Bob Crump Kootenai Electric Official Gets Charge Out Of Customer Service

If the power industry can be thought of as a sea, deregulation will be the typhoon that turns it into a roiling monster.

But the uncertain future doesn’t phase Bob Crump, who calmly pilots Kootenai Electric Cooperative on a low-cost course.

As a cooperative, KEC provides power to its 14,000 members in North Idaho and, unlike its larger investor-owned counterparts, doesn’t keep a profit.

“We’ve got our niche in the business,” Crump said from the remodeled KEC headquarters on the fringe of the Rathdrum Prairie. “We think our customer service sets us apart.”

Deregulation means that customers will likely have a choice from where they get their power. Crump, who has worked for every type and size of power company since the 1970s, doesn’t believe that the choice will mean people will pay less for power.

“They’ll get a choice, but they’ll pay more for that choice,” he said. “People really want that choice, however.”

The prospect of competing with the area’s power behemoth, Washington Water Power Co. of Spokane, doesn’t furrow Crump’s brow either.

Despite the fact that KEC has slightly higher power rates than WWP, the co-op looks to 2001 when it ends its power contract for 70 percent of its load with Bonneville Power Administration. Being able to shop for power for the co-op members could bring rates down, but WWP boasts the lowest rates of any company its size. “I’d like to be slightly lower than they are,” he said.

The two utilities have a quietly competitive relationship, sparring in court over WWP’s aggressive expansion into Idaho. “I think they watch what we do over here very closely,” Crump said. “I think we do some things over here that they think, ‘hey, we ought to do that.’ “

Crump’s hallmark has been to run the leanest co-op possible that still provides a human element. The KEC ship hallmark is lean and efficient, since Crump arrived nearly four years ago.

Crump worked nearly every aspect of the power business - engineering, accounting, systems analysis, wholesale power marketing - before his family decided to make the move to North Idaho.

Crump’s staff had no better chance to shine than during the ice storm last November.

KEC’s power grid took a similar and in some cases worse - beating that WWP’s. The co-op’s 1,200 miles of power lines are scattered far and wide in the Panhandle, making access in the freezing rain and snow nearly impossible.

KEC added phone lines and established its command center in its operations bay, so operators could hear exactly where line crews were.

“I thought we came out pretty well,” Crump said. “People who got through to our operators got answers about how long it could be.”

The storm cost KEC about $1.3 million, but much of that could be paid for by a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The utility has started the paperwork for the grant, which could take a while, but Crump is optimistic.

The co-op’s power grid took a severe hit. Dozens of transformers needing replacing, as well as 140 power poles snapped by falling trees and ice-weighted branches.

The storm hasn’t changed the way the utility runs, Crump said. A disaster plan developed after a windstorm in 1995 equipped the staff to handle the ice storm.

Having a relatively flat management structure helped KEC act fast in the storm. “We sent out for backup crews almost immediately. We knew early on what we were looking at.”

KEC Chairman of the Board William Boekel said he admires Crump’s forward-looking leadership and his willingness to communicate with members of the board.

“He’s very astute,” Boekel said. “He’s always available to us, 24 hours a day.”

A rate restructuring for KEC members recently lowered the average bill by up to 30 percent. Those who use only a little power or have a seasonal home on Lake Coeur d’Alene saw their bills rise, however, which brought some angry mail to Crump’s desk. He often tries to soothe customer problems himself, he said.

“I enjoy the challenges I see every day,” said Crump, 50. “They’re always different, with different solutions.”

Father of two boys, ages 11 and 14, he finds he doesn’t have enough time for his passion, flying radio-controlled model planes. “It sets me apart a little bit,” he said. “I really enjoy it.”

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