By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland Board of Public Works didn’t have to look far at all to find its new leader.
Bob Mulder, who has been BPW’s power supply and market operations manager for nearly eight years, will become BPW utilities manager effective on or around Sept. 18 of this year when current BPW General Manager Andrew Boatright’s retirement takes effect.
The BPW board of directors on Jan. 13 voted unanimously to offer the job to Mulder. The City Council, which has the final say on the offer, was expected Tuesday night to approve Mulder’s hiring. The outcome of the council vote was not known at the time the Zeeland Record went to press.
A six-member selection team had conducted an internal search for Boatright’s replacement since he announced last fall his plans to retire. Boatright wrote in a memo to the BPW board that the selection process “included highly qualified internal candidates.”
“This offer reflects the Board’s confidence in Mr. Mulder’s leadership, institutional knowledge, and demonstrated ability to manage complex utility operations,” Boatright wrote in his memo. “Mr. Mulder brings a strong combination of technical expertise, utility operations experience, and organizational leadership.”
Mulder joined BPW in March 2018, after 18 years as a control systems engineer at Holland Township-based Parkway Electric and Communications. In his current role at BPW, he has been responsible for the utility’s power supply, generation, procurement, transmission and delivery. He manages a power supply portfolio that serves more than 7,000 BPW customers, with annual energy requirements of about 470,000 megawatt-hours, a system peak of 91 megawatts and a $30 million supply budget.
“I’m incredibly humbled,” Mulder said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to lead this organization and play a larger role in that capacity, as I’ve been here for nearly eight years. I just want to continue to serve the community, serve the organization, serve the ratepayers in our community.”
“There’s a great foundation that’s been laid and work that has been done. We’re incredibly blessed in the community we’re in – great boards, great council support, great community support. There’s challenges ahead, for sure. We’ll see what we can do as we see load growth, both on the electric and the water side. We’re incredibly blessed to see the economic development we have in the community … I’m looking forward to working with our team and governing bodies to meet and address those needs,” Mulder added.
Mulder’s selection at utilities manager comes as BPW is updating its integrated resource plan, which will help guide the utility’s future decisions on power generation and supply. Several stakeholder working group meetings to address the IRP have been held since mid-November, and a report with recommendations is expected in March, Mulder said.
Boatright became general manager at BPW in January 2019, coming to Zeeland from Independence, Mo., where he served as deputy director and acting director for the city-owned electric utility there. He has also served as electric utility manager for the city of Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. He is a former chairman of the board of directors for the American Public Power Association, which represents municipal utilities across the country.
Mulder graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Kettering University in Flint, and has continued professional development in leadership and coaching, Boatright said.
Mulder will receive an annual base salary of $172,000 during the time that he serves as utility manager designee, with that salary to increase to $203,000 once he becomes utilities manager. He will also receive a $500 per month automobile allowance once he becomes utilities manager and will receive five weeks of vacation starting March 19, 2027. He must reside within 20 miles within the nearest city boundary as a condition of employment. He must be reappointed to his position each May by City Council, according to city documents.
“The … agreement is consistent with prior BPW executive employment structures, reflects market-competitive compensation, and is intended to support leadership continuity and organizational stability during this planned transition period,” BPW Board Chairwoman Linda Boerman wrote in a memo to the City Council.
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland Board of Public Works didn’t have to look far at all to find its new leader.
Bob Mulder, who has been BPW’s power supply and market operations manager for nearly eight years, will become BPW utilities manager effective on or around Sept. 18 of this year when current BPW General Manager Andrew Boatright’s retirement takes effect.
The BPW board of directors on Jan. 13 voted unanimously to offer the job to Mulder. The City Council, which has the final say on the offer, was expected Tuesday night to approve Mulder’s hiring. The outcome of the council vote was not known at the time the Zeeland Record went to press.
A six-member selection team had conducted an internal search for Boatright’s replacement since he announced last fall his plans to retire. Boatright wrote in a memo to the BPW board that the selection process “included highly qualified internal candidates.”
“This offer reflects the Board’s confidence in Mr. Mulder’s leadership, institutional knowledge, and demonstrated ability to manage complex utility operations,” Boatright wrote in his memo. “Mr. Mulder brings a strong combination of technical expertise, utility operations experience, and organizational leadership.”
Mulder joined BPW in March 2018, after 18 years as a control systems engineer at Holland Township-based Parkway Electric and Communications. In his current role at BPW, he has been responsible for the utility’s power supply, generation, procurement, transmission and delivery. He manages a power supply portfolio that serves more than 7,000 BPW customers, with annual energy requirements of about 470,000 megawatt-hours, a system peak of 91 megawatts and a $30 million supply budget.
“I’m incredibly humbled,” Mulder said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to lead this organization and play a larger role in that capacity, as I’ve been here for nearly eight years. I just want to continue to serve the community, serve the organization, serve the ratepayers in our community.”
“There’s a great foundation that’s been laid and work that has been done. We’re incredibly blessed in the community we’re in – great boards, great council support, great community support. There’s challenges ahead, for sure. We’ll see what we can do as we see load growth, both on the electric and the water side. We’re incredibly blessed to see the economic development we have in the community … I’m looking forward to working with our team and governing bodies to meet and address those needs,” Mulder added.
Mulder’s selection at utilities manager comes as BPW is updating its integrated resource plan, which will help guide the utility’s future decisions on power generation and supply. Several stakeholder working group meetings to address the IRP have been held since mid-November, and a report with recommendations is expected in March, Mulder said.
Boatright became general manager at BPW in January 2019, coming to Zeeland from Independence, Mo., where he served as deputy director and acting director for the city-owned electric utility there. He has also served as electric utility manager for the city of Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. He is a former chairman of the board of directors for the American Public Power Association, which represents municipal utilities across the country.
Mulder graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Kettering University in Flint, and has continued professional development in leadership and coaching, Boatright said.
Mulder will receive an annual base salary of $172,000 during the time that he serves as utility manager designee, with that salary to increase to $203,000 once he becomes utilities manager. He will also receive a $500 per month automobile allowance once he becomes utilities manager and will receive five weeks of vacation starting March 19, 2027. He must reside within 20 miles within the nearest city boundary as a condition of employment. He must be reappointed to his position each May by City Council, according to city documents.
“The … agreement is consistent with prior BPW executive employment structures, reflects market-competitive compensation, and is intended to support leadership continuity and organizational stability during this planned transition period,” BPW Board Chairwoman Linda Boerman wrote in a memo to the City Council.
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