Keeping the Lights On - a Family Tradition
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager: 1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Boone, North Carolina (February 9, 2006) – Power outages don’t generally evoke fond memories, but for one former Watauga County resident, memories of power outages, or rather seeing them repaired, bring a smile to his face. Little did he know that it would later lead to his career.
Grant “Bud” Ayers recently retired from Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation after 39 years with the company; however, his electric utility experience began almost at birth.
“When I was a boy growing up in Watauga County, we would get calls at our house when there was a power outage,” recalls Ayers. “Sometimes I would ride along with my dad to locate and watch him repair the outage.” Ayers father, Grant Ayers, Sr., worked as a lineman for New River Light and Power (NRLP) in Boone, but Ayers’ electric heritage didn’t stop there.
“My grandfather (Silas McKinley Ayers) was asked by Dr. B.B. Dougherty to come run the New River Light and Power in 1923,” said Ayers. McKinley Ayers was NRLP’s superintendent for 41 years until his retirement in 1964. At that time, Ayers, Sr. became superintendent of the company until his retirement in the early 1980s.
Ayers did not intend to follow in his grandfather and father’s footsteps, but watching his father and grandfather growing up, and hefty homesickness for the mountains of North Carolina, certainly helped influence his decisions.
After graduating in 1960 from Appalachian High School, Ayers attended North Carolina State where he graduated in 1964. “After college, I worked for a couple of years in the D.C. area,” said Ayers. “I soon missed the mountains. Through my grandfather and father I learned about an opportunity with Blue Ridge. The opportunity worked out, and I stayed for 39 years.
“My most recent job for Blue Ridge was to keep the lights on,” said Ayers of his position as senior vice president of distribution services. “I liked working hard to make sure our members had the most reliable electric system possible.
“Providing reliable electricity became more challenging as technology evolved and consumers and their electricity demands changed,” said Ayers. The added complexity only challenged Ayers to work harder. “Luckily, as time goes on, we have more advanced tools and better systems to help ensure power reliability.”
Ayers’s department was instrumental in the installation and use of the SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system – just one example of these better tools. Years ago, when there was a power outage, technicians would have to go to the source to determine the location and cause of an outage. Now, with the use of SCADA, locating the outage is easier. While a lineman must physically repair or restore the power, the time involved in power restoration is much shorter.
In recent years, Ayers main job was to look at an area, put together work plans, project out for the future demand on electricity and decide what needed to be done. “We had to look at now,” said Ayers, “then decide what had to be done to meet the goals and make the lights come on and stay on.”
“Bud has a knack for looking at an area, planning for growth, and letting us know exactly what needs to be done to ensure that we are prepared for the new development,” said Robert Kent, director of operations at Blue Ridge. “His insight will be missed.”
Ayers’ retirement plans include traveling, visiting his mother in Boone, spending time at his place on the coast and visiting his five grandchildren.
New River Light and Power Company began generating electricity in 1915 for the Appalachian Training School (now Appalachian State University) and six Boone residences that were wired for electricity. Today, it is a non-profit subsidiary of Appalachian State University, serves the area generally within the town limits of Boone and purchases power from Blue Ridge Electric.
Blue Ridge Electric is a member-owned electric cooperative serving some 68,000 members in Watauga, Caldwell, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Alexander counties.
