Light Reading - August 2021

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August 2021

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2021 scholarship recipients announced

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Avoid scams

Chad Jensen retires after nine Jasen Bronec named new Power CEO of years of service to Inland Inland & Light.Power & Light.

Passing the torch Inland Power hires new chief executive officer upon Jensen’s retirement.

A

changing of the guard is underway at Inland Power.

Your Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Jasen Bronec has been selected to be the next chief executive officer of the cooperative effective August 23, 2021.

“We are thrilled to announce that Jasen Bronec is joining our team,” said Randy Suess, Inland Power’s board president. “He brings strong industry expertise and is an excellent leader. I am confident that under

his leadership, our team will continue to deliver solid financial performance and superior customer service to our members.”

Bronec previously worked in the Northwest as CEO of Glacier Electric Cooperative in Montana.

Previously, Bronec was the CEO of Delta Montrose Electric Association, a position he held since 2014. Delta Montrose Electric Association is an electrical distribution cooperative that serves 32,000 meters on the Western Slope of Colorado and was very active in renewable energy development, power supply, energy efficiency, economic development and bringing broadband internet services to the region. Furthermore,

Prior to joining the Cooperatives, Bronec worked for SSR Engineers, an engineering consulting firm in Missoula, Montana.

Then, later moved on to work for the Power System Division of General Electric in Schenectady, New York.

Bronec was raised on a farm and ranch in northcentral Montana. His rural background has allowed for a unique Continued inside

OUR

mission

IS OUR

members.

– M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T

2021 Scholarship Recipients

Aaron Nolting Greenacres, WA Montana State University

Madeline Scrupps Ritzville, WA University of Idaho

Hope Storro Valleyford, WA Eastern Washington University

Christina Ward Latah, WA Washington State University

Lily Allen Spokane Valley, WA Grand Canyon University

Briella Bell Spokane Valley, WA Princeton University

Sydney Arnsen Spokane, WA University of Washington

Andrew Nordhagen Mead, WA Stanford University

Erika Piotrowski Spokane, WA Gonzaga University

Carson Tee Latah, WA University of Wyoming

Lauren O’Callaghan Spokane, WA University of Arizona

Ashley Nolting Fairchild Airforce Base Washington State University

Ben Kiehn Greenacres, WA Montana State University

Sydney Berquist LaCrosse, WA Montana State University

Tanner Schenk Annalee Cox Spokane, WA Colfax, WA Spokane Falls Community College Washington State University

Don’t be scammed!

Continued from front page

connection with rural cooperative as Jasen and the rest of the impressive members. Bronec looks to use his Inland Power team continue to build upon experience in the Pacific Northwest and our legacy.” connection to Inland Power rural members would like to “I have been fortunate to to re-engage thank Chad work with such incredible and renew Jensen for his relationships years of dedicated and dedicated employees, within the to the management team and board service region. cooperative.

He is a of trustees. I am proud of what graduate of we have accomplished and look Montana State University with forward to future achievements a Bachelor as Jasen and the rest of the of Science impressive Inland Power team in Electrical Engineering continue to build upon our and an MBA legacy.” from the School of ~ Chad Jensen Business Administration, University of Montana.

His leadership and knowledge have propelled Inland Power to being one of the top electric cooperatives in the nation. We wish him the very best in retirement.

Bronec and his wife, Kari, have two sons, Kyler (19) and Teigan (13) and a daughter, Hailey (17). The family is looking forward to moving to the Spokane area.

Bronec will succeed Chad Jensen who announced his retirement to the board in late 2020 after serving as Inland Power’s CEO for the past nine years.

“It has been a privilege to serve this community and our members,” Jensen said. “Our mission is our members and in addition to great service, our members enjoy some of the lowest rates in the country. I have personally witnessed this utility perform at the highest of levels, reaching many milestones not thought possible just a few short years ago. As such, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to our dedicated employees who work tirelessly to provide exceptional service to our members and to each other.

I have been fortunate to work with such incredible and dedicated employees, management team and board of trustees.

I am proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to future achievements

Every day, millions of Americans are targeted by scammers through phone calls, emails, text messages, online or in person.

Inland Power members are constantly targeted with scammers demanding immediate payment and threatening to shut off power if the money is not received.

Here are a few reminders on how to take control of the situation when you’ve been targeted by a scammer: •

Take your time. Utility scammers try to create a sense of urgency so that you’ll act fast and hand over personal information, especially over the phone. Take a moment to think about the situation before acting.

•

Be suspicious. Scammers typically request immediate payments through prepaid debit cards or third-party apps. Unusual requests like this should raise red flags. Remember, if the request seems strange and out of the ordinary, you’re likely being targeted by a scammer.

•

Confirm before you act. If you’re contacted by someone claiming to represent Inland Power but you’re unsure, just hang up the phone and call the utility directly. You can reach us at (509) 789-4277 to verify the situation.

Our increasingly connected world provides scammers with many more opportunities to connect with unsuspecting consumers.

Be vigilant and please report any utility scams to Inland Power so we can let others in our community know. Together, we can help prevent our friends and neighbors from being victimized.

Chad Jensen retires after nine years of service to Inland Power & Light.

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Inland Power awards 2021 scholarships

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nland Power and Light is proud to announce this year’s scholarship recipients.

We at Inland Power and Light believe this year’s recipients of the Inland Power Excellence Award have both intelligence and character and are on their way to making our world a brighter place. These young people have excelled both academically and as philanthropists in our communities.

Since 1992, Inland Power has proudly helped fund our top youth in their quest for higher education.

Each year, Inland Power awards a minimum of 15 - $1,000 scholarships. Students may apply this scholarship to further education at a community college, university or trade school.

This year, the committee awarded scholarships to 16 students.

Applications were judged by members of the Inland Power Community Foundation committee. Judges reviewed applications with students’ names redacted to ensure the integrity of the judging process.

Students were evaluated on grades, essay, personal profile and letters of recommendation. For their essay, students were able to choose from six different topics

ranging from the economy and technology, to current events and their specific career choice.

The selection process was not an easy one with 65 highly qualified applicants.

The futures of all our applicants are indeed bright.

Inland Power applauds success and we know these students are on their way to bright careers and lives. We are proud of them and can’t wait to see what they accomplish in their respective new chapters.

If you know a deserving student who is eligible for an Inland Power scholarship, check out our scholarship page, which can be found under the “Community” tab at inlandpower.com.

This year’s recipients are listed inside.