6.1a1 ERMUSR 09-13-2022______________________________________________________________________________
Page 1 of 1
UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:
ERMU Commission
FROM:
Mark Hanson – Deputy General Manager
HEMEETING DATE:
September 13, 2022
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
6.1a1
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
• As I close out my first two months as ERMU’s deputy general manager, I am continually
impressed with the quality and professionalism of our people. I have thoroughly
enjoyed getting to know the staff on a more personal level and getting more involved in
the daily operations and initiatives.
• I’ve had the good fortune to learn about the landfill gas generation facility with Tom
Sagstetter, substations with Jon Wadsworth, meter reading with Jeff Murray,
underground boring with Russ Stuhr, and had several project updates and site visits for
our new field services building with Chris Kerzman. I’ve also had numerous
opportunities to meet with our incredibly impressive office staff. In the coming weeks, I
look forward to learning more about our distribution system with Scott Thoreson and
reviewing our water distribution and treatment systems with Dave Ninow.
• Through our strategic planning process, I’ve also had the opportunity to help identify
and prioritize current and future initiatives for our dashboard. Theresa Slominski has
done an exceptional job leading the management team through the planning process,
guiding discussions, and facilitating consensus. As we debated tasks, wording, and
prioritization, it was obvious the team is well-run, supportive of one another, and
committed to our long-term success.
• Outside of utility operations, I attended the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association
Summer Conference, Minnesota Municipal Power Agency board meetings, and plan to
attend Central Minnesota Power Agency Services annual meeting later this week
(September 14). I’ve also enjoyed getting to know the City’s leadership team by
attending Cal Portner’s weekly director meetings. Last but not least, I even got a
personal tour of the City’s wastewater treatment plant by Justin Femrite!
104