Matanuska Electric Association: growing an enduring electric cooperative.

• Author: Sharpe, Margaret
• Position: Alaska's Top 49ers: Featured 49er

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The grease that makes our economy run." That is the phrase General Manager Joe Griffith uses to describe the service that Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) provides. With an economy operating in an environment that is mostly cold and oftentimes dark, that description is apt. MEA has kept the pace with the fastest growing region in Alaska, keeping the technology and the energy product secure, safe, and reliable.

MEA is Alaska's oldest and second largest electric cooperative, with forty seven thousand members and fifty-eight thousand points of service that span north past Talkeetna, over to the Matanuska Glacier, and south to Eagle River. Griffith came on board in 2009--bringing his broad understanding of the electric power industry and a long history of dealing with energy issues in the Railbelt--and made some serious headway. "In four short years, we have become a respectable, large corporate entity in the state, and I'm very proud of the accomplishment," he says. He quickly adds, "I didn't do it myself, I just gave people the ability to do it, let them run--and they did."

When asked to describe his influence on MEA, Griffith tells stories of accomplishment, but they all begin with "we" did this or that. He credits the employees with the success of the company and describes them as "a workforce that is tickled to be here and enjoys their work." He sometimes has to "run them off" in the evening hours to get them to go home.

Kevin Brown, communications manager for MEA, agrees with Griffith's assessment, saying that "at about 6 p.m., Joe is routinely walking through the building and telling employees to go home." Brown also cites commitment to quality service as a source of success. "MEA is entirely built on customer service, and it shows in everything we do. It's just central to our identity, no matter what department you work in."

Planning for Growth

"We have taken MEA from a ... relatively small distribution utility to a vertically integrated generation transmission distribution utility that is state of the art in most and many areas," Griffith says. Growth areas include "information technology and engineering, and the build-out of our transmission system. And our fleet of vehicles has been upgraded from many piles of junk just a few years ago to a pretty respectable fleet today." All of these improvements have contributed to the company's success.

Alaska's future economy is certainly up for debate, but Griffith...