Columbus, OH: Joe Price, village administrator for the Village of Grafton and member of multiple American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) non-Board committees, is a 2021 recipient of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award. Price was presented with the award on June 22 during the APPA National Conference.
The Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award recognizes utility managers who serve communities of less than 2,500 meters and whose management duties extend well beyond the scope of a manager in a larger system. Price has served the Village of Grafton, a small community in Lorain County, Ohio, for nearly six years.
“Joe Price’s vision and leadership have been an invaluable asset to his community,” said Jolene Thompson, AMP President/CEO. “He has helped to lead Grafton’s electric utility in a way that helps the village to grow and prosper. He is a deserving recipient of this award.”
Price has been instrumental in a number of major projects and initiatives, including the planning and development of Project Beacon, a four-megawatt (MW), behind-the-meter solar generation facility completed in 2019, which resulted in a $198,000 cost savings in solar generation for Grafton’s electric utility customers.
In addition, Price serves as a non-Board representative on several AMP committees, including those related to AMP Fremont Energy Center (AFEC), Prairie State Project and AMP Transmission.
“Joe wears so many different hats on any given day: business manager, purchase agent, budget development and oversight, personnel and human resources; the list goes on and on,” said Village of Grafton Mayor David DiVencenzo. “If there were a Twenty Hats Award, Joe would be deserving of it.”
The Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award recognizes managers of small utilities serving fewer than 2,500 meters who have small staffs and must assume multiple roles.
The APPA is the service organization for the nation’s more than 2,000 community-owned electric utilities that serve more than 49 million Americans.
View the official APPA news release here.