Students Driven to Succeed
ContentsOn the cover:
Hundreds of students, teachers, parents and others have been
impacted by Power Drive.
2 Engineering ModelTechnical savvy and people skills define Tom Burton, the OPPD Soci-ety of Engineers’ Engineer of the Year.
4 FCS Receives CAL from NRCServing as another milestone in the road to restart and recovery at Fort Calhoun Station, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a Confirmatory Action Letter to OPPD on June 11.
6 Driven to Success For 13 years, the Power Drive program has given students an outlet to showcase their ingenuity and creativity.
10 Rebuilding the PastIn retirement, Dick Varner continues in his role as a caretaker for the land and structures of southeastern Nebraska.
12 Running Wild in Warrior DashA group of OPPD employees were among the 20,000-plus individu-als who participated in Nebraska’s a first-ever Warrior Dash.
15 Graduate SectionAn impressive number of OPPD employees and their families made fashion statements in caps and gowns at commencement exercises this summer.
23 PeopleAnniversaries, retirements, deaths, sympathies and club notes.
Back cover Flood of MemoriesThe one-year anniversary of the Missouri River flood of 2011 served as a reminder of all the hard work by employees.
:
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 DirectorsN.P. Dodge Jr .....................Chairman of the Board John R. Thompson. .... Vice Chairman of the BoardMichael J. Cavanaugh ............................. TreasurerAnne L. McGuire ....................................Secretary John K. Green ................................Board MemberLloyd Scheve .................................Board MemberFred J. Ulrich ..................................Board MemberDel D. Weber .................................Board Member
ReportersRandy Alsman Tim AshKim BarnesSara BiodrowskiKarma BooneJoanne BrownCec ChristensenJeannie CoreySharon DickmanNeal FaltysKelly FlemingAnne ForslundNatalie GingNancy GoddardBarbara GullieJill Hanover
Margine HenryEd Howell Traci HugSharon JeffersonDebbie JensenTerri KellyShelley KendrickMelinda KentonSuzanne KrajicekBecky KrugerDoug MickellsJamie MooreShawn MooreShelly MruzBeth Nagel Rick Perrigo
Trudy PratherPam PriceLana PulverentiHeather RawlingsKathy RoyalTerri SaladoPeter SchiltzJim ShipmanJammie SnyderJennifer St. Clair Kathy StolinskiClint SweetVince TimmermanDennis VanekDawn Varner
Contributing StaffDJ Clarke Paula Lukowski Django Greenblatt-Seay Lisa Olson Jeff Hanson Althea PietschJeni Hoffman Laurie ZagurskiSharon Jefferson Terry ZankMike Jones
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 .................................... Chris Cobbs Creative Director..........................Joe Comstock
To contact the Flash editor:
phone .............. 402-636-3757
email .............. [email protected]
address ............ OPPD, Flash, 3E/EP1 444 S. 16th St. Omaha, NE 68102-2247
Vol. 92, No. 4, July/August 2012
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July/August 2012 Flash 1
The federal courthouse, located at 111 S. 18th Plaza in downtown Omaha, has 356,873-square-feet of space. GSA personnel worked with OPPD, as well as specialized subcontractors Bes-Tech and Engineered Controls Inc. on improvements in the building’s energy systems. GSA’s op-erations and maintenance contractor LB&B also played a critical role in the project because of their knowledge of the building.
By taking these steps, the GSA reduced annual HVAC chilled water consumption by 33.5 percent, steam consumption by 24.4 percent, electricity consumption by 13.6 percent and electricity demand by 17.7 percent, based on 12 months of utility data.
The building has achieved ENERGY STAR status with a rating of 87 percent. This the fourth consecutive ENERGY STAR award for the courthouse.
Line Items
OPPD Team to Carry United Way Torch
OPPD’s 2012 United Way cam-paign, with a theme linked to the Olympic Games in London, is sched-uled to run from Monday, Sept. 10, through Friday, Sept. 21.
A kick-off breakfast is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 6, featuring this year’s chairman Bill Lenagh, division
manager of Customer Sales & Service, and others on the United Way team.
The OPPD goal for 2012 is $355,000, with a stretch goal of $360,000. Last year’s goal was $350,000 with a stretch goal of $355,000.
As usual, anyone contributing to the campaign will be eligible for raffle prizes, including gift cards for area entertainment and restaurants. Prizes are being donated.
“Thanks for all your support in the past, it will be needed again to reach our goal and help make our community a better place,” said Bill. “The team that is working on this will do all we can to carry the torch of the United Way spirit in our 2012 campaign.” Oh, my, this ceremony is flying by. They're already
on the "C's" and it's only been a week.
:
General Services Administration Recognized for Energy Savings
This spring, OPPD officials recognized the General Services Administration Region 6 for its commitment to efficient energy management at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Courthouse.
OPPD Vice President Sherrye Hutcherson presented a check for $48,800 to Mary Kosmicki, Director, GSA Nebraska Office. The check represents energy savings that the GSA realized at the facility as a result of several energy commissioning and optimization projects. Built in 2000, the six-story building has become a model for how to get the most from energy management systems.
“GSA will see an actual utility cost savings of $173,670 annually at the courthouse, based on 12 months of utility data,” said Sherrye. “The results speak for themselves, but OPPD applauds the GSA for its good stewardship of reducing energy demand and cutting its energy bill, thus saving taxpayer dollars. The project serves as a successful example to others.”
Roman L. Hruska U.S. Courthouse.
2 Flash July/August 2012
Engineer of the Year
EnginEEring ModEl
Tom Burton’s involvement with the North Omaha Station Coal-Handling
Upgrade Project in 2000 illustrates many of the qualities that led to
his selection as the OPPD Society of Engineeers’ Engineer of the Year for 2012. His contribution to that project also contains the DNA of his current work on proposed federal air quality
regulations at fossil plants.For the coal-handling project, Tom
served as project manager on a $10 million overhaul that included upgrad-
ing all coal belts, chutes and drive motors, replacing the stockout structure and rail car thawing equipment, changing to comput-erized controls and making changes to the rail tracks to accommodate longer trains on site.
Even while working to develop the tech-nical solution for an aging plant, Tom also was listening to concerns of plant operators
and maintenance staff to make certain he had a grasp of their concerns. Equal empha-
sis on both the technical and subjective sides of engineering are at the core of Tom’s ap-
proach, and have been since he came to OPPD in 1980.
“It was an important modification that modernized the system and gave us the abil-ity to move coal faster,” said Jon Hansen, vice president, Energy Production & Marketing, who served as operations manager during the North
Omaha project. “Despite all the work involved, it didn’t affect production or operation of any units.”
In the midst of the massive project, Tom still found time for volunteering two nights a month
at the Stephen Center homeless shelter, a role in which he continues to serve. Above all, he
was and is a devoted father to three sons and a daughter (Ben, Christopher, Peter and Angela), with an extended family that now includes six grandchildren. Tom also is a deacon at Holy Cross Catholic Church.
“Tom is a highly committed, high-integrity, common-sense engineer,” said Jon. “All of that, in one neat package. He’s a great role model for others at OPPD.”
Modest in the extreme, Tom jokingly said, “What were they thinking?” of his selection as Engineer of the Year. In a serious vein, he also said he was deeply honored and flattered by the award.
The OPPD Society of Engineers Board and a se-lection committee of five engineers involving dif-ferent areas of the company selected Tom from a field of eight nominees, said Mike Herzog, senior transmission planning engineer and chairperson of the OPPD Society of Engineers. Following are some of the criteria used in the selection process:
• Significant achievement in the engineering field
• Behaviors that create and support the OPPD ideal culture
• Innovative solution to solve a technical problem where attributes of the ideal utility are displayed
• Community involvement• Continuing competence
“Tom has demonstrated he is a go-to engi-neer,” said Mike. “There is no doubt he will get the job done. He is also very good at working with young engineers. There are 430 engineers at OPPD, and we wanted to recognize someone for others in the company to emulate.”
In addition to Tom, the following individuals were nominated for the OSE Engineer of the Year award:
Joel Haskins, Senior Design Engineer, T&D Operations
Technical savvy and people skills define Tom Burton, the OPPD Society of Engineers’ Engineer of the Year for 2012. He is regarded as a role model for younger employees and a beacon of excellence among OPPD’s 430 engineers.
July/August 2012 Flash 3
Landy Jacobson, Manager of T&D Projects, Substation Operations
John Mayhan, Principal Transmission Planning Engineer, System Planning & Cost Management
Tom Mayhan, Principal EMS Engineer, System Planning & Cost Management
Ron McIvor, Principal Protection Engineer, Substation Operations
Terry Pirruccello, Manager of Records and Standards, T&D Operations
Randy Veik, Superintendent Technical, Production Operations
Tom’s selection as Engineer of the Year was
influenced in part by his community involve-ment, centered on his volunteer work at the Stephen Center homeless shelter for the past 21 years. Two nights a month, he sleeps over at the center, which houses about 60 homeless individuals. “I sleep with one eye open, so I can help if someone has issues,” Tom said. “The program’s function is to help them understand why they are homeless and how to stop being homeless.”
Additionally, his selection reflects his work with young engineers and efforts to support the
OPPD ideal culture. “As a manager, my role is to make sure people can learn to do my job some-day to help keep the company going,” Tom said. “I try to guide others through the path of using their technical skills within OPPD’s parameters of doing business.”
Along with his work on the North Omaha proj-ect, evidence of Tom’s “continuing competence” can be found in his contribution to the 1993 rail spur to Nebraska City Station project and the 1997 Nebraska City Station Upgrade Project (new HP/IP turbine) and a number of other smaller projects along the way.
Now on his agenda is involvement – along with senior managers and many others – with responding to the challenge of proposed Environ-
mental Protection Agency air quality regulations. “We have been tracking this issue since well
before 2000, and it’s one of the biggest challenges the fossil generating stations have ever faced,” Tom said. “I am not the lead, but I am provid-ing input. We’re looking for a balance between low-cost energy for our customers and respond-ing to government regulations. It’s a very difficult balance, and the challenge could result in the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars.”
All In The FamilyEngineering is in the blood of Tom Burton and his family.Selected by the OPPD Society of Engineers as Engineer of the Year for 2012, Tom is the son of an electrical engineer (1920-2005) who worked his entire life for the telephone com-pany. And two of Tom’s four children are in the field:
Oldest Child: Angela graduated from Creighton, married to another Creighton graduate and stays home with her 3 sons
2nd Oldest: Ben, graduated from University of Nebraska – Omaha; works as a CPA in town (married with 3 sons)
3rd oldest: Chris, graduated from University of Nebraska – Lincoln; works as a Mechanical Engineer in Lincoln (Cleaver-Brooks); getting married this summer
Youngest: Peter, one year left in engineering (mechanical) at the University of Tulsa, currently working a summer internship at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich.
By Chris Cobbs
Tom Burton and his extended family
4 Flash July/August 2012
Dan Montez, Lisa Olson, Jeff Hanson and Judy Sunde were among those representing OPPD at the open house.
Serving as another milestone in the road to re-start and recovery for Fort Calhoun Station (FCS), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) to OPPD on June 11.
The CAL, which includes a restart checklist, documents the actions OPPD has committed to taking before restarting FCS. The plant has been safely shut down since April 9, 2011, for the start of a planned refueling and maintenance outage.
“The CAL confirms that we are working on the appropriate issues in our FCS Integrated Perfor-mance Improvement Plan, which we released publicly in February,” noted Gary Gates, president and CEO.
The CAL also formalizes commitments OPPD has previously made to address all of the issues that prompted the NRC to place FCS into Inspec-tion Manual Chapter 0350, a special category calling for additional NRC oversight for plants in extended shutdown.
“As recent conversations between OPPD and the NRC have indicated, we have made substantial progress in recovering FCS and returning the sta-tion to a high level of performance,” Gary said.
Fort Calhoun Station Receives CAL from NRC
“I appreciate the hard work of everyone on site and all the support FCS has received company-wide in pursuing those goals,” Gary emphasized. “While some things remain unknown, such as the scheduling of upcoming NRC inspections and any additional items that may arise during discovery, we continue to work the plan.”
Employees can access the CAL by visiting the FCS button on the intranet home page.
NRC and OPPD Hold Open Houses
To give the public a chance to talk informally with NRC regional representatives on the status of FCS, the NRC hosted an open house at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Omaha on May 31. In addition to members of the public, media representatives from all the local TV stations and a few radio stations attended.
In a break from its series of formal public meetings, the NRC answered questions from visi-tors one-on-one. Questions revolved around NRC policies, how those policies pertain to FCS, how the agency was going to ensure the safety of the public, and when the plant would return to operation.
July/August 2012 Flash 5
By Terry Zank
Above, employees at various information booths talk with customers who attended the event.
At left, Channel 3’s Fatima Rahmatullah interviews Jeff Hanson.
Fort Calhoun Station Receives CAL from NRC
OPPD simultaneously hosted an open house, giving the public a chance to ask questions of OPPD at various stations set up in another room. Employees staffed informational tables on the Integrated Performance Improvement Plan, plant status and “Nuclear Power 101.” OPPD also had informational tables on renewable energy, envi-ronmental stewardship and energy efficiency.
Plant Work in Full Swing, Fukushima Project Getting Started
The pace of outage-related activities picked up in early June, as FCS workers tackled a number of maintenance tasks and modifications at the plant.
“We will not sacrifice safety or quality for production, but we have a passion for fixing the plant and completing this outage,” said Deb Matthews, manager – Outage.
Putting passion into your work is a strong ex-pectation of Plant Manager Mike Prospero. “We are committed to avoiding anyone getting hurt, and focusing on the things we can control on the job, with passion and a sense of urgency,” Mike said.
From an industry-wide perspective, FCS has started a long-term project to comply with orders and information requests from the NRC related to the incident at the Fukushima nuclear facility, which was caused by an earthquake and resulting tsunami in 2011.
The NRC orders focus mainly on being able to safely deal with conditions caused by an event that exceeds what the
plant was designed to withstand. The specifics include installing a system to remotely monitor spent fuel pool levels and reevaluating potential flooding and earthquake hazards.
The Fukushima response project is being designed to minimize its impact on the plant-restart effort and day-to-day plant operations. The NRC has issued a detailed schedule for providing the industry additional guid-ance on this topic over at least the next five years.
6 Flash July/August 2012
Ayrton Kuzela grew up around the Power Drive Program. He capped his senior year with a big victory for Elkhorn High and by winning the Paul High Memorial Scholarship.
he 2001 snapshot shows an impressionable first grader, mugging for the camera at the
Power Drive championship course at OPPD’s Elkhorn Service Center.
Dressed in his Little League baseball uniform, that was the beginning of something very special for Ayrton Kuzela, son of John Kuzela, senior operations engineer at Fort Calhoun Sta-tion and a long-time Power Drive volunteer.
“We went to our first Power Drive championship in 2000, and we were both hooked,” said John. “Ayrton loved the cars, they were more his size. We both counted laps and knew we would be back volunteering.”
For 13 years, the Power Drive program has given students an outlet to showcase their ingenuity and creativity.
Hundreds of students and countless teachers, parents and others have been impacted by the program, which debuted in the 1998-1999 school year.
Power Drive encourages student interest in energy- and automotive-related industries by bringing a practical focus to students' math, science and/or vocational educa-tion. They work in teams, under the direction of instructors who have been trained at Power Drive workshops. Instructors report the
And return they did, year after year. That eventually led to Ayrton competing on Elkhorn’s Electric Vehicle Team (EEVT) all four years of high school.
The Kuzelas did a lot of lap counting initially, but as time went on, they got more and more in-volved with other duties, such as judging maneu-verability and braking.
“One year, when the championships were held at the Qwest Center, Ayrton was assigned directly
to Steve Anderson (Power Drive coordinator) as his runner and to help enter the event data into Steve’s laptop. He absolutely was beaming, especially when it turned very cold and rainy, and he got to stay in the warm van with Steve,” John said.
“It was so cool,” said Ayrton of tagging along during the early years of the program. “I couldn’t wait to participate.”
“Ayrton and I would draw pictures of what his
Driven to Success
T
Kids Building Cars, Program Building Leaders
Kids Building Cars, Program Building Leaders
The Elkhorn team celebrates its 2012 Power Drive championship. Ayrton Kuzela is holding a trophy at his side.
July/August 2012 Flash 7
John and his wife, Dawn, are among the many parents who value what Power Drive has given to their son. As important is the com-mitment by the partici-pating schools that allow the instructors to share their time and talents with the EV teams.
The EEVT met every Tuesday and Thursday from the beginning of the school year until the end, and it’s the only program that allows a
student to earn a letter in Power Drive. This year, Joe Lee, a math teacher at Elkhorn South, served as the school representative. Craig Vinopal held
Power Drive car would look like and debate the pros and cons of various designs,” added John.
His exposure to Power Drive in these early years let him see how the competition was judged. “Before he ever joined the EEVT, he had a strong understanding of the technology, rules, safety, driving skills and what made an electric car fast,” said John.
“I watched the skill levels improve. Cars used to go fewer laps and there were more ac-cidents,” said Ayrton, who will attend South Dakota State University in the fall and work toward a degree in electrical engineering.
“I gained valuable experience in Power Drive,” said Ayrton. “I have done a lot of fabrication, problem-solving and documenta-tion. We went through three different steering prototypes. We worked as a team and shared a lot of ideas.”
Plus, racing was “a blast,” he said.“It’s not like driving a normal car,” added
Ayrton. “You have to really know the car and the track. You have to plan, watching the amps and making
turns as smooth as possible, coasting in the right places.”
program boosts academics, school spirit and community interest and support.
“The vehicles and talent have re-ally improved over the years,” said OPPD President Gary Gates. “But this program goes beyond techni-cal skills, also giving the kids orga-nizational and leadership skills.”
The Power Drive championship was held May 5. Prior to the cham-pionship, five rallies were held at various sites across the state.
Power Drive is currently co-sponsored by Omaha Public Power District, Nebraska Public Power Dis-trict, the Nebraska Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Program.
Power Drive events competed with Ayrton’s baseball, but the family made efforts to do both. Sometimes it was Power Drive events in the morning and baseball practice or games later that day. Lower left, Ayrton is at the 2001 Power Drive championships, ready for a ballgame.
Ayrton’s 2012 lucky shoes were retired and hung in the EEVT shop after the finals.
Ayrton Kuzela stands at the lap-counter table at the 2003 Power Drive championships.
8 Flash July/August 2012
By Paula Lukowski
that role Ayrton’s first three years. Both men were aided by three experienced parent
volunteers: Tom Scott, a professional auto body technician; Steve Fluer, an electrician; and Jim Morrow, a software engineer.
“Ayrton and the EEVT learned from the previ-ous years, and they made a whole-out effort to
dominate this year,” John said. Not everything went perfect, but the minor setbacks they
encountered were approached with the team’s casual approach and
resolved in a scientific manner.
Their determination paid off big. Elkhorn’s S01 car won the standard class, with 1153.1 points, and the team’s exhibition and advanced cars finished in the top five of their respective classes.
“This year, all three EEVT cars (S01, E05 and A51) ran every event, the entire 1-hour rally without one on-the-track failure,” said John. “We had never seen this type of consistent high per-formance in the Power Drive. The information on car characteristics, battery performance, driving experience and confidence in the team played a big role in the EEVT’s success this year.”
Fittingly, Ayrton was awarded the Paul High Memorial Scholarship at the championship award ceremony. Paul, a long-time OPPD transportation employee, was instrumental in the early years of Power Drive.
Power Drive showcases bothindividual skill and teamwork.
July/August 2012 Flash 9
Kids Rally Together at Power Drive ChampionshipsThose who attended the Power Drive Finals at Werner Park on May 5 were treated to an impressive show.On display were light electric vehicles designed and built by students from high schools across Nebraska
and Iowa, plus another one from Watertown High School in Wisconsin. Lining the course, spectators settled in for the day with chairs, shade umbrellas and stocked coolers.
Teams transformed the parking lot into a series of pit areas, where kids made last-minute tweaks to cars and teams finalized their strategies. A steady buzzing of battery chargers overtook the silent countryside sur-rounding the ball field.
In all, more than 50 cars from 40 high schools participated in the championships. Dozens of OPPD and Nebraska Public Power District employees and retirees ran the event.
“We hear over and over again how much the students, teachers and parents appreciate the event and the effort that all of the volunteers put into the Power Drive Program,” said OPPD retiree Steve Anderson, who oversees the program.
The Watertown Wisconsin team traveled more than eight hours to attend.“The endurance runs at Power Drive are a higher caliber because there are a lot more teams,” said Jesse
Domer, who teaches engineering and welding at Watertown High. “We have a couple of events in Wisconsin that attract about 25 electric cars.”
The top five finishers by class, with car numbers and total points, include:
Standard ClassElkhorn, car S01, 1153.1
Bancroft Rosalie, car S20, 1053.1
Raymond Central, car S55, 1031.3
Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Iowa, car S50, 962.5
Winside, car S80, 896.8
Exhibition Class Bancroft Rosalie, car E21
Raymond Central, car E118
Wayne, car E107
Elkhorn, car E5
Friend, car E87
Power Drive finals were held at Werner Park, with specta-tors lining the course.
Advanced ClassWayne, car A39, 1060.5
Columbus Lakeview, car A104, 1051.1
Elkhorn, car A51, 890.9
Raymond Central, car A57, 844.9
Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Ia., car A40, 751.1
A special thank you to the following photographers, who provided Power Drive photos: Sue Baxter, Dhruba Chakravarti, Don Cross, Rich Fiddelke, Retiree George Sinos and Employee John Kuzela.
10 Flash July/August 2012
In retirement, Dick Varner con-tinues in his role as a caretaker for the land and structures of southeastern Nebraska.
Dick Varner has devoted nearly 25 years to making OPPD a safer, more environmentally- friendly place all across its service territory.
His focus won’t wander far with his Sept. 1 retirement. Using flooring, trim and windows from another old home destined to be torn down, Dick plans to restore a tumbledown farmhouse that’s been in his family since the late 1800s.
Along with redoing the 1.5-story farmhouse, he also will nurture the 160-acre spread on which it stands, planting native grasses to pro-vide feed and shelter for area wildlife.
Dick, supervisor – Environmental Health and Safety, has been at OPPD since 1988, fol-lowing 14 years with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Control.
For his departure, he has assembled a transi-tion plan covering PCB management, electri-cal equipment spills, respiratory fit tests and sundry other tasks. In addition, he will provide
some hands-on guidance for his replacement, who is to be hired before Dick’s retirement.
“The biggest handoff will be PCBs, which is an acronym for polychlorinated biphenyls,” Dick said. “PCBs were banned by Congress in 1979, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was given delegated authority to establish specific-use authorizations and restrictions for products containing PCBs.”
PCBs are a man-made chemical that was manufactured and used in various applications because of its stability and fire resistance. For this reason, PCBs were a natural fit as a fluid insulator for various electrical equipment, such as transformers, capacitors and regulators.
Although classified as a toxic substance, the EPA still allows utilities to use equipment con-taining PCBs to the extent the equipment fluid (oil) remains contained inside the equipment. If spilled into the environment, there are spe-cific cleanup requirements in addition to the record-keeping of all PCBs that are disposed of
Rebuilding the Past
Dick Varner plans to restore a farmhouse that’s been in the family for more than a century.
July/August 2012 Flash 11
annually. Spills to a customer’s property and possessions can result in extensive cleanups and can be expensive.
With the amount of older electrical equipment still in service, OPPD will have to contend with PCBs for some time to come. The EPA is looking at tightening the regulations on PCBs and may set a defined schedule for finding and remov-ing regulated equipment from service. This too will be costly.
Along with managing PCBs, Dick devotes a big chunk of his time to medi-cal monitoring, respirator physicals, res-pirator fit tests and audiograms. He also coordinates some workplace sampling areas for dangerous substances dating back to the 1950s, including lead, asbes-tos and hexavalent chromium.
One of the things Dick enjoys most about his work is the time he spends out-doors. In fact, he is out of the office so often, he usually wears jeans rather than business attire when he heads out to the plants, substation operations and line crew locations.
“I love working with crafts people,” he said. “I’m going to really miss the atmosphere and the contact with the field peo-ple. What I won’t miss are the 2 a.m. call-outs.”
The hours will be more hospi-table, but Dick will still be plenty busy after leaving OPPD.
He believes it will take several years to complete the restoration of the old farmhouse that’s been abandoned since 1963, when his grandfather passed away. Dick has a picture of his grandpa as a little boy on the farm in 1910.
Dick cherishes childhood memo-ries of visits to the farm, which is located between Syracuse and Tecumseh. “Sometimes when I slept upstairs, it was so cold you could see your breath,” he said. “The only heat was from a stove on the first level.”
The place is nearly as old as Nebraska as confirmed by an abstract that docu-ments family ownership of the quarter-section of land going back to 1873. For nearly a half century, the chief inhabit-ants of the land have been deer, raccoons and turkeys, but Dick will make it home to quail and pheasants, grasses and other favorable habitats.
In order to make the farmhouse new again, Dick will have to first gut it. Then he will repurpose flooring, trim and windows given to him by his son-in-law. Dick will build and install new cabinets. Just about the only element from the old place will be the plank pine on the upper level. Dick also plans to fill the house with the antiques he has passionately col-lected over the years.
And so the past will live on for perhaps another century or so.
EPA IMPACTSHere is a list of impacts from future
PCB regulation, published in the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule-making” (ANPR)
• Establish a deadline to phase out all PCB and PCB-contaminated equipment which, under the current regulation, is allowed to remain in service for the remain-der of the equipment’s useful life. Preliminary deadline is 2025.
• Before the phase-out deadline, prohibit the use of known or assumed PCB-contaminated transformers near high-risk food and feed areas.
• Initiate a program to remove PCB fluorescent light ballasts in public buildings.
The Varner farm as it appears today (above) and as it looked about 100 years ago.
By Chris Cobbs
12 Flash July/August 2012
20,000 People Run Wild at
Particpants gather for the start of the Warrior Dash.
July/August 2012 Flash 13
everal OPPD employees participated in Nebraska’s first-ever Warrior Dash on
June 9 and 10 in Cedar Creek. The race, organized by Red Frog Events, is an extreme 5-6 kilometer run with obstacles, which have com-petitors hurdling rows of fire, scaling cargo net walls and crawling under barbed wire in a pool of mud.
“It was horrible, it was fast, it was hard,” Market Research Specialist Tammy Briganti said after she finished the race. “It makes you feel younger than I am, although tomorrow morning I’ll feel a lot older.”
More than 20,000 people competed in the race, which was held on Operations Worker Bill Metzger’s property – also home to his family business, Madcow Paintball.
s The Warrior Dash is an extreme running series that takes place all over the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, including Australia, Ireland and the UK.
Above left, Machinists from Central Maintenance are coated in mud. Left to right are: Andy Frye, Josh Lemay, Mark Patach, Rob Christainson and Trevor Fiala.
14 Flash July/August 2012
“They (Red Frog Events) contacted us in Feb-ruary,” said Bill. “They came out and did a site visit and liked the property. It took them about a week to plan the exact route and set every-thing up.”
Madcow Paintball started 10 years ago, after Bill realized how quickly his kids were going through the compressed air that assists in firing paintballs out of markers (also known as paint-ball guns).
“Every time their CO2 cartridges ran out, we’d have to drive to Omaha. So one time I got
a larger container and other kids began stop-ping by for a refill,” said Bill. “The business just kind of grew naturally from there.”
Madcow Paintball, is the largest range in Nebraska, holds several tournaments each year and is also home to professional team Vicious.
“My sister, Linda, and I were excited because Cedar Creek is our hometown,” said Tammy. “I only fell at the very end, in the mud. It was about completing, not competing.”
By Django Greenblatt-Seay
Tammy Briganti dove head first into the Warrior Dash. She is pictured with her son Rosario, below left.
July/August 2012 Flash 15
Sam AdamsWestside High
Son ofJohn Adams
Retiree
Paige AzureAshland-Greenwood
HighDaughter ofCraig Azure
T&D Operations
Taylor BaggettA-H-S-T HighAvoca, Iowa
Granddaughter ofBeverly Baggett
Retiree
Kevin BahrNebraska City High
Son ofKeith Bahr
Production Operations
Stephen BaileyBurke High
Son of John Bailey
Substation Operations
Mark BarrientosCentral High
Son ofMargie BarrientosCustomer Service
Operations
Thomas BeebeBlair HighStepson ofRod McKee
Nuclear Engineering
Joseph BenesCentral High
Son ofJoseph Benes
FCS Plant Operations
Stephanie BeyeaGretna HighDaughter of
Tammy BeyeaCustomer Sales
& Service
Jessica BlumMillard North High
Daughter ofPhilip Blum
T&D Operations
Austin BradyWestside HighGrandson of
Rich ClemensRetiree
Michael BrigantiCreighton Prep
Son ofRick Briganti
Production Engineering & Technical Support
Dakota BrownBenson High
Stepson of Joanne Brown
Substation Operations
Robyn BurnisonLouisville High
Daughter ofRandall BurnisonT&D Operations
Derrick ByersBennington High
Son ofLarry Byers
Production Operations
Connor CallahanSyracuse High
Son ofGaylene CallahanT&D Operations
CongratulationsGraduates!
An impressive number of OPPD employees and their families made a fashion statement in caps and gowns at commencement exercises this summer.
There were 128 sons and daughters of employees who received high school diplomas. Another 68 graduated from college.
A total of 20 employees and 48 children and grandchildren of employees received college degrees, including undergraduate and advanced.
2012 High School
16 Flash July/August 2012
Dakota CollierMissouri Valley HighMissouri Valley, Iowa
Daughter of Jennifer Collier
Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support
LaMar ConnerLewis Central HighCouncil Bluffs, Iowa
Son ofRissa Conner
Material Management
Lindsey CorkGross HighDaughter ofNyla Cork
Human Resources
Nick CoyneMillard South High
Son ofDan Coyne
Facilities Management
Mary Kate CroninFremont HighDaughter of
Patrick CroninRetiree
Zachery CrooksMillard West High
Son ofAnthony CrooksT&D Operations
Shelby DechowGretna HighDaughter ofPhil Dechow
FCS Plant Operations
Meagan DeMeulmeesterShawnee Mission West
HighOverland Park, Kan.Granddaughter of
Bob DeMeulmeesterRetiree
Jordan DinwiddiePapillion-LaVista
South HighSon of
Blaine DinwiddieT&D Operations
Andrew DreyBlair High
Son of Ron Drey
Substation Operations
Drew DunganCreighton Prep
Son ofKristine Dungan, FinanceShawn Dungan, Custom-
er Service Operations
Shelby EasleyNorthwest High
Granddaughter ofBernie Livingston
Retiree
Mackenzie EdwardsLincoln North Star High
Lincoln, Neb.Granddaughter ofBernie Livingston
Retiree
Daniel FechnerBlair High
Son ofAdrian Fechner
Retiree
James FoleyBlair High
Son ofJim Foley
System Planning & Cost Management
Ashley FrolioNorth High
Granddaughter ofRon Baldwin
Retiree
Brandon FrolioNorth HighGrandson ofRon Baldwin
Retiree
Kelly GeschwenderNorth HighDaughter of
James GeschwenderNuclear Engineering
Ganon GorsethMillard South High
Son ofMark Gorseth
T&D Operations
Cole GruberPapillion-LaVista High
Son ofBob Gruber
Safety & Technical Training
Jamon HamptonCreighton Prep
Grandson ofKen Borkowski
Information Technology
Grace HansenMillard North High
Daughter ofJon HansenExecutive
Alex HarrisBurke High
Grandson ofSteve Meisinger
Retiree
Drake FanslauUnderwood HighUnderwood, Iowa
Son ofSteve Fanslau
Customer Sales & Service
July/August 2012 Flash 17
Reagan HuberBurke High
Granddaughter ofDon McMullen
Retiree
Kelcie HuebnerAbraham Lincoln High
Council Bluffs, IowaDaughter ofBob Huebner
Information Technology
Blaise HugAuburn High
Son ofTraci Hug
Production Operations
Joe ImigBryan High
Son ofJohn Imig
Customer Sales & Service
Caileigh JanicekPapillion-LaVista
South HighDaughter ofLee Janicek
T&D Operations
Lyndsey JanousekGretna HighDaughter of
Joanne BrownSubstation Operations
Andrew JohnsonMillard West High
Grandson ofFrank Johnson
Retiree
Drew JohnsonFort Calhoun High
Son ofRandy Johnson
Customer Sales & Service
Elliot JohnsonMillard North High
Son of Randol Johnson, Production Operations Grandson of the late
Alfred Cattano, RetireeGreat-Grandson of the lateHarry Hildebrand, Retiree
Jill JorgensenBurke HighDaughter of
Don JorgensenNuclear Performance
Improvement & Support
Monica KeenanMercy HighDaughter of
Brian KeenanCorporate Accounting
Zachary KochSkutt High
Son of David KochInformation Technology
Paul KurttiBlair High
Son ofDonald Kurtti, Jr.
FCS Plant Operations
Amanda KussPlattsmouth High
Daughter ofKelley Kuss, Production
OperationsPhill Kuss, Facilities
Management
Ayrton KuzelaElkhorn South High
Son ofJohn Kuzela
FCS Plant Operations
Trevor LarsenGretna High
Son ofTom Larsen
T&D Operations
Alexandra Leaver Arlington High
Granddaughter of Jerry Leaver
Retiree
Cameron HayesBlair High
Son ofScott Hayes
Nuclear Performance Improvement &
Support
Bethany HeitkampWilson Creek Home School
Dunbar, Neb.Daughter of
Tom HeitkampProduction Operations
Erin HelmbergerPapillion-LaVista High
Daughter ofJim Helmberger
Substation Operations
Alex HoskovecBlue Valley High
Overland Park, Kan.Grandson ofJerry Leaver
Retiree
Greg HouserRoncalli High
Son of Julie Houser, Finance
Nephew ofLiz Goodroad,
OPPD Credit Union
Jaclyn HartungPapillion-LaVista South High
Daughter ofJeff Hartung, T&D Operations
Granddaughter ofJames Hartung, Retiree
Trent LambertFort Worth HighFort Worth, Texas
Grandson of the lateCharles “Swede” Lambert,
RetireeNephew of
Craig Lambert, Production Operations
18 Flash July/August 2012
Jessica LevineMillard West High
Daughter ofDouglas Levine
FCS Plant Operations
Nicole LevineMillard West High
Daughter ofDouglas Levine
FCS Plant Operations
Jordane LinhartRalston High
Granddaughter ofLawrence “Butch” Clark
Retiree
Braxton LindhorstAshland-Greenwood
HighSon of
Tom LindhorstT&D Operations
Rachel LukowskiMarian HighDaughter of
Paula LukowskiCorporate Marketing &
Communications
Christa ManningPlatteview High
Daughter ofLaura Manning
System Planning & Cost Management
Sarah MartinBellevue West High
Daughter ofJason Martin
Production Operations
Reagan McCormickElkhorn HighDaughter of
Kevin McCormickSafety & Technical
Training
Dillon McCoyBlair High
Son of Susan McCoy
Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support
Kari McDermottAbraham Lincoln High
Council Bluffs, IowaDaughter of
Pat McDermottCustomer Service
Operations
Emily McEvoyDC West High
Valley, Neb. Daughter of Lori McEvoy
FCS Plant Operations
Katie McGuireMillard West High
Stepdaughter ofSharyl McGuire, T&D
OperationsNiece of
John DeBoer, Retiree
Claire McKamyMillard West HighGranddaughter ofVerdell Goldberg
Retiree
Megan McNurlinPapillion-LaVista
South HighDaughter of
Bob McNurlinT&D Operations
Noelle MillerHome SchoolDaughter of Ron Miller
Production Operations
Elizabeth MoranMillard North High
Daughter of Ruth Moran
Retired
Hanna MorrisonSyracuse HighDaughter of
Keith MorrisonProduction Operations
Kalyn MowreyElkhorn HighDaughter of
John MowreyT&D Operations
Dan MrlaCreighton Prep
Son of Lou Mrla
T&D Operations
Dylan NastaseGretna High
Son ofDeb Nastase-Quade,
Customer Sales & ServiceStepson of
John Quade, Customer Sales & Service
Elizabeth NekolaBryan HighDaughter of
Donald NekolaT&D Operations
Andrew M. NelsonMillard North High
Grandson ofDonald Nelson
Retiree
Brady OakesNebraska City High
Son ofDan Oakes
Production Operations
Ashlyn OcanderMercy HighDaughter of
James Ocander, T&D Operations
Granddaughter of the lateTed Ocander, Retiree
July/August 2012 Flash 19
Nick PerkinsMillard West
Son ofCharles PerkinsT&D Operations
Ryan PinkertonTri-County High
DeWitt, Neb.Son of
Roberta PinkertonEconomic Development
Lindsey QuaasLewis Central HighCouncil Bluffs, Iowa
Daughter ofStew Quaas
Customer Sales & Service
Ashley QuadeMillard South High
Daughter of John QuadeCustomer Sales & Service
Stepdaughter of Deb Nastase-Quade, Customer
Sales & Service
Cassidy RellerArchbishop Bergan High
Fremont, Neb. Son of Melanie Gade, Nuclear Performance
Improvement & SupportMark Reller, Nuclear Perfor-
mance Improvement & Support
Emily RenoBlair High
Daughter ofRayford Reno
FCS Plant Operations
Jordan PalmisanoPapillion-LaVista
South HighSon of
Mike PalmisanoT&D Operations
Lindsey PateBurke HighDaughter of
Jeff PateCustomer Service
Operations
Nicholas PaulsenPapillion-LaVista
South HighSon of
Mike PaulsenProduction Operations
Katelynn PerdueElkhorn South High
Daughter of Kathleen Perdue, Information Technology
Doug Perdue, Substation Opera-tions, Granddaughter of
Arlo Perdue, Retiree
David ReynoldsBellevue West High
Son ofRobert Reynolds
Customer Service Operations
Alyssa SheaLewis Central HighCouncil Bluffs, Iowa
Daughter ofShannon Shea
Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support
Blayne RobertsSyracuse-Dunbar-Avoca
HighSyracuse, Neb.
Son ofJim Roberts
T&D Operations
Jeremy ShipleyPlatteview High
Son ofRoger Shipley
Production Operations
Heather SchollPlattsmouth High
Daughter ofJoe Scholl
Production Operations
Ryan RoenigkBlair High
Son ofRichard Roenigk
Nuclear Engineering
Ingrid SlettenPlattsmouth HighHost daughter of
Joe SchollProduction Operations
Taylor SchorschPlatteview High
Daughter ofBrad Schorsch
Facilities Management
Justin SchimmerValley Vista High
Surprise, Ariz.Grandson ofMike Everts
Retiree
Emily SmithCentral HighDaughter ofKevin Smith
FCS Plant Operations
Craig ScottMillard West High
Grandson ofJim Stock
Retiree
Tyler SchulzeMillard West High
Son ofKevin Schulze
T&D Operations
Jordan O’NealGretna High
Son ofLee O’Neal
Production Engineering & Technical Support
Nicholas OlsenMillard North High
Son ofCarl Olsen
Human Resources
20 Flash July/August 2012
Mallory SpargenAshland-Greenwood
HighDaughter of
Stephen SpargenSubstation Operations
Darrick SpilkerElkhorn High
Son ofJeffrey Spilker
Nuclear Engineering
Austin StanekMillard North
Son ofChristopher StanekNuclear Engineering
Grandson ofJack Stanek, Retiree
Zachary SteinLeesville HighRaleigh, N.C.Grandson ofJoseph Stein
Retiree
Dennis StilleAshland-Greenwood
HighSon of
Kevin StilleFacilities Management
Lisa SvobodaMillard South High
Daughter ofMike Svoboda
Information Technology
Ashleigh TetenSyracuse-Dunbar-Avoca
HighSyracuse, Neb.Daughter ofKurt Teten
T&D Operations
Michael ThurberBurke High
Son ofJohn Thurber
Finance
Audra WetroskyNebraska City High
Daughter ofDave Wetrosky
Production Operations
Malcolm WillettWestside High
Son ofJoseph Willett
FCS Plant Operations
Kelsey WilliamsCentral HighDaughter of
Lyle WilliamsT&D Operations
Jordyn WollenburgGretna HighDaughter of
Jeff WollenburgSubstation Operations
Mariah YoungBlair High
Granddaughter ofBill Hayes
Information Technology
Mitchell YoungGrand Island High
Son ofDonald Young
Information Technology
Taya ZagurskiBurke HighDaughter of
Laurie ZagurskiCorporate Marketing &
Communications
Bryan ZankBenson High
Son ofTerry Zank
Corporate Marketing & Communications
Tyler BorcykUniversity of Nebraska
LincolnSon of
Dan BorcykFacilities Management
Erich BrandeauMIT
Cambridge, Mass.Son of
John BrandeauNuclear Engineering
Nicholas BrigantiUniversity of Nebraska
LincolnSon of
Rick BrigantiProduction Engineering
& Technical Support
Anthony ChaseUniversity of Nebraska
LincolnSon of
Todd ChaseCustomer Sales & Service
2012 College
Five Franco Grandchildren Among Those Receiving Degrees
Five grandchildren of retiree Fred Franco earned college degrees. The graduates are Barbara, Kathleen and Timothy Franco, along with Elizabeth and Luke Doyle.
"We are very proud," said Fred, 84, who retired in 1993 after 41 years at OPPD. He and his wife have six children and 25 grandchildren.
July/August 2012 Flash 21
Teri DixonMaster’s
Bellevue UniversityEmployee
Information Technology
Timothy FrancoUniversity of Nebraska
KearneyGrandson ofFred Franco
Retiree
Emma HansenUniversity of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyo.Daughter ofJon HansenExecutive
Nicole JewellBellevue UniversityGranddaughter of
Orval “Pork” RobbinsRetiree
Luke DoyleCardinal Glennon College
St. Louis, Mo.Grandson ofFred Franco
Retiree
Luke GabrielUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaEmployee
Customer Service Operations
Son of Tom GabrielT&D Operations
Noah HoffmanUniversity of Nebraska
LincolnSon of
James HoffmanFCS Plant Operations
Brian KelloggMaster’s
Technical UniversityMunich, Germany
Son of Richard Kellogg
Retiree
Jennifer IwanskiMaster’s, UNO
Employee, Customer Service Operations (CSO)
Wife of Mike Iwanski (CSO), Daughter of Robin
Linhart (CSO)
Allison KozenyColorado State
Fort Collins, Colo.Daughter of Laddie Kozeny
T&D OperationsGranddaughter of
Don Schleich, Retiree
Barbara FrancoKaplan UniversityGranddaughter of
Fred FrancoRetiree
Kellen GoldbergMaster’s
University of NebraskaMedical Center
Grandson ofVerdell Goldberg
Retiree
Elizabeth DoyleCreighton UniversitySchool of PharmacyGranddaughter of
Fred FrancoRetiree
Laura GabrielMetropolitan
Community CollegeDaughter ofTom Gabriel
T&D Operations
Kayla HodgsonMaster’s
College of St. MaryDaughter of
Randy HodgsonFCS Plant Operations
Kaitlin JusticeSouth Dakota State
Brookings, S.D.Daughter ofAdam Justice
FCS Plant Operations
Michael FermMaster’s
Creighton UniversityEmployee
Nuclear Site Operations
Cindy GodfreyBellevue University
EmployeeCustomer Service
Operations
Brittany HoockPeru State College
Daughter ofKim Hoock
Facilities Management
Lindsey KendrickUniversity of Nebraska
LincolnDaughter of
Shelley KendrickMaterial Management
Brooke JennyUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaDaughter of
Patrick JennyProduction Operations
Julia KrejciUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaDaughter ofBernie Krejci
Retiree
Kathleen FrancoCreighton University
Granddaughter ofFred Franco
Retiree
James GoodroadUniversity of Nebraska
LincolnSon of
Liz Goodroad, OPPD Credit Union
22 Flash July/August 2012
Cayla KurtenbachCreighton University
Daughter of Dale Kurtenbach
Substation Operations
Andrew PeacockMaster’s
Bellevue UniversityEmployee
Operations Analysis
Megan RiderUniversity of Nebraska
Medical SchoolCollege of Nursing
Daughter ofAlison Rider
Retiree
Jeanie ShipmanUniversity of Nebraska
Medical CenterCollege of Pharmacy
Wife ofJonathan Shipman
System Planning & Cost Management
Nicholas MatthewsColorado School of Mines
Golden, Colo. Son ofDeborah Matthews, FCS Plant
Operations, Thomas Matthews, Retiree, Grandson of
Norman Marfice, Retiree
Stephen PonecUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaSon of
Dave PonecCustomer Service
Operations
Jason SandeneCreighton University
School of LawSon of
Tom Sandene Nuclear Engineering
Tess StrongCapitol School of
Hairstyling & EstheticsGranddaughter of
Roland StrongRetiree
Videgla SekpeMaster’s
University of NebraskaOmaha
EmployeeT&D Operations
Kevin Van WinkleMaster’s
Creighton UniversitySon of
Doug Van WinkleBusiness Planning &
Analysis
Averi NissenNorthwestern College
Orange City, IowaDaughter ofTim Nissen
Substation Operations
Mark PurnellPh.D. in Organization &
ManagementCapella University
Minneapolis, Minn.Employee
Customer Sales & Service
Alex ManningUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaSon of
Laura ManningSystem Planning & Cost
Management
Tyler PercifieldUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaSon of
Brad PercifieldT&D Operations
Richard RiderUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaSon of
Alison RiderRetiree
Sarah SmithUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaDaughter of
Michael SmithFCS Plant Operations
Jared McCleskeyUniversity of Nevada
Reno, Nev.Grandson of
Bob DeMeulmeesterRetiree
Sara PrinceUniversity of Nebraska
Medical CenterCollege of Pharmacy
Daughter ofPatrick Prince
Information Technology
Kyle SchulzeUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaSon of
Kevin SchulzeT&D Operations
Lisa TesarekUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaDaughter ofJohn Tesarek
Retiree
Carrie SeveraUniversity of Nebraska
Medical SchoolCollege of Nursing
Daughter ofLarry Lees
Nuclear Engineering
Scott Van WinkleUniversity of Nebraska
LincolnSon of
Doug Van WinkleBusiness Planning &
Analysis
Lance ParraUniversity of North
DakotaGrand Forks, N.D.
Son ofErnie Parra
Fuels
Jessica ReillyUniversity of Nebraska
OmahaDaughter of
Tom Reilly, Jr.Substation Operations
July/August 2012 Flash 23
NOT PICTURED
People
May-June Service Anniversaries35 YearsCarolyn McClean, ExecutiveRonnie Miller, Production Operations
30 YearsRick Briganti, Production Engineering & Technical SupportMichael Burggraf, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportJean Corey, FinancePatrick Duckworth, T&D Operations James Foley, System Planning & Cost Management Liz Goodroad, OPPD Credit UnionPete Hanger, FuelsRay Janiak, Facilities ManagementRonald Johansen, Facilities Management Julie Kalasky, Substation OperationsGlenn Mathis, T&D OperationsJohn Mayhan, System Planning & Cost ManagementRobert Plath, Corporate AuditingJon Ressler, Facilities ManagementJeri Shelor, Customer Service OperationsTheodore Thompson, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsJohn Tucker, System Planning & Cost ManagementMark Walker, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations
25 YearsCheryl Beck, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportRonald Beck, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsJoseph Benes, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsWilliam Blessie, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportDiane Cavenee, Production Operations Bill Hansher, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportSteven Kelley, Material Management
Ryan CallahanWayne State
Son ofGaylene CallahanT&D Operations
Arlo ChristensenBellevue University
EmployeeProduction Operations
Susie ChristensenMaster’s
Bellevue UniversityDaughter of
Cec ChristensenBusiness Planning &
Analysis
Steve HansenBellevue University
EmployeeT&D Operations
Husband of Melissa Hansen, Customer Service Operations
Jeff HansonMaster’s
Bellevue UniversityEmployee
Corporate Marketing & Communications
Holly Jenkins Master’s
University of PhoenixEmployee
Corporate Accounting
Joshua Bernasek Bellevue University
EmployeeT&D Operations
Ashley Bogle Master’s
University of NebraskaKearney
EmployeeCustomer Service
Operations
Melissa BojanskiCreighton University
Daughter ofGary Bojanski
Retiree
Robert ChristiansonBellevue University
EmployeeProduction Operations
Nicholas DanielBellevue University
EmployeeT&D Operations
Jeff FredricksMaster’s
University of NebraskaOmaha
EmployeeInformation Technology
Bryan LorenceMaster’s
Bellevue UniversityEmployee
Production Engineering & Technical Support
Roger ParkisonBellevue University
EmployeeProduction Operations
Brian Stolinski
Bellevue UniversityEmployee
Substation Operations
Kyle WillisIowa StateAmes, Iowa
Son ofSue Floerchinger
Corporate Auditing
Mark Puckett, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsChristina Ritz, Information TechnologyRichard Ronning, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsRichard Schmidt, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsRandal Veik, Production Operations
20 YearsKellie Blickenstaff, Energy Marketing & TradingKristy Grzywa, Customer Service OperationsGreg Hunzeker, Customer Sales & ServiceRonald Jorgensen, Facilities ManagementThomas Muff, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsAlex O’Brien, T&D OperationsHugh Pedersen, T&D OperationsJerry Webster, T&D Operations
15 YearsLillian Dawes, Information TechnologyCynthia Fellman, Human ResourcesCurtis Huston, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsSharyl McGuire, T&D OperationsGrete Scholz, T&D OperationsLeland Shubert, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsMichael Troia, Information TechnologyJonathan West, Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support
10 YearsChad Ballain, Customer Sales & ServiceTom Banks, Substation OperationsJulie Bissen, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations Steven Bley, Production Engineering & Technical SupportSteven Brink, Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support
Christopher Campos, Information TechnologyMichael Daniels, T&D OperationsJohn Ewing, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportMelissa Hansen, Customer Service OperationsJacob Hightower, T&D OperationsJoseph Kreifels, T&D OperationsKlint Kudlacek, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsAaron Madsen, Production OperationsCharles Mohrhauser, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportJason Pfaff, T&D OperationsScott Schaefer, Production OperationsJane Spires, Environmental & Regulatory AffairsRobert Swerczek, Nuclear EngineeringSue Vanecek, Information TechnologyDave Whisinnand, Information TechnologyJoseph Zagata, Nuclear Engineering
5 YearsMatthew Carson, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportTroy Crook, Production OperationsDustin Donohue, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportSherwood Ellis, Information TechnologyMichael Hilding, Information TechnologyMatthew Luczynski, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportYolanda Mitchell, Information TechnologyJustin Neumeister, Production Operations Thomas Schmeidler, Production Operations Sarah Schreiner, Information TechnologyNathan Seid, Fort Calhoun Station Plant OperationsJohn Vonderschmidt, Production Operations
24 Flash July/August 2012
People
Kellie Blickenstaff, Energy Marketer, Energy Marketing & Trading, retired June 1 with 20 years of service. Kellie joined OPPD in June 1992 as an engineer.
Damon Castrop, Senior Mar-ket Research Specialist, Cor-porate Marketing & Commu-nications, retired June 1 with 33 years of service. Damon joined OPPD in November 1979 as a planning analyst.
Randy De George, Right-of-Way Coordinator, Substation Operations, retired June 1 with 33 years of service. Randy joined OPPD in May 1979 as junior clerk.
Ed Jackson, Division Man-ager, Material Management, retired June 1 with 28 years of service. Ed joined OPPD in January 1984 as a systems specialist.
Terry James, Desktop Technician II, Information Tech-nology, retired June 1 with 34 years of service. Terry joined OPPD in May 1978 as a junior clerk.
Stanley Montemayor, Operations Training Specialist, Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support, retired June 1 with 21 years of service. Stan joined OPPD in June 1991 as helper.
Dave Perez, Manager, Material Control and Ware-house, Material Management, retired June 1 with 38 years of service. Dave joined OPPD in October 1974 as a utility man.
Rhonda Schonscheck, Accounting Clerk II, Corporate Auditing, retired June 1 with 23 years of service. Rhonda joined OPPD in July 1989 as a stenographer.
Diane Therkildsen, Opera-tions Clerk III, T&D Opera-tions, retired June 1 with 14 years of service. Diane joined OPPD in August 1998 as a junior clerk.
Joseph Turecek, Substation Crew Leader, Substation Operations, retired June 1 with 25 years of service. Joe joined OPPD in December 1987 as a laborer.
Retirees
DeathsServices were held May 25 for Charles “Swede” Lambert, 93. Swede retired in July 1983 as a working foreman in the Electric Operations’ Build-ing Services Department. He worked on the Enola Gay at the Martin Bomber Plant and
was a member of the Omaha Softball Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marian; sons Rick (Jan), Craig (Gale), Jay (Debra) and Todd (Diana); 12 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Services were held April 23 for Charles R. McLain, 83. Charles retired in June 1990 as a Shift Supervisor-Omaha Stations in Production Operations. He proudly served in World War II. Charles is survived by his wife of 58 years, Margaret; children, Mike (Diane), Charlie (Stephanie), Cathy (Craig), Curtis (Kim), and Chris (Sherrie); 15 grandchildren; and 11 great grandchil-dren.
Services were held for Harold “Pete” Petersen, 83. Harold retired in September 1994 as a working line crew leader at the Ashland Office. He is survived by his wife, Charlene; daughter, Nancy (Rick) Fisher; sons, Douglas (Cynthia),
Daniel and Patrick (Nicole); grandchildren, Jessica, Kelli Jo, Nate, Brian, Ellie and Sam; sisters, Marcy (Robert) Mann and Shirley (Tom) Burkirk; brother, Corky (Linda) and many nieces and nephews.
Services were held June 30 for Sharon Melody, 61. Sharon joined OPPD in July 1981 as a word processing operator and at the time of death held the position of Executive Administrative Assis-tant in the Executive Office. She is survived by her hus-band, Michael; sister, Donna (Raymond) Novak; brother
Louis (Debra); nephews, Scott and Louis and nieces, Alison and Sarah.
High-Voltage ClubBy Sharon DickmanLinda Whitaker recently had a grandson visit her from Vancover, Canada. The two of them then trav-eled to Silversprings, Maryland, to visit Linda’s son and family. A great time was had by all... Darrell Lundy reports his knee surgery went well and Tom Urwin had a heart valve replacement. They both report it is hard to keep OPPD retirees down… Dawn and Steve Miner had a visit from their son, Justin, and his family from Green Bay, Wisconsin. They went to the Henry Doorly Zoo, attended Springfield Days and spent time with family and friends… Clifford Peterson, along with two of his car bud-dies, will be driving to Minneapolis in their ’55, ’56 and ’57 Chevys. They are keeping their fingers crossed they make it up and back home without any problems… A reminder to all retirees that the High Voltage Club is open to all of you. Please contact Carl Martens at 402-392-2224 or Kathy Lindner at 402-332-2803. The club meets on the third Tuesday of the month.
SympathiesAshley Bogle, Customer Service Operations, for the death of her grandfather.
Vern Halverson, retiree, for the death of his wife, Patricia.
Craig Lambert, Production Operations, for the death of his father, Charles “Swede” Lambert, retiree.
Dohn Little, FCS Plant Operations and Tammy Little, Customer Service Operations, for the death of Dohn’s father.
Heath Otte, Customer Service Operations, for the death of his grandfather.
2012 High-Voltage Club officers are (from left to right) Carl Martens - President, Shirley Strong - Treasurer, Kathy Lindner (sharing President’s Office), Elaine Sundahl - Secretary and Dan Hedrick - Vice President.
CeCe and Chuck Carlson spent two weeks in April touring Ireland with friends from Minne-sota. They traveled by motor coach all the way around the perimeter. Many sites were seen and they were able to kiss the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle. They are looking forward to many more adventures in the future.
July/August 2012 Flash 25
The OPPD Society of Engineers (OSE) Board congratulates the following employees who obtained their Professional Engineer (PE) certificate. Mike Herzog, Mark Pohl, Adam Gartner, Thomas Pham, Zach Johnston, Ryan Le. Not Pictured: Aaron Madsen and Matthew Shriver. The professional engineering certification is designed for engineers who have gained at least four years post-college work experience in their chosen engineering discipline and requires passing an eight-hour exam. There are over 6,000 professional engineers registered in the state of Nebraska. Photo by Amanda Underwood.
OPPD participated in the Gateway to the West Days parade in Blair on June 9. The parade honored the many companies and families impacted by last year’s historic flooding along the Missouri River. Many employees and their family members walked alongside an OPPD service truck, carrying a banner thanking the Blair community and area residents for supporting Fort Calhoun Station, especially during and after the flood.
OPPDConnect for Android is now available on the Google Play Store. The new app features:
•Reporthomeand streetlight outages •Viewtheoutagemap •Viewenergy-efficiency tips and videos •Accessresidential
products and services information
•ContactOPPDbyphoneorfindanoffice location on a map
•ViewOPPDCarestweets
The OPPD app for the Android debuts on July 3.
New App for Android Delivers Mobile Access to Key Resources
®
®PRESORTED STANDARD
US POSTAGE PAID OMAHA NE PERMIT NO. 97
444 South 16th Street Mall Omaha, Nebraska 68102-2247
Address Service Requested
Flood of MemoriesThe one-year anniversary of the Missouri River flood of 2011 served as a reminder of the unyielding efforts by employees in one of the company’s finest hours.
The early days of June marked the first anni-versary of the Missouri River flood of 2011, triggering vivid memories of OPPD’s epic battle to preserve more than $3 billion in assets and ensure delivery of electricity in the midst of surging floodwaters, the likes of which had never been seen in more than a century of record-keeping.
While the flood posed one of the great-est threats ever faced by the company, the response of employees will be remembered as one of OPPD’s finest hours. Employees pro-vided a benchmark for weathering a crisis with hasty, yet perfectly executed strategy, supple-mented by sweat and back-straining labor.
For nearly four months, floodwaters were held in check by sandbags and other struc-tures erected to protect the company’s three baseload power plants, plus critical substa-tions and transmission and delivery lines. The financial costs were staggering $48 million for flood-protection measures and $35 million for replacement power – but the enduring legacy will be the unstinting efforts and sacrifices of employees.
“The flood touched off a very unsettled period for OPPD,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Gates. “Since then we have faced a number of trials and unique cir-cumstances. In fact, even today, very serious challenges remain for us.
“I want to thank each of you for how you
Record floodwaters brought a ded-icated and focused response from OPPD employees. The inset photo shows the plant as it is today.
have responded over the last 12 months. Because of your efforts, we have been able to do the things that needed to be done. I remain confident we will be able to do so in the future.”
Gary also likened the flood to being as close to war as we could ever be. “In such situations, those on the front lines often make sacrifices,” he said. “That is exactly what I saw from our employees. I saw dedicated and focused employees, determined to do whatever was necessary to rise above the occasion and to meet the challenges imposed upon us.”