Have you ever received a notification from United Power informing you of a “planned outage?” You may have wondered, “What is a planned outage?” and “Why does my electric utility need to perform one?” Occasionally, the equipment we use to bring power to your home needs to be replaced, repaired, or updated. When this happens, as a way to keep our crews and you safe, we plan an interruption to electric service.

We do our best to plan these outages during times when members will be the least inconvenienced. We also try to avoid planning these outages during winter or summer months. We understand these are peak times of the year when you depend on running your heating and cooling units the most.

While they may sound slightly inconvenient, planned outages are actually beneficial to you. Regular system upgrades are necessary for optimal performance, and they increase reliability. Repairing and upgrading our equipment is also critical to maintaining public safety. If older lines need to be replaced, we plan for it, repair or replace it, and that keeps everyone safe.

Planned outages also allow us to keep you informed of when and how long you will be without power. In most cases, we will notify you in advance, by telephone, before an outage, so you can be prepared.

We will also keep you aware of when line crews will be working in your area. Here at United Power, we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep you safe and to keep our system running smoothly. So the next time you hear about a planned outage, know that it is one of the best ways we can provide you with quality electric service.

Brighton, CO – United Power announced that Laurie Rydwell has been selected to fill the position of Chief Financial Officer for the electric cooperative. The position has been vacant since the promotion of John Parker to CEO in July.

“We are excited to bring such a qualified candidate to our cooperative in this key leadership position,” stated John Parker, United Power CEO. “Laurie brings both experience and expertise to our cooperative. Her background in utilities, coupled with her strong technical background in finances will be a valuable addition to United Power.”

Rydwell most recently worked as Controller at Summit Utilities in Littleton, Colorado. Summit Utilities is a privately-held holding company that owns and operates several natural gas distribution and transmission subsidiaries. Prior to her work with Summit, Rydwell held several positions at Xcel Energy in Denver, managing the accounting operations for revenue, transmission, commercial, and settlements during her tenure.  A native of Anchorage, Alaska, her history there included work as a controller for both energy and investment firms, and work as a Chief Financial Officer for an asset management firm in Anchorage.  Rydwell is a graduate of the University of Alaska, with a degree in Business Administration, and is a certified public accountant in both Alaska and Colorado.

The United Power Board of Directors has appointed Keith Alquist to the board. A Brighton resident for more than 25 years, Alquist was selected from a strong slate of candidates that submitted applications for consideration. Alquist will fill the South District seat vacated by the resignation of Bob Grant in August, and serve the remaining term, just over two years.

“The selection of Keith to fill this board seat is a win for the cooperative members,” stated James Vigesaa, Board President. “Keith brings a rich background in cooperative business and an intimate knowledge of the United Power community to this position.”

Alquist served as Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer for the American Pride Co-op for more than 20 years, retiring after the co-op merged with Agfinity in 2012. In this position he served cooperative members throughout Brighton, Ft. Lupton, Hudson and Mead. He is a long-term member of the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives (NSAC) which also serves electrical cooperatives. Also an active community member, Alquist is a member of the Brighton Rotary club, which spearheads a Read-to-Me project at South Elementary, a dictionary project for third graders, and the distribution of U.S. Constitution booklets to fifth graders.

“I believe in meeting challenges ‘head-on’ and getting them resolved before they become serious issues,” stated Alquist. “I also believe in long-range planning for the future to identify issues, whether they are supply, generation, environmental, or regulatory issues, and be ready to face these issues before they become insurmountable.”