Florida public power utility New Smyrna Beach Utilities announced that Efren Chavez has been appointed by the NSBU Commissioners as the permanent General Manager and CEO of the utility as of October 28, 2024, after serving as Interim GM and CEO since Joseph Bunch’s last regular workday in July.
Chavez has lived in and served in the community for over five years, beginning with Director of Finance/CFO, then as Vice-President and Finance/CFO, before he was named Interim General Manager/CEO earlier this year, effective July 1, 2024
Chavez has over 30 years of experience in utility and financial operations management, strategy development, and execution.
Since joining NSBU in 2019, he has been a key part of developing and executing the Vision and Modernization strategy designed to improve the reliability and resiliency of NSBU utility systems and safety culture, while delivering an enhanced level of customer experience, the utility noted.
He was also responsible for assuring NSBU’s significant modernization investments deliver upon enterprise-wide benefits and represented NSBU with Wall Street for a 2020 bond issuance, which secured financing at historically low rates to fund NSBU's Capital Improvement Plan.
He led NSBU-wide efforts to manage and improve the business’ key performance indices and major project execution. Chavez has also engaged in and encouraged employee volunteerism and charitable giving.
Chavez is also engaged in activities that support the success of NSBU and the local community, by serving on the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), Florida Municipal Electric Agency (FMEA), and Advent Health New Smyrna Beach Boards of Directors.
