Grant Honored For 40 Years Of Visionary Cooperative Leadership
On February 11, the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) presented Robert “Bob” Grant, board chairman of Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative, with the Cooperative Leadership Award, recognizing four decades of exceptional leadership and outstanding devotion to duty. Grant was honored by his peers during an awards ceremony held in conjunction with NDAREC’s 82nd annual meeting.
“A trusted voice in our industry, Bob has proven to be a steady, guiding force, ensuring North Dakota’s electric cooperatives remain strong, resilient and well positioned for the future. It is a tremendous honor to recognize his legacy with this award,” says NDAREC Executive Vice President and General Manager Josh Kramer.
First elected to the Mountrail Electric Cooperative board of directors in 1981, Grant helped guide the electric distribution cooperative through a merger with the neighboring Williams Electric Cooperative, forming Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC) in 1991. Over the next 30 years, he helped grow MWEC into the powerhouse it is today. Under his leadership, MWEC successfully built out its system to meet the overwhelming demands of the Bakken oil boom, positioning itself to power the lives of its members today and in the future.
“Bob’s leadership on the Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative board has been critical to navigating the challenges of a growing cooperative, while staying true to our cooperative roots,” says MWEC General Manager Alex Vournas. “With 43 years experience at MWEC, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he is always willing to share it with others. Bob is a great mentor; he makes others around him better.”
In 1992, Grant was elected to represent MWEC on the NDAREC board of directors. As president of the statewide trade association from 2008 to 2024, he was at the forefront of many impactful and consequential decisions. Understanding the importance of a well-trained workforce, he led the association through a major headquarters renovation and construction of an all-seasons Lineworker Training Center. These state-of-the-art facilities provide opportunities to train the current and future cooperative workforce. Under Grant’s leadership, NDAREC also formed the North Dakota Rural Electric Cooperatives Foundation, a public charity that provides resources to empower communities to address challenges and improve quality of life.