Elk River, Minnesota, October 1, 2008 - In 1988, a group of United Power Association (UPA) distributions cooperatives pooled its resources and hired a single engineer to provide general operational assistance.
In the 20 years since, much has changed: UPA and Cooperative Power merged to create Great River Energy, and that lone engineer evolved into United Services Group (USG), a coordinated engineering team consisting of 27 people.
USG helps Great River Energy and its member cooperatives with tasks ranging from geographical information system mapping to substation design and construction however, USG also does work for cooperatives outside of the Great River Energy system.
"One of the big turning points for USG was when we began doing work for other co-ops," said John Setala, USG managing principal. "That allowed us to have a larger staff with more specialty areas and distribute the cost more widely."
USG has worked with co-ops across the country and as far away as American Samoa.
USG is part of the Great River Energy transmission division, but operates autonomously so the organization can act in the best interest of member cooperatives. The team is based out of Great River Energy's Elk River, Minn. campus.
USG initially only provided general engineering services, but has grown to include other disciplines, including system planning, line design, line staking, construction contract administration, distribution automation design and installation, distribution substation design and construction, software development and integration, and power quality studies.
As the industry evolves, USG is keeping pace by introducing areas of expertise in step with new technology. One new specialty is testing recloser controls on the distribution system.
United Services Group, USG, and Great River Energy are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of Great River Energy in the United States, the European Union, or certain other jurisdictions.