Dan Rodamaker knows that long-term planning is crucial for implementing new technology in the Valley.



Leading Gibson Electric Membership Corporation and Gibson Connect, LLC as President and CEO, Dan is focused on bringing innovation to his community to improve his members’ lives for decades to come.

“Gibson Electric and our broadband subsidiary, Gibson Connect, have provided high-speed, economically priced broadband access to our members throughout our 12-county service area. This has been a real game changer for our members and our communities. We’ve also utilized that network internally for communication between our offices and for providing business redundancies. The broadband network enables us to monitor and operate downline devices, which helps us serve our members better, utilize our personnel more efficiently, and keep our employees safer. Our pre-pay program has also been extremely successful. Roughly 25 percent of our members are now on PayGo. Not only has it helped reduce our bad debts, but it also has given our members the tools to make informed decisions about their energy use and energy expenditures. Giving people options about how they pay their bills and how they communicate with us is always a good thing, and it equips the members with information that empowers them to adjust their energy use and manage their cost.”

While innovative technology is crucial to the Valley’s future, Dan shared that partnering with Seven States has brought his team great value.

“Seven States has given distributors in the Valley a forum for collaboration. It has helped us to learn from one another. By offering programs that help to facilitate innovation and learning, Seven States makes it easier for distributors to take that path. A good example of this is the EV program. Adoption of EVs in rural areas will be slower than adoption in some of the more metropolitan areas. By helping those utilities that are on the leading edge of that technology, Seven States helps all of us learn how to best implement a successful EV program.”

When asked what advice he’d give to new managers, Dan shared that the power of collaboration is paramount in this industry.

“I’d encourage a new GM to take full advantage of the opportunity to collaborate with industry peers. One thing I appreciate about our industry is that we share freely – especially in the Valley. Using R&D (rip-off and deploy) enables us to all be more successful. Communication inside our own organizations is also key. Bringing our internal staff and board members along gets them excited about and invested in new technologies, and this process sets the stage for innovation. I’d advise a new CEO to embrace new technologies, but not just for the sake of using new technologies. There must be value to the membership.”