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Electric mobility seems to be everywhere these days, but does availability equal accessibility? Here at EWEB we’ve determined that the answer is ‘no’ and are working to bridge that gap through EV car shares, community grants and electric bike rebates.
Find Out MoreIn Eugene, we take pride in knowing we have one of the cleanest power portfolios in the nation. Roughly 90% of Eugene's power comes from carbon-free hydroelectric energy. And EWEB has a long history offering robust conversation programs. But we wanted to do more, so we launched Lead Green, a suite of programs for climate innovators looking to support renewable energy and take action on climate change. In the year since Lead Green was launched, we've accomplished a lot we can be proud of.
Find Out MoreNational Infrastructure Week (May 14-20) may be a politically charged quip on the national stage, but for EWEB, the urgency and importance of infrastructure is no joke.
Find Out MoreBy upgrading substations – key nodes in the electric grid – EWEB is investing today in a resilient electric grid for the future.
Find Out MoreA wrap up of the May 2nd EWEB Board of Commissioners Meeting
Find Out MoreEWEB employs multiple methods of safeguarding drinking water, from the source to the tap.
Find Out MoreThe application period is now open for the Electric Mobility Community Grants. Mobility Grants of up to $25,000 will be awared to five nonprofits, schools and academic intitutions, government and other public agencies to cover costs associated with their electric mobility projects.
Find Out MoreFollow along as the Currin Substation, the first of 10 substations in 10 years, is rebuilt from the ground up as part of EWEB's Capital Improvement Plan for major infrastructure investments to rehabilitate, replace, and install new infrastructure.
Find Out MoreThe EWEB Board of Commissioners discussed prefunding Leaburg, the 2022 State of the Watershed report, and the General Manager's performance evaluation at their April 4th, 2023 meeting.
Find Out MoreEWEB is excited to announce the eligible candidates for the 2023 Greenpower Grant! The winner of the Greenpower Grant will be voted on by Greenpower subscribers. Learn more about each origanization and their proposal before casting your vote.
Find Out MoreCrews are identifying and addressing equipment failures before wildfire season and doing so mitigates risk of fire ignition.
Find Out MoreCarbon is everywhere. But do we really understand what it is and what is being referred to when people mention it? We are taking it back to the basics in this article that breaks down carbon and explains what it is at it's most basic element and why we need to pay attention to it.
Find Out MoreAs a utility, EWEB is known for providing water and electricity to Eugene residents. But EWEB also operates the largest publicly owned open-access fiber network in Oregon. The infrastructure of underground fiber that connects high-speed internet in downtown Eugene needs to be maintained. Gretchen Lowen is the engineering technician who oversees changes or additions to EWEB’s fiber system.
Find Out MoreEWEB customers use more than twice as much water in the hot, dry summer months, compared to the cold, rainy winter months. The higher summer water use can almost assuredly be attributed to customers watering their lawns and gardens.
Find Out MoreThe EWEB Board of Commissioners meet on the first Tuesday of the month.
Find Out MoreAugust 15, 2016
Following 27 years working in a variety of engineering, marketing, finance and customer service jobs in the private sector, Frank Lawson decided to come home.
The South Eugene High School graduate wanted to be closer to his father and was interested in working for a customer-owned electric and water utility. He landed at EWEB as the electric systems engineering supervisor in 2010, and later served as the interim strategic and power planning manager.
When General Manager Roger Gray announced his departure earlier this year, Frank decided to pursue the position. EWEB commissioners, impressed with Frank's strategic vision and leadership, unanimously selected him in May to be the next general manager of Oregon's largest public utility.
"Working in a public organization where your intent is to help the community, and in our case the customers who are also the owners, is a tremendous responsibility," he said. "It's personally rewarding to do that in my hometown."
Frank's background is diverse. "I've worked in various sizes and types of organizations, the smallest being 80 people and the largest being 80,000 people," Frank said. "So, the different jobs and experiences I've had really help me understand how to get things done."
Frank knows the elected Board of Commissioners and the community have high expectations. Since taking over in late June, he has been workingwith the Board of Commissioners to implement a strategic vision that will guide EWEB through a rapidly changing and dynamic market place that will require utilities to become more efficient and nimble.
"Over the next 10 years, we'll prioritize working with our community and customers to develop strategic tools we can use to make everyday decisions," he said. "The value of strategy is it helps you decide what to do, but it also helps you decide what not to do."
Frank's plan for the next dozen or so years can be broken up into three overlapping phases.
Over the next few years, he wants EWEB to concentrate on building credibility with customers by making it easier and more affordable for them to interact with the utility. "It's key to develop and enhance trust with our customer-owners," Frank said. "Delivering water and electricity safely and reliably is critical in that effort."A second phase revolves around introducing new or enhanced services and new ways for customers to interact with EWEB." We need to better balance supply and demand by giving customers more flexible ways to do business with EWEB while giving them more control over their own energy and water use," he said.
A third component will be to capture value and deliver additional benefits to customers, Lawson said. "Are these new products and services really helping customers and are we able to return value to them?" he asked. "A lot of that value will be measured through the services and affordability of what we are offering."
Board President John Simpson said he expects Frank to lead the utility in a way that builds credibility and emphasizes the needs of customers.
"Frank Lawson's approach will deal directly with affordability, capture benefit, and return value to thecommunity," Commissioner Simpson said.
Frank plans to work with the Board of Commissioners and the community to develop strategic criteria that will also be used to guide key projects. EWEB has several large upcoming initiatives, including the development of an alternative water source and the relicensing of the Carmen-Smith hydroelectric project.
"We need to guide these projects based on how they impact our customers in terms of cost, social, and environmental impacts under both normal and new circumstances," Frank added. Both projects are large investments, and have substantial benefit to the community – especially when addressing vulnerabilities to our single water source or the Northwest electric grid.
Having spent almost three decades in the private sector where he worked to provide benefits for stockholders, Frank said he plans to make sure EWEB delivers the hallmarks of efficiency, accountability and affordability to the utility's customer-owners.
Frank said he's thrilled to be back in Eugene, where he's able to have lunch with his 91-year-old father, Herman, once a week. He has three grown daughters, and lives with his wife, Rhonda, and stepdaughter, Lily. He is an EWEB customer.
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