Inside the Grid: Recent Episodes
Jay Buchholz
Sioux Valley Energy's Inside the Grid monthly podcast provides a broader discussion on energy-related matters that can effect large power businesses including agriculture operators and commercial members in eastern South Dakota and southwest Minnesota.
Sioux Valley Energy is an equal opportunity provider and provider.
In this episode, we visit with Sioux Valley Energy's General Manager & CEO, Tim McCarthy, Chief Financial Officer, Jason Maxwell, and Vice President of Engineering & Operations Ted Smith regarding a three tiered rate structure which includes a break-out of the residential demand component starting in 2027.
In this episode, SVE's Economic Development and Communty Relations Executive, Brandon Lane, talks with Hardwick, Minnesota's City Clerk, Tammy Johnson, and Rock County Administrator, Kyle Oldre, on how REVIVE 2030 assisted and supported rural growth in southwest MN.
In this episode, we visit with Sioux Valley Energy's Vice President of Engineering and Operations Ted Smith and Director of Operations Chris Graff on the cooperative's 2026 Workplan and Construction projects and how Data Centers figure into those plans.
Utilities across the country (including electric cooperatives like Sioux Valley Energy) are working to build new electrical generation to keep up with increasing demand, which is putting pressure on your electric rates. On this month's Inside the Grid podcast, we visit with Sioux Valley Energy's General Manager and CEO, Tim McCarthy and Board President Dan Leuthold regarding the reasons for Basin Electric's upcoming rate increase.
On this month's Inside the Grid podcast, Southeastern Electric Cooperative and Sioux Valley Energy's Board Chairs talk about each organization's Annual Meeting and how coopertives serve more than electricity to their memberships and communities.
On this month's Inside the Grid podcast, Sioux Valley Energy and cooperatives around the country celebrate Lineworker Appreciation Day on April 14, 2025. We thank our most visible cooperative employees and visit with three Sioux Valley Energy lead lineworkers: Dan Doyle, Tony Remund, and Bob Johnson. Sioux Valley Energy, Southeastern Electric Cooperative and Xcel Energy partnered together on this featured video: https://vimeo.com/1071560922/a45ed1c423
On this month's Inside the Grid podcast, we visit with Sioux Valley Energy’s Manager of Dispatch Operations, Sharla Haugen and Manager of Safety, Terry Ebright on how SVE responds to outages and how to be safe around electrical equipment. While electrical disruptions can be an annoyance, a power outage can also help lineworkers find and repair problems in the electrical system. If a storm or public contact knocks out the power, we share what goes on behind the scenes to help keep the public safe.
In this episode, we visit with Sioux Valley Energy's Vice President of Engineering and Operations Ted Smith and Director of Operations Chris Graff on the cooperative's 2025 Workplan and Budget.
In this episode, we visit with Sioux Valley Energy General Manager and CEO, Tim McCarthy, along with Bob Sahr, East River Electric CEO and General Manager, and Curt Dieren, General Manager of L&O Power Cooperative about the reasons for the upcoming 2025 rate adjustment.
The Sioux Valley Energy Board of Directors approved an overall average increase of 4.9%, effective January 1, 2025. Members will see the increase with their February billing which reflects January energy usage. Rate adjustment percentages will vary depending on members’ specific energy (kWh) usage. This rate increase is an overall rate increase across all rate classes.
https://www.siouxvalleyenergy.com/2025-rate-change
South Dakota's Day of Giving is on #GivingTuesday, December 3, 2024. It’s the one day of the year where nonprofits across the state come together to raise funds, build awareness, and have a little fun along the way.
In this episode, we visit with Dan LaRock from Rock Ranch in Minnesota, Sioux Valley Energy's VP of Public Relations, Carrie Vugteveen, and Culture and Training Development Strategist, Chinelle Christensen, on how Sioux Valley Energy and its employees give-back to non-profits and communities.
In June, Sioux Valley Energy journey lineworker Steve Dvergsten was part of a crew of 14 lineworkers from Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota who traveled to Las Peñas, Guatemala, to help electrify the village of 35 homes in a mountainous area east of Jalapa, Guatemala. The endeavor was a project of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) International, which has been working in Guatemala since 2011.
Sioux Valley Energy was recently awarded the 2024 Leroy Vanderpool Excellence in Safety Award at the Minnesota Rural Electric Trust (MRET) annual meeting held on June 13 at Breezy Point, Minnesota.
The cooperative was recognized for its culture which centers around the safety of employees, members, and the public along with Sioux Valley Energy’s work to move that culture to a new level of excellence.
On the podcast, several members of the Safety Steering Committee discuss how each department collaborates and provides unique input on SVE's safety cultre.
This month, Sioux Valley Energy's Manager of Dispatch, Sharla Haugen, and Manager of Safety, Terry Ebright, discuss safety reminders such as Call Before You Dig, 811, farm, construction, and road side safety.
SVE's new Roadside Safety Campaign coincides with the Department of Transportation's Work Zone Safety week April 15-19, 2024.
This month, Sioux Valley Energy's Chief Financial Officer, Jason Maxwell, and General Manager & CEO, Tim McCarthy, talk about the upcoming rate adjustment. The Sioux Valley Energy Board of Directors approved an overall average rate increase of 6.38 percent as of April 1, 2024.
We discuss the need for a rate increase to address the rising costs for material, equipment, operations, financing, and power supply. Please visit Sioux Valley Energy's rate change page or call 1-877-511-8062 to learn how the new rates will affect your account.
This month, Sioux Valley Energy's Chad Williams and Chris Graff discuss how the cooperative "Keeps the Lights On" (PG 10-11). Special guest, Jacob Slaathaug from Smart Grid Solutions also provides an update on the Department of Energy's Energizing Rural Communities grant. Four Sioux Valley Energy communities received wireless fault indicator devices to help improve reliability and outage response times.
This month Sioux Valley Energy's Member Services and Billing Supervisors Toni Kruger and Molly Burmeister discuss how the new paper bill and Smarthub redesigns can help members access, view, understand and pay for their electric usage.
This month Sioux Valley Energy celebrates National Cooperative Month with Board Chairman Gary Fish and Vice-Chair Dan Leuthold. They discuss why cooperatives are important and their perspectives from the board room.
This month Sioux Valley Energy's Manager of Beneficial Electrification, Ben Pierson and Jay Buchholz talk with residential member Susan Kruse about her electric vehicle experiences and how the public can learn more about "going electric" at the 3rd Annual EV Expo on Tuesday September 19th from 4-7PM at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, SD.
This month Sioux Valley Energy's Training and Development Coordinator Chinelle Christensen introduces two students from the EMPOWER Youth Leadership Class of 2022-2023. Lily Fods represents Chester Area School District and Ashirvad Sharma is from Brandon Valley High School.
This month Sioux Valley Energy's Member Services and Billing Supervisors Toni Kruger and Molly Burmeister discuss how the Smarthub App can help members access, view, and understand their electric usage.
This month Sioux Valley Energy spotlights a key account member New Vision Cooperative. We visit with New Vision Co-op's CEO Matt Ashton about agriculture and how New Vision serves their members in southwest Minnesota.
This month Sioux Valley Energy celebrates October being National Cooperative Month. We sit down with SVE's CEO and General Manager Tim McCarthy to visit about the 7 cooperative principles. We talk about what everyday commitment to community looks like and why cooperatives are a great career choice.
Welcome to a Special Edition of Inside the Grid Podcast. This month we will host the 2nd annual EV Ride and Drive event Thursday September 29th from 4-7PM at the WH Lyon Fairgrounds eastside parking lot. Our Manager of Beneficial Electrification Ben Pierson and I recently sat down with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance’s Sheldon Jenson with their podcast Growing Places to visit about the coop and the upcoming EV Ride and Drive event. (Thank you and credit to SMGA's Growing Places podcast)
Welcome to a Special Edition of Inside the Grid Podcast. This month we will host the 2nd annual EV Ride and Drive event Thursday September 29th from 4-7PM at the WH Lyon Fairgrounds eastside parking lot. Our Manager of Beneficial Electrification Ben Pierson and I recently sat down with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance’s Sheldon Jenson with their podcast Growing Places to visit about the coop and the upcoming EV Ride and Drive event. (Thank you and credit to SMGA's Growing Places podcast)
Inside the Grid was on the road at the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) Deep Dive Conference in Watertown, South Dakota. ISG's Economic Development Practitioner, Steve Watson, shares his perspective on economic development and Joe Fiala explains why GOED hosted the Deep Dive sessions for "landing-the-deal".
Inside the Grid welcomes Justin Moose, Sioux Valley Energy's Vice President of Technology. We discuss Cybersecurity terms, common scams, and best practices for avoiding potential data exposures. Justin shares ideas on possible scenarios if a cyber event occurs and training to help businesses and their employees limit online threats.
Inside the Grid welcomes Brandon Lane as Sioux Valley Energy's newest Community & Economic Development Representative. We talked about REVIVE 2030 and the chamber's impact on communities with Amy Meert Farr from Hartford Area Chamber and Rachael Neiman with the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.
Inside the Grid talks with USDA's Rural Development Business Loan Specialist, Cayla Holleman, about the variety of programs to assist Ag producers, new or expanding rural business owners, and other financial resource tools for electric cooperative members.
Inside the Grid talks with Sioux Valley Energy's Safety Steering Committee members Terry Ebright, Deb Biever, Jake Dybedahl, and Mike Oines on why safety is paramount at the cooperative.
Inside the Grid talks with Sheila Gross and Reggie Gassman from Sioux Valley Energy's Beneficial Electrification Department regarding Commercial and Agriculture rebates and incentive programs.
Inside the Grid was on the road in February at Touchstone Energy's 2022 NEXT Conference in Palm Springs, California. Jay Buchholz participated in the "Serving Essential Loads" panel and presented how a podcast can add value to key accounts. We also talked with Ryan Nance from North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives and Tina Rushing from CHELCO about the value their organizations bring to key accounts.
In the latest podcast, we visit with Sioux Valley Energy's System Engineer Chris Graff to talk about the Workplan and Budget process.
In the latest podcast, we sit down with Chris Studer from East River Electric Power Cooperative and Trevor Jones from South Dakota Rural Electric Association to get their take on issues facing cooperatives in Washington as well as in Pierre and St. Paul.
Inside the Grid talks about the "Cooperative Difference" for National Co-op Month. Sioux Valley Energy Vice Presidents of Public Relations, Carrie Vugteveen; Human Resources and Member Services Debra Biever; and Chief Financial Officer Betty VanDerWerff discuss how cooperatives benefit their members.
Inside the Grid talks Sustainability and Renewable Energy during a round table discussion with Jeff Rud from East River Electric and Reggie Gassman and Ben Pierson from Sioux Valley Energy.
Inside the Grid talks with Rural Electric Economic Development (REED) Fund's new manager Eric Fosheim and Sioux Metro Growth Alliance's President and CEO Jesse Fonkert regarding economic development tools and strategies in the region.
Inside the Grid talks with Sioux Valley Energy's Billing Supervisor Molly Burmeister and System Engineer Chris Graff about how members can navigate Smarthub for energy information and other useful tools.
It's June Dairy month! We take a moment to thank the dairy producers and visit with Sioux Valley Energy member Boadwine Dairy. Jay Buchholz talks with Lynn Boadwine about their dairy operation and Sioux Valley Energy's Sheila Gross about ag-related rebate programs.
What does a culture of safety look like for utilities and manufacturing companies? Jay Buchholz talks with two experts on building and maintaining a safety culture: Terry Ebright, Sioux Valley Energy's Safety Coordinator, and DJ Mittan, Marmen Energy's EHS Manager.
How are overhead or underground power line outages identified, and what happens when an outage call comes into Sioux Valley Energy? Jay Buchholz talks with two experts on these issues: Ted Smith, Sioux Valley Energy Vice President of Operations and Engineering, and Sharla Haugen, Manager of Dispatch Operations.
Beneficial Electrification: This month, I talk with Sioux Valley Energy Manager of Beneficial Electrification Ben Pierson and Energy Services Specialist Sheila Gross about SVE's approach to Beneficial Electrification.
We'll discuss how cooperative initiatives can help you save money over time, benefit the environment, improve quality of life, and foster a more robust and resilient electric grid.
Business PowerUp: Widespread extreme cold temperatures led to historic levels of energy demand on the U.S. power grid this week resulting in unplanned power outages for thousands throughout the central portion of the country, including approximately 7,000 Sioux Valley Energy members. As you can imagine, Sioux Valley Energy has gotten a lot of questions about the outages. In an effort to answer some of those questions and explain in greater detail what happened, Sioux Valley Energy’s Jay Buchholz sat down with Sioux Valley Energy CEO/GM, Tim McCarthy and East River Electric CEO/GM, Tom Boyko to discuss the week’s events. East River Electric is one of Sioux Valley Energy’s power suppliers. The podcast does run about 16 minutes but it provides a thorough overview of this week’s unplanned power outages that occurred throughout the entire central section of the United States. You can listen here:
Widespread extreme cold temperatures led to historic levels of energy demand on the U.S. power grid this week resulting in unplanned power outages for thousands throughout the central portion of the country, including approximately 7,000 Sioux Valley Energy members. As you can imagine, Sioux Valley Energy has gotten a lot of questions about the outages. In an effort to answer some of those questions and explain in greater detail what happened, Sioux Valley Energy’s Jay Buchholz sat down with Sioux Valley Energy CEO/GM, Tim McCarthy and East River Electric CEO/GM, Tom Boyko to discuss the week’s events. East River Electric is one of Sioux Valley Energy’s power suppliers. The podcast does run about 16 minutes but it provides a thorough overview of this week’s unplanned power outages that occurred throughout the entire central section of the United States. You can listen here:
Episode #1 covers Energy 101 in Part 1. Sioux Valley Energy's Vice President of Engineering and Operations Ted Smith explains how the electric grid works with some utility terminology. In Part 2, SVE's staking engineer Jason Sage talks through the process for installing a new or expanded service location.