The Vision and Impact of HBPW’s Strategic Plan

Utilities play a crucial role in any thriving community, helping homes and businesses function smoothly and efficiently. Essential utility services are fundamental to daily life, from powering our homes and workplaces to providing clean, safe drinking water. As Holland’s local provider of reliable and affordable electric, water, sewer, and broadband services, Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW) not only supports the well-being of residents but also helps foster economic growth and enhance the community’s overall quality of life. HBPW provides the foundation for a vibrant, resilient, and sustainable community.

As our community evolves, HBPW adapts to support new needs, enhancing resilience. Strategic planning identifies priorities, in consideration of changing conditions and growing demands. The result is a strategic plan that offers a clear framework, aligning the organization’s goals with the community’s changing needs and expectations.

HBPW is forward-thinking and aims to strengthen the community as a local provider of reliable, efficient, and essential utility services. We are committed to being a sustainable organization, which considers the holistic impact of our actions, including financial, societal, and environmental perspectives. Systematic processes, including strategic planning, ensure that our efforts are on track to achieve desired outcomes that help our community thrive.

HBPW’s Strategic Plan is a tool that guides our priorities as an organization. Every three to five years, we recalibrate the strategic plan to ensure that our goals align with the community’s electric, water, wastewater, and broadband utility needs.

The HBPW Board of Directors approved the Holland Board of Public Works 2024 Strategic Plan on May 6, 2024. The Strategic Plan confirms a broad range of Critical Issue areas for our organization:

  • Customer Solutions & Value
  • Fiscal Stewardship
  • Regulatory
  • Reliable Utility Service
  • Sustainable Stewardship
  • Workforce
  • Governance

The plan also identifies Strategic Priorities to focus on for the near future to ensure our Critical Issues are adequately addressed:

  • Customer Concentration Risk
  • Electric Portfolio
  • Customer Education and Programs
  • Systems and Process Improvement
  • Employer of Choice
  • Water/Wastewater Financial Resources
  • Holland City Fiber

Strategic planning leads to outcomes that maximize the community-owned utility’s value to our customers. For example, HBPW has long held a healthy financial position while providing electric and water rates that are among the lowest in the state. Furthermore, we maintain and upgrade infrastructure across all utilities to ensure the resiliency of the system. We are proud of the steps we have taken to ensure access to safe, clean, and affordable services.

Holland BPW’s ability to adapt to the changing needs of the community follows a path shaped by the strategic plan. As the customer base shifts and grows, utility infrastructure must adapt to new needs. With that, we take care to mitigate Customer Concentration Risk. As a strategic priority for our organization, Holland BPW takes care to safeguard the overall customer base from disproportionately bearing costs created by only a few high-usage customers.

Ottawa and Allegan Counties continue to be desirable places to invest, bringing jobs that benefit our communities. According to the Lakeshore Advantage 2024 Industry Trends report, growing industries in our region include advanced energy storage, agribusiness and food processing, and smart manufacturing. Strategic planning helps Holland BPW support these growing industries while maintaining reliable and affordable electric, water, wastewater, and broadband services.

Advanced Energy Storage

Nearly 40 businesses in the region

Agribusiness & Food Processing

Nearly 150 businesses in the region

Smart Manufacturing

Over 50 businesses in the region

HBPW’s 2024 Strategic Plan ensures alignment regarding HBPW’s Critical Issues and Strategic Priorities between the Board of Directors and HBPW leadership. This information guides the HBPW workforce to make decisions that serve the organization’s high-level objectives and help our community to flourish.

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