COLUMBUS, OH: American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) is pleased to announce that Al Fiser, village administrator for the Village of Pioneer, is a 2022 recipient of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award. Fiser was presented with the award on June 14 during the APPA National Conference in Nashville.
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. Fiser has served the Village of Pioneer, a small community located in northern Williams County, Ohio, for more than 12 years.
“Al Fiser works tirelessly on behalf of the Village of Pioneer, and we are very pleased to see him presented with this award,” said Jolene Thompson, AMP President/CEO. “He would be the last person to seek praise, but the volume and quality of work he has done to improve his community demands it. He is extremely deserving.”
Working with a team of only eight, Fiser led the completion of more than $18 million in infrastructure projects for his small community, including storm drainage, water treatment, power distribution and transmission projects, and more — all while he represented the village on the local economic board, school board and park board.
His work has helped to improve the quality and reliability of numerous services throughout the village, making Pioneer an even more desirable location to live and work. The efforts have been widely praised by other village officials.
“Al has been instrumental in the growth of Pioneer,” Pioneer Mayor Ed Kidston said. “His outstanding service to the public, management of personnel and ability to make important decisions in accordance with the policy goals of the mayor and village council make him an outstanding candidate for the Seven Hats Award.”
Al Fiser was also named the AMP Seven Hats Award winner during the 2021 AMP Annual Conference in Columbus. The AMP Seven Hats Award was modeled after the APPA’s award and was initiated in 1984.
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.