After 47 years of serving on the Mountain View Electric Association, Inc. (MVEA) Board of Directors, B.D. “Bud” Paddock announced his retirement at the October MVEA Board Meeting. When Paddock was appointed to the board to fill a vacant position in 1971, MVEA was only 30 years old.
“It went by so fast, but it is time to pass the torch,” Paddock said. “When I started on the board, I was familiar with co-ops as my family owned a ranch in the area. A friend of mine really wanted me to fill the position. I said I would give it a try.”
Paddock embraced the position by not only serving as an MVEA Board Member, but, for 27 years, he took extra steps to be involved in power delivery throughout Colorado by serving as a member and past president of the Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA) Board of Directors. He also served as MVEA Board Vice President from 1988 through 2014.
As a dedicated elected official serving MVEA’s co-op members, Paddock was proactive in learning about the issues facing electric co-ops, such as rate stabilization during the economic ups and downs of the 70’s and 80’s, and securing a reliable source for more power to serve the growing demand of MVEA’s membership. When Paddock began his tenure MVEA had less than 7,000 meters, about 3,000 miles of energized line, and five substations. Today, MVEA has over 53,000 meters, 6,000 miles of energized line, and 23 substations. During his time with MVEA, Paddock has been instrumental in developing programs that support the economic development of rural communities as well as energy efficient and renewable energy programs.
When asked what he remembers most over a career that has witnessed tremendous changes in the industry, Paddock said, “It is the people that we serve and the employees that I have met and worked with that have made it memorable.”
Bud Paddock will officially retire from the MVEA Board of Directors at the end of 2017.