It is a challenging time to be an international leader. Leaders have never faced so many challenges: high customer expectations; inflationary pressures; the Great Resignation and its impact upon the fight for talent; supply chain problems and other issues that affect our businesses every day.
It can be overwhelming, even before you consider the other major challenge facing the world today: the care of the environment and stewardship.
Leaders are not afraid to face these challenges.
As we face the changes in our business environment, we all are changing our processes as well as our expectations.
We are constantly looking for new ways to attract and retain talent.
Working from home is only one aspect of our business. We know that our employees are more demanding than ever in terms of pay, benefits, and career opportunities.
These changes are being accepted by successful leaders, even though they challenge long-held traditions.
In the same manner, we all need to challenge ourselves to find ways to be better caretakers for the world in which we live. It is encouraging to see that there has been a lot of progress in this area.
Every day, KUB has a direct impact on our environment. We collect and treat 36,000,000 gallons of wastewater each day and return it to the river clean, safe, and healthy.
We drive around 4 million miles per year in our vehicles, and almost 25% of our fleet uses cleaner alternative fuels to standard gasoline and diesel.
Our facilities are energy-efficient, including a LEED-certified and Energy Star-certified building. We also have two solar arrays that generate 130 MWh each year.
The services we offer our customers also impact the environment.
We took a major step forward in 2019 by announcing that we would purchase 502 MW of solar power from TVA under its Green Invest program. At full buildout, this will mean that approximately 20% of KUBs annual electrical load will be generated from clean, renewable power. This puts us in the company with global brands like GM and Google (Facebook).
We are seeing a growing commitment by our customers to do their bit too. KUB now has more than 300 solar installations that have been purchased by customers and are interconnected with our electric grid, providing 7 MW to customers who have made a commitment to clean energy.
Even customers without solar panels are making a difference. They are improving their energy efficiency and changing their lifestyles.
We are fortunate to have strong partners, especially for those with low incomes.
KUBs Round It Up was born from a community effort to find the best way to help low-income customers pay their utility bills while also improving the environment. This voluntary program, which is funded by donations from customers, funds weatherization and energy efficiency for low-income customers.
We have improved over 2000 homes in the last seven years with the help of community partners such as CAC, the City of Knoxville, and TVA. And we have established long-term funding that will continue this work.
When faced with uncertain futures, good leaders dig deep and seek the right answers. KUB has always tried to be good stewards and have worked hard to help customers. We are grateful to be able to work with other leaders in the community to make this a better community for everyone.
Gabe Bolas serves as the president/CEO for the Knoxville Utilities Board. He was elected in October 2018.
