The Board of Directors invites applications for the position of CEO. The current CEO has announced his plan to retire, and the Board has engaged Holmes Executive Search LLC to facilitate the search process. Southern PPD is a public power district that plays a vital role in the quality of life in the communities it serves.
How to Apply:
Interested parties should direct their inquiries to Holmes Executive Search LLC and submit the following electronically: cover letter, resume, contact information for at least three references. All applications must be received by June 23, 2023, and submitted directly to:
Ken Holmes, CEO, Holmes Executive Search LLC
Ken@HolmesExecutiveSearch.com
Southern and other PPDs and Cooperatives were established in 1936 as part of the Rural Electric Act. That same year, a group of farmers in Phelps, Kearney and Adams Counties formed the Southern Nebraska Rural Public Power District and elected a Board of Directors, who applied for a $428,000 loan from the REA for the construction of electric power lines. Today they provide services which include residences, farms, businesses, industries, churches and schools. As a PPD, Southern operates similar to the Co-op model, however, they do not pay capital credits and have the ability to issue bonds.
The key difference between a PPD and a cooperative is that PPDs are publicly controlled by residents of a state or local area and run more like a municipal power system than a cooperative system. A cooperative is owned and operated by the customers they serve within their designated service area.
MISSION: To safely provide our customers with highly reliable and competitively priced electricity, superior customer service and innovative energy solutions.
The CEO position reports directly to the Board of Directors. Experience and an understanding of the CEO / Board relationship and PPD/cooperative governance is highly valued. The successful candidate will have a strong commitment to cooperative principles and to the core values of innovation, accountability, commitment to the community and integrity in order to serve the energy needs of our customers today and in the future.
The successful candidate must have excellent people, listening, and communication skills, a history of demonstrated leadership skills, management responsibilities and the ability to work effectively with a board. The capacity to think strategically while promoting cohesion and team building among the staff is paramount. The board expects the CEO to be able to build on current and establish new relationships with the capability to impact and influence others within the PPD, business arena and community. Keeping abreast of all pending and current industry changes and legislative issues impacting the PPD in order to purposefully plan is vital.
Experience with and a comprehensive understanding of all core business practice areas and processes within an electric distribution utility is expected. A minimum of five years of related utility senior management experience, preferably in a rural electric environment, is required. A degree from a four-year college or university is strongly preferred or equivalent education combined with relative work experience and an upward career progression.
Southern is a summer peaking system at approximately 350 MW, with a customer density of 3.8 meters/mile, $90 million in revenue (70% irrigation and industrial) and modest growth. A full-time staff of 100 employees provides electric service to over 27,000 customers which includes over 9,000 irrigation services. Southern has five service centers that maintain more than 7,100 miles of overhead, underground and subtransmission lines, with 78 substations located throughout the District’s 4,028 square mile service area. Southern purchases its power through a long-term wholesale power contract from Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) of Columbus, Nebraska.
Southern’s chartered service area is predominately a strong agricultural economy and extends through the rural areas of seven counties including Adams, Franklin, Hall, Hamilton, Kearney, Merrick, Phelps and a small portion of Clay County. Southern also provides retail service to 20 small towns and villages and serves 4 additional towns at wholesale within their service area.
The home office is in Grand Island, Central Nebraska’s Platte River Oasis, offers tourist attractions, an active trade center, employment opportunities, and human service programs to the agriculturally based area population.
Located in the center of the State, Grand Island is accessible to traffic from Interstate-80, US Highways 281, 30, and 34, and Nebraska Highway 2, as well as the Central Nebraska Regional Airport. It is known as the retail hub of central Nebraska, offering lodging, dining, shopping, entertainment, service programs, and information to the 30-plus rural communities in a 90-mile surrounding area.
Grand Island is the fourth largest city in Nebraska, with an estimated population of 50,000. The community also serves residents in much of rural Nebraska including an area of over 10,000 square miles with an estimated population of over 100,000. Incorporated in 1872, Grand Island has a rich history reflected today in the stability of the community and the outstanding quality of life for its residents.
More than 90 manufacturing plants provide jobs for over 7,000 people, drawing from a rural population base of talented and diverse workers.
Southern offers a comprehensive benefits package and a salary structure commensurate with qualifications and representative of the market. Interested parties should direct their inquiries to Holmes Executive Search LLC and submit the following electronically: cover letter, resume, contact information for at least three references. All applications must be received by June 23, 2023, and submitted directly to:
Ken Holmes, CEO, Holmes Executive Search LLC
Ken@HolmesExecutiveSearch.com
785-452-0495
Southern PPD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
All replies are confidential.
