Greg Roets of Nuclear Construc-tion & Project Management and Deb Matthews of FCS Plant OperationsNebraska City Station: Gary Ruhl of Pro-duction Engineering & Technical SupportNorth Omaha Station: Joel Johnston of Production Operations

Too Much WaterIn more than a century of

record-keeping, the Missouri River had never coped with more water than it did this past spring, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

To relieve pressure caused by historic late-May rainfalls and abundant snowmelt, the corps had to increase releases from Gavins Point Dam, located on the river four miles south of Yankton, S.D.

On June 4, the corps began increasing releases from the dam from 85,000 cubic feet per sec-ond (cfs) in increments, eventu-ally peaking at 160,000 cfs in mid June. Releases remained at this level until July 30, when the corps could start scaling back.

Russ Baker, manager of Envi-ronmental & Regulatory Affairs, serves as OPPD’s liaison with the Army Corps of Engineers, keeping OPPD personnel apprised daily of the corps’ plans so they could anticipate the impact at their respective sites.

OPPD is implementing coordinated recovery plans for its power plants and transmission and distribution system. Among the plans is the Fort Calhoun Station flooding recovery plan, which was submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in mid-August. The detailed plan serves as a roadmap for the successful restart of the plant, which has been in cold shutdown since April 9, when the plant’s scheduled refuel-ing and maintenance outage started. The out-age was halted due to rising floodwaters.

In addition, Vice President and Chief Finan-cial Officer Edward Easterlin and employees in the Financial Services business unit have been working on the financial impact of the flooding. Through July, OPPD has incurred about $44.5 million in costs related to the flooding, and that number is expected to rise as the utility incurs additional expenses dur-ing the remaining duration of the flood. These costs include about $28.7 million for flood-protection measures and $15.8 million on replacement power due to FCS being down. It’s too early to know the impact, but the effort includes working to recoup as much insurance and disaster relief money as possible.

Throughout the flood-recovery phase, OPPD will remain committed to its long-standing goal of providing electricity to its customer-owners safely and reliably.


Producing electricity is a complex operation. The only people who know that better than util-ity employees are those who came before them. The people who built the infrastructure and planned well into the future for continued safe generation of electricity.

So when weather or other tragic events disrupt the system, retirees feel anguish and empathy, like a parent feels at times for his or her child.

At OPPD, the number of retirees is more than 1,100 strong. Many of them stay in touch, gath-ering informally in small groups or at larger gath-erings, like the monthly High Voltage Club and Livewires lunch meetings. And they keep up on what is happening at the electric company.

Conversation at the July High Voltage lunch, which attracted about 125 retirees and spouses, centered around the flooding. Their talking prompted action – a way to say thanks to the employees for their efforts.

Hearty Thanks For Flood Work “OPPD was in its infancy when many of us

worked there,” said retiree Margaret Jackson, who called Corporate Communications and asked us to help relay the message through a group photo. “There have been many challenges to deal with, and our hearts went out to the employees when we saw some of the photos of what they have had to deal with. We want to express our appreciation to all active employees for their continued efforts to demonstrate to our customers that we are their energy partner.

“We retirees believe that OPPD was – and is – a great place to work; that we are all part of the OPPD family,” added Margaret, who joined OPPD in 1959 and retired in 1990 as a consumer educa-tion advisor.

More than 130 retirees and their spouses attended the August High Voltage lunch, where the thank-you photo was the first order of business.

Many employees have had very full, intense workloads this sum-mer, as they kept electricity flow-ing to customers while battling relentless flooding. Some battled the flood directly. Others provided behind-the-scene support. Both groups faced challenges and obstacles. Not many people fully understand just what it takes to accomplish this. But, OPPD retirees do, and they are proud of the way OPPD employees met the challenge.


By Paula Lukowski & Althea Pietsch

Some of those in attendance recounted different disasters they encountered as OPPD employees.

“During the flood of 1952, we sandbagged like heck,” said Bob Baber, who spent 38 years at OPPD. Bob started in 1947 as a utility man in the Line Department and retired as an equipment operator in 1985. ”It seemed like every employee was out sandbagging, but we managed to have fun doing it. The flood of ’52 seemed huge, but it was nothing like this flood.

“The employees have done such a great job. I’m very impressed with all of their hard work,” Bob added.

Retirees Dick Liebentritt and Ron Mortensen recalled the dark day in 1965 when a total system outage spread over a seven-state area. According to the March 1965 Flash, “A widespread power outage, which covered much of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota, slowed business to a snail’s pace on January 28.

“For the kids whose regular day of school was momentarily interrupted, the outage was ‘the greatest.’ But to the men who run the power sta-

tions in the Midwest, it was a serious matter,” con-tinued the article.

The Midwest’s mass network of interconnections was thrown out of balance, and automatic switch-ing devices cut off electric power throughout much of the area for the good part of an hour.

The fact that these types of mishaps aren’t com-monplace these days is a testament to the work that folks like Dick, Ron and others did following the event and throughout their utility careers.

Dick joined OPPD in 1961 as an assistant engi-neer in the Substation Department. He spent 36 years at the utility, working also as an engineer, relay engineer, manager of System Protection, section manager of Technical Services, and division manager of Engineering.

Ron Mortensen started in 1963 as a substation engineer in Engineering. He transferred to Elec-tric Operations as a field supervisor in Substation Department, and also worked as manager of Sys-tem Operations and division manager of System Planning.

Many people laid the groundwork, and today’s employees are taking great care to continue the important mission.

“For the kids whose regular day of school was momen-tarily interrupted, the outage was ‘the greatest.’ But to the men who run the power stations in the Midwest, it was a serious matter.”– January 1965 Flash, article on

total system outage that affected seven-state area.

Retired OPPD employees and their spouses are welcome to attend High Voltage Club luncheons. See the High Voltage Club column on page 21 for details.


OPPD’s “conscientious” energy-saving effort trims 10 percent and earns recognition by the Environmental Protection Agency. This translates into about $150,000 in savings this year, with continued savings to come.

Saving on a monthly energy bill requires thrift, imagination, hard work and even sweat, as home- and business-owners appreciate. The task is no different for OPPD, which has nearly 1 million square feet in a portfolio of 15 build-ings.

OPPD’s efforts to economize paid off this year when it was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an ENERGY STAR Leader for improving energy efficiency by 10 percent in the qualifying “Leader” group, which includes 583,199 square feet of office space.

The buildings in the Leader group include Energy Plaza, Fort Calhoun Station’s Admin Building and Training Center, Energy Control Center and Communications/Forestry building.

Leader status takes on extra meaning when you consider that OPPD is one of its own 20 largest customers, making it important to serve as a good energy-saving example for oth-ers, said Denise Kuehn, manager, Demand Side & Sustainability Management. “Even though we produce electricity, it doesn’t mean we should be wasting it,” she said. “We are being conscien-tious about our use of resources. We are walking the walk, not just talking the talk, for our cus-tomers.”

The energy-saving measures are the result of a partnership involving the Sustainable Energy &

Environmental Stewardship (SEES), Customer Sales & Service and Facilities Management divisions.

To reach a 10 percent cut in energy use, OPPD took the ENERGY STAR Challenge and used the ENERGY STAR measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager, to keep up with progress.

With a mandate to save energy, Judy Sunde, project manager – Market Strategies, Customer Sales & Service met with ENERGY STAR offi-cials to go over details.

“We had 15 buildings in our portfolio, but only five fell into the group that can be scored for Leader status,” said Judy.

“We couldn’t include buildings that produce power or have other disqualifiers under the program. We benchmarked our buildings and came up with a plan to lower energy consumption by 10 percent across our portfolio. OPPD is the first utility in the nation to attain ENERGY STAR Leader status, and that is something to promote and be proud of.”

The collective efforts on energy efficiency would make sense to Ben Franklin, author of the saying, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

While old Ben would applaud the strategy, he might not grasp the advanced technology OPPD employed through the ECO 24/7 proj-ects that were the driver behind the success. The ECO 24/7 projects were carried out by the Commercial & Industrial Energy Solu-tions (CIES) Department and included lighting upgrades, occupancy sensors, operational opti-mization of chilled-water systems, air-handling units and heat pump condenser loops.

In addition to energy savings, the engineer-ing measures increased system reliability and improved occupant comfort, humidity control and indoor air quality.

A Leader by ExampleA Leader by Example

Energy Plaza is one of fi ve OPPD “Leader Facilities,” where substantial energy savings have been realized.


By the NumbersDate energy tracking began (baseline) – late 2006, early 2007

OPPD investment (commission-ing, lighting, HVAC upgrades, etc) – about $1 million

Total space tracked (15 facilities) – 891,968 sq. ft. (8.5% reduc-tion from baseline)

ENERGY STAR Leader space tracked – 583,199 sq. ft.• Communications/Forestry

Building – 17,022 sq. ft.• Energy Control Center –

33,830 sq. ft.• Fort Calhoun Station Admin

Building – 97,686 sq. ft.• Fort Calhoun Station Training

Center – 60,887 sq. ft.• Energy Plaza – 373,774 sq. ft.

Reduction from baseline (June 2011) – 11.9%

About ENERGY STAR Leaders Program

• ENERGY STAR Leaders mea-sure performance using the percent energy reduction in weather-normalized source energy for all eligible facili-ties in the Leaders portfolio.

• The organization must be an active Commercial & Indus-trial Partner in the Buildings Program.

• The square footage of all eli-gible facilities in the Leaders portfolio must be 50 percent or more of the total gross floor area of all domestic facilities owned by the orga-nization.

Among the improvements were:Energy Plaza – demand reduction of 226 kilowatts (kW); cost, about $355,000.FCS Admin and Training Center buildings – demand reduction of 245 kW; cost, about $390,000.

The in-house energy-saving program that culminated in EPA recognition was formalized when the Demand-Side Management Strate-gic Plan was approved by the OPPD Board of Directors in October 2008.

About $1 million has been invested, cover-ing external contractors and equipment, but excluding staff labor, Denise said. Average savings of about $150,000 have been realized, with continued savings in the future.

The task of collecting and organizing all the relevant data for the project fell to Kevin Fustos, budgeting & administrative coordinator in Facilities Management. He gathered a variety of information, including the number of com-puters at each building, the number of workers, hourly breakdowns and many other variables.

Summary of Upgrades at three OPPD Leader FacilitiesFort Calhoun Administration Building

• Lighting Upgrade – 1,366 fixtures upgraded, including 24 new fixtures, approximately 4,403 extra-low-mercury lamps, 127 incandescent fixtures upgraded to high-power-factor, extra-low mercury compact fluorescent lightbulbs, 12 ceiling occupancy sensors, 44 wall occu-pancy sensors, 38 daylight-harvesting ballasts and associated sensors.

• HVAC Upgrade – addition of variable-frequency drives (VFDs) and pump flow stations to the chilled water cooling system.

Fort Calhoun Training Building• Lighting Upgrade – 891 total fixtures upgraded, including four new linear fluorescent fixtures,

approximately 2,679 extra-low-mercury lamps, 117 incandescent fixtures upgraded to high-power-factor, extra-low-mercury CFLs, 16 ceiling occupancy sensors, 16 wall occupancy sen-sors, 36 daylight-harvesting ballasts and associated sensors.

• HVAC Upgrade – addition of variable-frequency drives (VFDs) and pump flow stations to the chilled water cooling system, addition of a VFD to the hot water system, and addition of VFD’s and fan air flow stations to three air-handling units.

Energy Plaza• EP West HVAC – addition of variable-frequency drives (VFDs) and a pump flow station (PFS)

to the heat pump circulation loop, addition of a VFD and a pump flow station on a cooling tower pump, and installation of a VFD and fan air flow stations on the fresh air unit in the west building penthouse.

• EP East HVAC – new chiller project started. The variable-frequency drive and pump flow sta-tions were deployed to other locations. Conversion of the primary and secondary flow systems also being taken advantage of in the current chiller project.

Source: Tom Lewis, Product/Services Marketing Engineer

“Basically, ENERGY STAR measures your buildings based on things like BTU per square foot as compared to a huge national portfo-lio of similar commercial space having more offices than garages or data centers,” he said. “Service centers don’t qualify because they are not primarily office buildings, but we still had a good reduction at those buildings, too.”

Kevin said the EPA Leader recognition could not have happened without collaborative efforts. SEES provided the funding for the proj-ect and CIES brought the technology which produced the results.

“SEES works primarily toward demand reduc-tion, while ENERGY STAR looks only at energy reduction. CIES’s ECO 24/7 projects produce both energy and demand reduction,” he noted.

Putting it all together resulted in the consci-entious effort that went straight to the bottom line for OPPD.

By Chris Cobbs


A Desire to BuildThe OPPD Society of Engineers (OSE) has

established an annual award to recognize an OPPD engineer for his or her significant contribu-tions to the engineering profession.

The utility relies heavily on engineers, a group that comprises about 15 percent of OPPD’s workforce. They cover mechanical, civil, electrical, construction, chemical and nuclear engineering disciplines, and they have been the backbone of the utility since it began operations in 1946.

Ed Thiele, senior project engineer in Facilities Management, received the first OSE Engineer of the Year award at the OSE annual general mem-bership meeting Sept. 1. Ed has spent 31 years at OPPD, managing numerous construction projects for OPPD and many of its large customers. Building on an already strong foundation, OSE was formed in 2010 to further attract, retain, engage and develop engineers. There are currently 450 OSE members, including summer interns and co-ops.

As a young boy, Ed Thiele’s favorite toy was an erector set. His parents’ investment in that metal building set paid off for Ed and for OPPD, because that interest led Ed to a degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. And since 1980, he has put his skills to use working on construction, renovation and additions at OPPD facilities and customer sites.

“He has been essential in the design and completion of several OPPD facilities, as well as several of OPPD’s renewable generation projects,” said fellow engineers Christene Bywater and Dan Borcyk in nominating Ed for the award.

“Ed consistently demonstrates the behaviors that create and support the ideal organiza-tion that OPPD emphasizes. Ed has excellent engineering and project-management skills, and Ed’s work ethic and dedication to OPPD, to fellow employees and to his profession are unmatched.”

Ed’s most recent building project involved overseeing design for the new Omaha Service

OSE Engineer of the YearEd Thiele

New Omaha Service Center FCS Training Center Syracuse Center

Society ofEngineers

DEVE

LOPMENT COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT RETENTION

•

•

•

•

The word engineer is derived from the Latin root ingenium, meaning “cleverness.”


By Paula Lukowski

OSE Engineer of the Year Nominees

Kirk Estee, senior production operations engineer, Production Operations, 10 years with OPPD

Ron McIvor, principal protection engineer, Substation Operations, 34.5 years

Terry Pirruccello, manager – Records & Standards, T&D Operations, 38.5 years

Bill Redinger, Retired in February 2011 as senior production opera-tions engineer – Design Engineer-ing & Construction, Production Engineering & Technical Support, 32 years

Paul Vovk, lead electrical engi-neer – Production, Production Engineering & Technical Support, 22 years

Center, located on Lindbergh Drive, just north-west of Eppley Airfield. Ed spent several months working with the architect and Omaha Center personnel to make sure the facility would meet the utility’s needs well into the future.

“It is a balance,” said Ed, of meeting current users’ needs, while ensuring that the building will be useful and adaptable for a long time. Ed brought a lot of OPPD knowledge and experi-ence to the project.

“I wanted to use what we learned from other OPPD service centers while working on this one,” said Ed, who has also worked on the Elkhorn Center, Syracuse Center and the old Omaha Center. “The new Omaha Service Center incorporates the best features of many OPPD facilities and improves on them.”

The Omaha Center includes numerous sus-tainable elements, and in its first four months of operation, many visitors have stopped by to see the applications first-hand.

Some other OPPD projects that Ed has worked on include the Nebraska City Station storeroom addition, shop renovation and administration building additions; Metering Services building; transportation garages at the Elkhorn and for-mer Omaha centers; the administration build-ing, storeroom and renovation at North Omaha Power Station; and the Fort Calhoun Station administration building, training center and simulator.

During the last dozen years, Ed has managed a lot of projects for OPPD customers, working closely with the account executives. Creigh-ton University, Bellevue Public School District, Offutt Air Force Base, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Methodist Hospital are a

few of the customers who have benefitted from Ed’s engineering expertise.

For more than 20 years of his career, Ed worked side-by-side with Ray Janiak, both in the office and at job sites. “We did a series of OPPD construction projects together, including the ones at Fort Calhoun and North Omaha stations and the Syracuse Center. It worked really well for us.” Ray moved to a supervisory role in another area of Facilities Management in 2010.

Ed’s accomplishments outside of OPPD were another factor in his receipt of the OSE honor.

• He was named Engineer of the Year by the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers in 2010.

• He has been a co-leader for coordination and on-site supervision for Habitat for Humanity for 14 years.

• He served as building committee chair and project manager for additions and renovations at St. Wenceslaus Church and Education Center from 1996 to 2009.

• He has been active in the American Society of Civil Engineers and is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

“Community service is a legacy of my parents,” said Ed, who said his parents, Louie and Connie Thiele, were very involved at St. Cecilia’s when he and his five siblings were growing up. One brother is Dave Thiele, manager of Asset Accounting & Tax Compli-ance, who has been at OPPD since 1982. Two other brothers, coincidentally, are also engineers.

Ed and his wife, Marcia, have two sons: Joe, 22, who is studying aerospace engineering in hopes of becoming a pilot, and Anthony, 20, who is hoping to go to medical school.

Ed Thiele is the fi rst recipient of the OSE Engineer of the Year award. In his 31 years at OPPD, Ed has played a huge role in the design and completion of several OPPD facilities, including those shown below.

The Thiele family includes, from the left, Anthony, Marcia, Ed and Joe.

North Omaha Station additions Elkhorn Service Center FCS Administration Building


Line Technician Evaluation Camp

More than 100 applicants vying for one of 12 open line techni-cian openings were narrowed to 30 and invited recently to compete head-to-head in a boot camp at the Elkhorn Service Center.

“We’re low on line technicians due to several retirements,” said John Mohler, manager of the Syracuse Center. “We conducted this camp to help us observe technical skills up close and select the very best from a talented pool of candidates.”

OPPD was assisted by Westar Energy in Topeka, Kan., in organiz-ing the two-day event – 15 competitors per day. They have conduct-ed similar camps for years.

“Westar was invaluable in this whole process,” said John. “It was OPPD’s program and selection process, along with Westar’s highly skilled trainers helping to develop the outline by which we found this class of new hires.”

Six current OPPD employees with extensive line experience used a scoring system to rate each candidate. These results, along with the results from candidate interviews conducted by John, Tom Larsen, manager – Omaha Center, and Ryan Mayberry, manager – Elkhorn Center, were used to identify the candidates for hire.

“As part of the evaluation, competitors demonstrated their ability to climb and maneuver up and down poles, and around obstacles on the poles,” said Tom. “They also worked to prove to evaluators that they were capable of working in teams while installing and removing different types of electrical equipment, such as transformers and conductors.

“This was a 12-hour camp, each day. It’s not easy for a reason. We need to know that the people we have working as line techs have the physical abil-ity and technical skills to do the job and exhibit the individual behaviors and competencies we value as an organization. We’re confident the selection process enabled us to hire very talented, future line techs.

“Hiring these new employees was an impressive effort in teamwork by people from many different departments within the company,” said Tom. “The entire process from start to finish took less than a month and resulted in unanimous consent among the evaluators and managers on the 12 individuals we wanted to hire.”

Employees with extensive line experience evaluated the candidates in several areas.

By Django Greenblatt-Seay


Evaluators get to watch hopeful OPPD employee candidates in action.

At left, line technician candidates demonstrate their abilities at the OPPD boot camp. Below, an experienced employee observes skills of the participants.

Photos courtesy of Loreno Jameson of Safety & Technical Training.

Doing What’s Right

Employees are to complete refresher training on OPPD’s Employee Code of Ethics & Business Conduct Policy every two years. Training this year will be completed in September and October. Vice President Sherrye Hutcherson discusses the importance of this training.

Each of us is responsible for applying good business ethics in every contact with our customer-owners, business partners and cowork-ers. As part of our Strategic Plan goal of creating an ideal culture, we are all expected to manage accountability effectively. One way this plays out is when our actions demonstrate the highest integrity.

Senior management realizes we set the tone on this. We are committed to maintaining the highest ethical standard and we expect every-one to join us in that commitment.

Although employees are required to take part in refresher training only once every two years, we all must put the OPPD Employee Code of

Ethics & Business Conduct Policy into practice every day at work. Each of us is responsible for understanding this policy and complying with it.

You can access the policy from the OPPD intranet home page by clicking on Company, Corporate Policies, then 3.01 Employee Code of Ethics.

You will be taking refresher training on the policy in September and October through a computer-based training module. For those employees who do not work at a PC, live ethics training will be provided. The goal of this train-ing is to help everyone understand their role and responsibilities relative to ethics at OPPD.

It's important to be fully engaged as you take part in this training, but most importantly, that you apply it on the job each workday. In addition, all exempt employees should have completed a Conflict of Interest questionnaire in July, as required by the policy.

Putting Ethics into ActionFor their Career Connections mentoring project, protégé Lisa Hough of Finance and mentor

Patti Quinn-McGovern of Customer Sales & Service are coordinating Ethics Week at OPPD the week of Sept. 12.

As part of that weeklong focus, Lisa and Patti enlisted the aid of Django Greenblatt-Seay of Corporate Communications to produce a series of video vignettes that show how ethics play out day-to-day on the job. Employees will see these video scenarios on OPPD News.

A special thanks to Jeff Hansen of T&D Operations, Kim Barnes of Customer Sales & Service, Stew Quaas of Customer Sales & Service, former OPPD employee Nicolette Blobaum, and Cara Churchich-Riggs for their willingness to appear in these videos.



Reporting via EthicsPointBased in Portland, Ore., EthicsPoint collects data on reported ethics violations for more

than 2,400 companies worldwide. EthicsPoint provides simple, confidential ways to report possible ethics violations.

EthicsPoint uses industry-accepted security measures to ensure the privacy of its clients’ information and prevent unauthorized access or alteration of data in its system.EthicsPoint Helpline

You can access the EthicsPoint Helpline three ways:• Call toll-free at 1-866-ETHICSP (1-866-384-4277)• Access the EthicsPoint website via a Quick Link on the intranet home page• Access the website directly at www.ethicspoint.comInstructions on how to use EthicsPoint are available via the EthicsPoint Quick Link on the

intranet home page.Confidentiality

Whether you report online or by phone, you may choose to remain anonymous. However, providing your name may help OPPD investigate the matter.

When you submit a report, you will be assigned a unique code (called a report key) and create your own password. These will enable you to follow up on your report.

After two business days, you should use your report key and password to check for feedback or questions related to your report. This exchange of information will continue until the reported issue has been addressed.

EthicsPoint UpdateSince the new policy took effect on July 1, 2005, employees have filed a total of 88 reports of pos-

sible policy violations or unethical actions via EthicsPoint, a third-party contractor. Although we cannot provide details here, all of these reports were investigated and resolved by OPPD personnel.

OPPD takes such reports seriously and makes every effort to investigate such matters confiden-tially and professionally. Based on the nature of the report, it is forwarded to Human Resources, Corporate Auditing and/or Corporate Security.

If you feel you have a valid concern, you are encouraged to talk to your immediate supervisor or manager first. You also can contact Carl Olsen, manager of Human Resources Compliance, or Howard Fox, acting division manager of Human Resources.

If you are not comfortable with those options, you can report a possible ethics violation through EthicsPoint. As OPPD’s contractor, EthicsPoint does not investigate reports, but forwards them to OPPD.

All reports are handled discreetly and confidentially. No retaliatory action will be taken against anyone for reporting or inquiring in good faith about possible violations.

In one of the ethics videos, Jeff Hansen of T&D Operations politely refuses to repair a customer’s electrical outlet.

In another video, Stew Quaas explains that he cannot accept a free lunch on an ongoing basis.


n the spirit of Husker football and the team’s transition to the Big Ten, OPPD’s annual United Way campaign will take on a football theme. Let’s preface the

details by clarifying that no one will be sacked or tackled in the process. Recruiting will take place, but the committee is looking for more than standouts named Bubba. And just like football, success will be dependent on train-ing, team participation and fan enthusiasm.

“If you think about it, OPPD employees and United Way agencies are very similar. They both rally daily to make a difference in the lives of our customer-owners,” said Blaine Dinwiddie, division manager of T&D Opera-tions and OPPD’s 2011 United Way Chair. “It may seem cliché, but everyone’s participation, no matter how great or how small, can help change the course of someone’s life.”

The theme of this year’s United Way campaign ties to Nebraska joining the Big Ten Conference.

United for a Cause United for a Cause

II


Tackling the OpponentWe need to size up our opponent. In this

case, the opponent is anything that keeps our friends, neighbors and family from improving their education, stabilizing their finances and safeguarding their health. The purpose of United Way agencies is not to dwell on the agony of defeat, but to take on the issues and rise above the opponent.

United Way donations are used to fund pro-grams that support education, financial stabil-ity and health. Agencies promote mentoring, scouting and school readiness. They offer bud-geting classes, tax preparation and foreclosure prevention. It’s about maternal/infant care, support for chronic disease, domestic and sub-stance abuse counseling and meal programs.

United Way of the Midlands supports 136 health and human services in our service ter-ritory. Donations stay here, and decisions are made here.

Get in the GameThere are plenty of ways to get playing time.

Attend a tailgate party. Support your team in the business unit contest. Give. Advocate. Vol-unteer. Live United.

This year, tailgate parties will be held at vari-ous OPPD sites. Enjoy food, fun and festivities. Watch for details – dates and locations to be announced soon.

The competition also will heat up this year with a Legends vs. Leaders business unit con-test. The contest will be based on the highest participation rate between the two Big Ten divi-sions. Participating employees in the winning division will be entered in a special drawing for a chance at two tickets to the Nebraska/Michi-gan State game.

The Legends division will include business units led by Edward Easterlin, Jon Hansen and Mo Doghman. The Leaders division will include business units led by Dave Bannister, Tim Burke and Sherrye Hutcherson.

Giving is easy. Each employee will receive a personal email with directions on how to donate electronically. For employees without computer access, solicitors will provide pledge cards. Retirees will receive a letter and pledge card in the mail.

So get your game face on. It’s time to unite for a cause.

To learn more about United Way, visit www.uwmidlands.org.

United for a Cause

The Game PlanNow, let’s assume we’re going

into this game like Bo Pelini. It’s about reviewing film, analyzing the data and developing a strategy.

• OPPD’s United Way campaign runs Oct. 3-14.

• The campaign goal is $350,000, with a stretch goal of $355,000.

• OPPD is one of United Way’s Cornerstone Ten. This means OPPD is one of United Way’s top 10 contributors. It’s been a tradition to be there when people need us.

• OPPD’s average gift is up, but participation is slightly down. We need the entire team to secure a win.

• With almost 3,700 employ-ees and retirees, it would take less than $100 per per-son to set a new campaign record.

By Laurie Zagurski


copy

Flu Shots Being Offered at OPPD LocationsOPPD again will be offering fl u shots to employees and their spouses, with clinics at 11 locations during October and November.

The cost for employees is just $10, and spouses can get a shot for just $16. If you haven’t spent all of your preventive health care insurance dollars this year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield will reimburse you for the cost of the shots.

To sign up, please go to www.kohllswellness.com and sign up for your fl u shot appoint-ment, starting Sept. 6. Please note that all fl u shot appointments must be scheduled 10 days prior to your site’s clinic date.

• Select the login button at the top right of the screen.• User name: oppd• Password: vaccine• From the landing page: • Print the consent form. • Select the “Schedule Appointment” box and follow the instructions to complete

the scheduling of your fl u shot appointment.• After scheduling your appointment, you will receive an email confi rming your

appointment with a calendar attachment.Schedule

Elkhorn Center Wednesday, Oct. 19 7 – 8 a.m.

Papillion Center Wednesday, Oct. 19 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Energy Plaza Wednesday, Oct. 19 7 – 9:30 a.m.

Elkhorn Center Friday, Oct. 21 6:30 – 8 a.m.

FCS Administration Wednesday, Oct. 26 6:30 – 8 a.m.

FCS Plant Wednesday, Oct. 26 9 – 10:30 a.m.

ECC/Comm/Metering Wednesday, Nov. 9 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Omaha Center Wednesday, Nov. 16 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Nebraska City Station Wednesday, Nov. 16 6:30 – 8 a.m.

Syracuse Center Wednesday, Nov. 16 9 – 10 a.m.

North Omaha Station Thursday, Nov. 17 6:30 – 8 a.m.

2012 Annual Enrollment Info

YMCA Drive Begins October 1OPPD’s annual employee YMCA/Ambassador Club drive will begin Oct. 1 and run through Monday, Oct. 31. Employees should watch OPPD News for further informa-tion in late September or con-tact Athena Roberson in Human Resources at 402-636-3039 if they have questions.

The following is from the Benefi ts area in Human Resources.

Annual enrollment for the 2012 plan year will run from early October to early November 2011. Prior to the start of an-nual enrollment, HR will send out information designed to help eligible par-ticipants with their health insurance decisions. You also will have the option of accessing annual enrollment information online via the employee/retiree portal, oppdathome.com (be sure to spell out “at”). Active eligible employees will be able to make their elections/changes via PeopleSoft on the OPPD intranet. OPPD will mail an enrollment form to employees who do not have regular com-puter access (and who receive paper pay statements). OPPD also will mail a form to retirees and survivors. If you currently participate in a Flexible Spending Account and wish to do so in 2012, you must re-enroll via the annual enrollment process. Remember, you are locked in for the plan/calendar year regard-ing the amount you elect to contribute to a Flexible Spending Account. The IRS also requires re-enrollment each year if you wish to continue to have deductions taken from your pay and con-tributed to your Health Savings Account, which you can have with the High Deduct-ible Health Plan. You can make changes to the amount you contribute to your Health Savings Account throughout the plan year. HR encourages you to review the enroll-ment material once you receive it, because it will include the 2012 changes required by the Affordable Care Act.

ent, out

help

h

nual nformation online via


People

40 YearsLynn Sauer, Production Operations

35 YearsKevin Holthaus, Nuclear Construction & Projects Management

30 YearsScott Curran, Customer Service OperationsCharlotte Frostrom, Information TechnologyRhonda Hankins, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportCarla Jenkins, Information TechnologySharon Melody, ExecutiveJudith Ptacek, T&D OperationsKathy Coleman-Smith, Customer Service OperationsPatricia Yager, Human Resources

25 YearsJoanne Brown, Substation OperationsMichael Chesterman, Production OperationsRobert Guillaume, FCS Plant OperationsJoy Mota, Customer Service OperationsWalter Neneman, FCS Plant OperationsGerald Owens, Production OperationsTracey Roberts, Production OperationsVerlyn Schoen, Nuclear EngineeringTimothy Scurlock, Production OperationsPatrick Sealock, FCS Plant OperationsSky Svevad, Facilities Management

20 YearsJerry Beasley, Nuclear Quality Assurance & Quality ControlMark Brady, Nuclear Construction & Projects ManagementRejene Clariette, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportDennis Dryden, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportMichael Ferm, Nuclear Site OperationsRita Hatfield, T&D OperationsMichelle Keller, Customer Service OperationsRachel Parrot, Production OperationsGary Ruhl, Production Engineering & Tech. SupportRichard Settje, Information TechnologyRonald Shirley, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportEllen Simpson, Information Technology

15 YearsBrian Keating, Information TechnologyRaymond Knott, T&D OperationsRobert Weaver, Energy Marketing & TradingJeffrey West, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportPaul Wilwerding, Production Operations

July-August Service Anniversaries10 YearsJessica Bock, FCS Plant OperationsAlex Carpenter, Production OperationsRuth Goolsby, Human ResourcesJerryce Hankins, Material ManagementChristopher Hayes, FCS Plant OperationsMichael Holaway, FCS Plant OperationsTimothy Hurt, T&D OperationsRenee Jacobsen, Customer Service OperationsRyan King, Substation OperationsDaniel Lenihan, System Planning & Cost ManagementThomas Lovings, T&D OperationsCharles McCain, T&D OperationsDavid Morgan, Business Planning & AnalysisRick Mueller, FinanceBryan Murphy, T&D OperationsMacklin Olander, Facilities ManagementTodd Pinegar, Facilities ManagementDanelle Rocheford, T&D OperationsTracie Runge, Production Engineering & Technical SupportBradley Schorsch, Facilities ManagementShonna Snow, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportDavid Spargo, FCS Plant OperationsJohn Steinke, Nuclear EngineeringDavid Tallon, Customer Service OperationsMelanie Youngblood, FCS Plant Operations

5 YearsJoel Adams, T&D OperationsSpring Amidon, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportChristopher Bell, FCS Plant OperationsStephen Bennett, Production OperationsJason Cavanaugh, T&D OperationsAaron Chessareck, T&D OperationsJohn Childers, Production OperationsJoyce Cooper, Human ResourcesSeth Dunn, Production OperationsRobert Elson, Production OperationsJames Frederick, T&D OperationsChristopher Lacey, FCS Plant OperationsRyan Le, Production OperationsRandy Marks, T&D OperationsStacy Matteen, Production OperationsLarry Nelsen, Information TechnologyRoger Parkison, Production OperationsPamela Price, Production OperationsDavid Rakes, Production OperationsKevin Rathke, Operations AnalysisDarin Sievers, T&D OperationsBradley Thompson, FCS Plant OperationsAngela Williams, T&D Operations

RetirementsTerrance “Wayne” Aken, steamfitter mechanic, FCS Plant Operations, retired Aug. 1 with 29 years of service. Wayne joined OPPD in 1981 as a guard in FCS Administration.

Marcus J. Guinn, supervisor – Nuclear Projects, retired Aug. 1 with 27 years of service. Marcus joined OPPD in 1983 as an engineer in Production Operations.

Glen A. Hoover, transportation working crew leader, Facilities Management, retired Aug. 1 with 32 years of service. Glen joined OPPD in 1973 as an apprentice auto mechanic, left in 1976 and returned in 1979 as an apprentice auto mechanic.

Jeremiah A. Rosas, working crew leader-steamfitter mechanic, retired Aug. 1 with 31 years of service. Jeremiah joined OPPD in 1980 as a steamfitter helper in Central Maintenance.

Kathlene L. Springborg, division secretary – Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support, retired Aug. 1 after 24 years. Kathy joined OPPD in 1987 as a junior clerk in Nuclear Production.

William C. Woodward, senior instructional technician – Nuclear Performance Improvement & Sup-port, retired Aug. 1 after 26 years. Bill joined OPPD in 1985 as an engineer in Nuclear Production.

Charles “Chuck” H. Schaffer, senior system engineer in Nuclear Engineering, retired Sept. 1 with 22 years of service. Chuck joined OPPD in 1989 as a system engi-neer in Production Engineering.

Carolyn L. White, administrative clerk in FCS Plant Operations, retired Sept. 1 with 21 years of service. Carolyn joined OPPD in 1989 as a junior clerk in Electric Operations.


People

DeathsServices were held July 12 in Fremont for Elmer “Al” Bartlett, 91, shown

in a 1977 photo. Al joined OPPD in 1952 as a maintenance and operations helper at Arlington and retired in 1983 as manager of the Valley offi ce.

Al is survived by his wife, Lila; two sons, Alfred (Emily) Bartlett and Jerry (Denise) Bartlett; a daughter, Alberta Bartlett, six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren; and a great great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by a sister, four brothers, a grandson and an infant daughter.

Services were held Aug. 19 in Harlan, Iowa, for Keith W. Blankenship, 84, shown in a 1988 photo. Keith joined OPPD in 1953 as a utility man in the Line Department and retired in 1989 as a line crew working foreman in Electric Operations at the Irvington Center.

Keith is survived by a daughter, Linda (Tom) Duncan; two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; stepsons, Mark and Todd Anderson and their families; sisters, Ione “Penny” Erickson, and Loma (Bill) Pilant; and brother, Duane Blankenship (OPPD retiree).

Services were held Aug. 3 in Peru for Lloyd “Vern” L. Cotton, 87, shown in a 1986 photo. Vern joined OPPD in 1966 as a maintenance and operations helper in the Rural Department and retired in 1989 as a journeyman lineman.

Vern is survived by sons, Bruce Cotton, Dan and wife, Cheryl, Cotton; daughter, Candace; grandchildren, Tim and wife, Nancy Olsen; Justin Cotton and Ashley, Cassius and Henry Cotton; great-grandchildren, Brady and Nolan Olsen and Zy Cotton; many other relatives and friends.

Services were held Aug. 1 in Syracuse for Orvil “Dody” G. Holz, 66, shown in a 1995 photo. Dody joined OPPD in 1965 as an apprentice auto mechanic and retired in 2000 as a transportation working leader at the Papillion Center.

Dody is survived by his wife, Linda; sons, Ryan and wife, Kim; and their children, Jacob, Jacqueline and Joshua; Wally and children, Tyler and Trenton; Adam and wife, Lori, and their children, Emily, Kyle and Carson; Tony and wife, Holly, and their child, Andrew; daughter, Lerie; brothers, Allen, Matthew and wife, Kae; sisters and brother-in-laws, Dorothy and Robert Langenhorst; Debra and Randy Black; and Diana and Mike Baumeister; sister-in-law, Loris Holz, many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Services were held Aug. 19 in Bellevue for Ramona J. LaFond, 79, shown in a 1992 photo. Mona joined OPPD in 1974 as a clerk in Customer Care Services and retired in 1998 as supervisor of the Bellevue offi ce.

Mona was preceded in death by her husband, David; brother, Paul McGuire; and parents, Roger and Margaret McGuire. She is survived by sons, David and wife, Trish, and their son, David Jr., Weaver; Al; Jeff and wife, Terri, and their children, Laura and Kristen; sister, Mary Cieslik; nieces and nephews.

Services were held July 28 in Omaha for Richard “Dick” M. Wolf, 84, shown in a 1988 photo. Dick joined OPPD in 1948 as a utility man in the storeroom at 43rd and Leavenworth and retired in 1988 as supervisor – Physical Security.

Dick was preceded in death by wives, Marilyn Ellis and Dolores Gass; and sister, Jacquelyn Petersen. He is survived by wife, Deanna (OPPD retiree); sister, Joyce Young (Gary); children, Mike Gass, Terry Roberts, Maureen Begley, Kathy Eckley, Danny Gass, Carrie Duffy, Patrick Duffy, Mike Duffy and Katie Drefs; grandchildren; nephews and niece.

SympathiesJohn Bailey, Substation Operations, for the death of his father, Don Bailey.

Colleen and John Herman, Nuclear Engineering, for the death of Colleen’s father.

Mick Wickham, retired, for the death of her son, Thomas Wickham, on July 6.

Holly and Mike Daniels, Elkhorn Center, for the death of Holly’s mother.

Ally and Clint Halley, Substation Engineering, for the death of Clint’s grandmother, Lottie Jane Halley, of Atlanta, Mo.

Dave Hanna, Omaha Center, for the death of his grandmother, Loretta Vacek, 95, on June 7.

Rebecca Reynolds, Customer Care Services, for the death of her husband, Leroy, on July 21.

Charlene and Jay Clayton, Nuclear Site Opera-tions, for the death of Charlene’s brother.

Dawn (Fuels) and Dick Varner (Safety & Techni-cal Training) for the death of Dawn’s stepdaugh-ter and Dick’s daughter, Jennifer.

Tony Bohaty, Substation & System Protection, for the death of his wife’s grandmother.

Tyler Hillman, Substation & System Protection, for the death of his grandfather.

Barry Felten, Substation & System Protection, for the death of his grandmother.

Mike Lutz, Substation & System Protection, for the death of his wife’s grandfather.

Steve Spargen, Substation & System Protection, for the death of his mother.

Bengt Embrey, Substation & System Protection, for the death of his grandmother.

Georgene Bigham, Customer Service Operations, for the death of her son, Phillip, 24, on May 22.

Another GraduateAshley Ericson, daughter of Carrie and Brad Ericson, graduated from Burke High School last spring. Brad works in Substation & System Protection.


High Voltage ClubHigh Voltage members were honored to have OPPD Board Member John Thompson as a guest speaker in July. John talked about how OPPD was keeping up with the flooding around Fort Calhoun Station… In August, great enthusiasm was shown to OPPD for all its hard work and keeping the lights on during the flood and heat wave. Flash representatives were present, and a thank you was given to all by Margaret Jackson… Jo and Leonard Godown attended their grand-daughter Dana Van Woert’s college graduation in Ames, Iowa. Also, congratulations to Jo and Leonard on their 68th wedding anniversary in July… Mick Wickham attended the International Barbershop Chorus competition in Kansas City. Her grandson sang in the Norragansett Bay Cho-rus from Providence, R.I. The Pathfinder Chorus from Fremont also performed and placed 12th in the world. The Bay Chorus ranked 29th… Don Pachunka thanks everyone for the cards, prayers and phone calls following his recent heart opera-tion and said it helped in his recovery. Maxine and Don attended Maxine’s high school class reunion in Cedar Rapids, Neb. Maxine reports all her girlfriends were there and had a great time… JoAnn and Bob Adams vacationed with their son, his wife and their children in Niagara Falls. They got to experience the lightning of Niagara Falls at night from their room... Lucille and Alfred Dupree returned from Kansas City after attend-ing the wedding of their granddaughter, Sarah Dupree… Dawn and Steve Miner entertained their son and daughter-in-law, Justin and Bobbi, and granddaughters, Madeline and Mia, from Green Bay. Highlights included the zoo, visiting rela-tives and the Selena Gomez concert… Mary and Frank Johnson enjoyed a three-day road trip to Ashfall Fossil Beds State Park with their daughter, Marlene, and grandson, Adam… Welcome to new member Kathy Duckworth… High Voltage is open to all retirees. Contact Dick Liebentritt at 402-333-6742 or Ron Mortensen at 402-895-4692 if interested. The club meets the third Tuesday of the month. - Sharon Dickman

SPARCS SPARCS has had some great outings: a play at the Community Playhouse on June 23 to see Guys and Dolls and a Storm Chasers baseball game on July 28 with 74 in attendance. Merna Dobbs’ husband, Bill, and Dennis Vanek were lucky by each getting a foul ball. Our Sept. 11 outing will be wine-tasting at Two Far North in Fort Calhoun. On Oct. 23, the group will attend a show at the Loft in Manley and eat at the Main Street Café in Louisville. Also, we are planning a bus tour to the Mississippi River, if there is enough interest. In November, we will have a presentation from a nutritionist and sample healthy holiday foods. In December, we will attend a brunch at Granite City. All of our outings have many old and new faces of OPPD, so come and have fun. We thank everyone who has attended our outings… Our treasurer, Kathy Duckworth is now retired. Congratulations. She has informed us that her husband, Pat, and their son, Jameson, have kept her busy in her first days of retirement by both of them ending up in the emergency room on the same night for various scrapes and bruises. Remember, you can be retired from OPPD or have 25 years of service to join the SPARCS group. Hope to see you at our outing and continue our mission: Special People Active and Retired Caring and Sharing.

- Dennis Vanek

El-Po-CoThe fall outing, a grill-your-own-steak event, was held Thursday, Sept. 8, at Vennelyst Park... If you are not a member and would like to join, please contact one of the board members… The El-Po-Co group welcomes two new members, Carla Vice and Dirk Raebel.

- Heather Rawlings

Eastern Nebraska Public Power District ReunionEastern Nebraska Public Power and Omaha Public Power District merged on Jan. 1, 1965. A number of ENPPD employees moved into positions at OPPD. Past ENPPD employees gather every two years for a pot-luck dinner and an afternoon of fellowship. That group met Saturday, July 19, at the OPPD Syracuse Center. Pictured, front row from the left, are Dale Slaughter, Cedar Bluffs; "Hopp" Moyer, Fremont; J.C. Nisely, Syra-cuse; George Holdsworth, Bennet; and Don Smith, Lincoln. Back row, Gayle Lorenson, Syracuse; Howard Rowe, Tecumseh; Sharon Dickman, Omaha; and LeRoy Obermeyer and Jim Schwab, Syracuse.

ToastmastersThe OPPD Toastmasters Club 455 held its 2011 fall speech contest on Aug. 25. Four contestants com-peted in one of two contest categories. Louis Lester and Laura Manning squared off in the Humorous Speech competition. Keith Jones, the target speaker for the evaluation competition, put Neal Faltys and Tim Johnson to the test with his target speech, “1, 2, 3…”. Both humorous speech contestants succeeded in tick-ling some funny bones. The top secret judges, though, could only choose one winner, so Louis and his speech, “Survival of the Not So Fit”, will move on to the Area contest, where he will attempt another win to move on to District competition. Neal also will compete in the upcoming Area contest, where a win will move him to Districts. Check the Toastmasters SharePoint site, listed under the Employees tab on the insideOPPD home page, for the follow-up contest dates and details. OPPD Toastmasters is open to all OPPD employees. The club’s mission is to provide a supportive and posi-tive learning environment, in which every member can develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth. - Laura Manning

Louis Lester and Neal Faltys

®PRESORTED STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAID OMAHA NE PERMIT NO. 97

444 South 16th Street Mall Omaha, Nebraska 68102-2247

Address Service Requested

Refrigerator art hits streets to raise awareness of energy efficiency, recycling.

OPPD unveiled the fruits of labor for five artists who took up a challenge issued by the utility to use an old refrigerator as their canvas.

The goals were to increase awareness of energy efficiency and recycling and to help promote OPPD’s Refrigerator Recycling Program. This is the second year for the program, where OPPD will haul away old, inefficient refrigerators or freezers for free and pay the customer $35.

Old refrigerators use up to four times more electricity than new ones. They can easily add up to $150 to an annual elec-tric bill. The benefit from removing one refrigerator is equal to taking two cars off the road for a year.

Last year, customers recycled 2,500 refrigerators, and OPPD is hoping for a similar number this year. The program runs through October. OPPD has again contracted with JACO Environmental to

Big Earth, Small Worldby Machell Owens11th and Jackson

Let’s Play Houseby Paul Konchagulian10th and Howard

remove the appliances from cus-tomers’ homes, then dismantle

and recycle them. Under the program, 95 percent of the refrigerator’s materials are recycled.

One participating artist, Sarah Rowe, has strong OPPD ties. Both parents work at OPPD. Debra Rowe

is a clerk in Facilities Man-agement, and Todd is a meter technician in T&D Opera-tions.

Sarah received a bache-lor’s in fine arts from Web-ster University in St. Louis in 2004. During college, she spent six months studying in Vienna, Austria. Sarah moved

back to Omaha in 2004 and shows and sells her work through the Old Market Artists Gallery. Most of her work is commissioned, and pieces have gone to customers as far away as Phoenix.

The other green-theme art projects were placed on display in Omaha’s Old Market in August. The artwork eventually will be

displayed at other Omaha locations.

For more infor-mation, call 1-866-444-9160 or visit www.oppd.com/fridge.

Under the Pot, A Stand or Notby Charlene Potter12th and Howard

Refrigerariumby Liz Vercruysse11th and Harney

Refrigerrator art hits streets to raise aaawwwwaaaaarrrrrrrrrreeeeeennnnnnneeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssss

Eco Eco Art Art

Time Capsule, by Sarah Rowe, 13th and Jackson

Documents

Sept-Oct. 2011 Flash