Mandip Samra, the CEO and General Manager of California public power utility Burbank Water & Power, is connecting with the utility’s customers through a series of conversations over coffee.
In a recent Q&A with Public Power Current, Samra noted through two meetings so far, “we have met with around 30 customers.”
Samra officially became the utility’s CEO and General Manager in May 2024.
She said that at the meetings, many customers have asked about rates and their bills. “We had a rate increase in July 2023 and July 2024. There were many questions on why their bills went up and understanding their electric bill.”
Customers also said they wanted to learn more about the utility’s rebates for things like energy efficiency, demand response and low-income programs.
Samra said that some customers wanted to know about professional opportunities at BWP and learn more about job options.
Customers also asked about power line and water work being done on their streets and “a few customers wanted to learn more about me and how I got into this role.”
She noted that “So far, we have had two ‘Conversations and Coffee with the GM meetings.’”
Samra was asked whether she would recommend that other new GMs or CEOs hold similar meetings with customers.
“I highly recommend having these meetings. They build trust and transparency with the community. As a new General Manager, I also need to understand what is important to the community and I need to make myself available to the public.”
She said the meetings “help with addressing issues before they boil to the surface.”
Samra said that she has had positive feedback “in terms of providing clear, concise responses to our customers and my team members.”
She also pointed out that “We also hold these at local small businesses, so it helps generate revenue for the community. We also provide coffee and snacks,” which are paid through donations through BWP’s executive team -- not with ratepayer funds.
Samra has also held similar events “with my team members -- two town hall meetings and office hours daily. I’ve met with nearly 200 team members so far.”
In a recent episode of APPA’s Public Power Now podcast, Samra detailed her immediate priorities as the new General Manager of the utility and discussed the benefits that will flow from a recently commissioned long-duration energy storage system.
