A reliable choice for Oklahoma industry
Reliable connections… GRDA linemen at work in the MidAmerica Industrial Park. The Authority keeps a crew stationed adjacent to the park so that it can reduce response time and thus, downtime for customers, when line work needs to be completed. Maintaining high reliability for its MidAmerica customers has always been a priority for GRDA.
“I’ve worked at facilities all around the country but this is the only facility I’ve been at where we’ve never lost power.”
That comment was made by a participant during the annual meeting between the Grand River Dam Authority and its industrial customers in mid-February. That participant, a representative of one of GRDA’s industrial customers in the MidAmerica Industrial Park, was referring to the reliable reputation of GRDA power. It is something GRDA employees work hard to maintain in MidAmerica, which is home to all of GRDA’s industrial customers, including several Fortune 500 companies. In all, MidAmerica’s 80 resident-industries employ approximately 4,000 people while serving as an important economic engine for Oklahoma.
And it is an engine that is powered by abundant, reliable GRDA electricity, much of which is produced right there on the southern edge of MidAmerica, at the Grand River Energy Center (GREC). In fact, the existence of low-cost GRDA power and water were key factors in the creation of MidAmerica in 1960. Since that time both partners – GRDA and MidAmerica – have both expanded and developed to become primary components of a greater engine that helps to move the state’s economy forward.
However, producing the power is just one part of GRDA’s MidAmerica story. Responding to customer needs in a timely manner is just as important. For large industrial customers that operate round-the-clock, minimizing downtime is critical to their success. GRDA responds to this with an electric line maintenance crew that is stationed adjacent to MidAmerica. This greatly reduces response time and, in turn, helps minimize downtime.
For Team GRDA, positive feedback from customers serves not only as a boost, but also as a reminder about why the organization does what it does. Producing and supplying electricity to Oklahoma industries in the nation’s largest rural industrial park is a round-the-clock commitment that helps improve the quality of life, and the economy, for everyone who lives, works and plays in Oklahoma.
Headquartered in Vinita, GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, employees and efficiency.
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