COLUMBUS, OH: Reflecting on the decades of joint action that built American Municipal Power, Inc., (AMP) into the industry-leading organization that it is, AMP celebrates its 50th anniversary of serving municipal electric systems today.
AMP-Ohio was founded in 1971 when a group of Ohio municipally owned electric systems joined forces to lower costs and increase the reliability of their power supply to benefit their consumer-owners. Five representatives from Bowling Green, Cleveland, Dover, Hamilton and Westerville signed the articles of incorporation, filed by an official from Piqua with the State of Ohio on Sept. 29, 1971. The group’s goal was three-fold: to gain economies of scale in power supply, elevate their voice and fight for transmission access in areas previously blocked by investor-owned utilities.
Today, AMP has grown to serve 134 members public power communities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Maryland and a joint action agency in Delaware. As a nonprofit corporation, AMP is owned and governed by its members. Those member utilities are, in turn, owned and governed by their customer-owners, who number approximately 650,000 across AMP’s nine-state member footprint.
“AMP is a membership organization, and it’s through the success and engagement of our members, and the efforts of our dedicated team of employees on their behalf, that the organization truly thrives,” said Jolene Thompson, President and CEO of AMP. “The work that our members do for the communities they serve is a worthy cause to champion. Public power is a collection of people doing the right things for the right reasons.”
The past 50 years have proven time and again that municipal electric utilities are stronger when they work together.
“Since its inception, AMP has been — and continues to be — a strong advocate for public power,” said Jeff Brediger, Director of Utilities in Orrville and Chair of the AMP Board of Trustees. “As the electric grid continues to evolve, AMP members will be able to meet the opportunities and challenges by leaning on the expertise of the AMP staff and by continuing to work together through joint action.”
