Frank Siepker

Frank Siepker

Frank Siepker Jr., engineering and operations manager for Cherryland Electric Cooperative, was recently named to the “40Under40” list of most influential people in the Traverse City area.

Each September, the Traverse City Business News spotlights 40 local professionals – all under the age of 40 – who shine in their professions and as champions of community causes.

Describing his proudest work and community moment of 2015, Siepker, 39, told the judges: “Timing is everything, and so it was with our recent August storm. Our thoughts and prayers go out to so many people who suffered significant losses. We at Cherryland, with the help of several other utilities and a few contractors, mobilized crews to clear downed trees and rebuilt our electrical distribution system with more than 70 broken poles and many miles of downed wires. We worked around-the-clock to help everyone’s recovery process by restoring power to all serviceable members in four days without any recordable injuries.”

In the Milestones category of accomplishments, Siepker said: “In the last year we

[Cherryland] implemented local after-hours dispatch service with both T.C. Light & Power and Wolverine Power Cooperative to improve service for our members’ and our employees’ after hours and increase our ability to publish outage information via our SmartHub app, OutageWeb Map, and the automated phone system.”

Award winners were also asked to describe the “Best Thing To Happen To Traverse City Lately” and “What Is Your Favorite App or Piece of Technology?” “I think the Hotel Indigo will be a great asset to the vibrant downtown we have,” Siepker said. “It helps make downtown more sustainable year-round with the additional walkable hotel rooms.” Siepker’s favorite app is called “Jump Remote Desktop” because it “Enables me to work like I’m at my office from anywhere, anytime!”

Winners were also asked a few personal questions, and Siepker responded:

  • One Thing People Would be Surprised to Learn About You: “I like water sports…wake boarding and wake surfing, and general boating. Good Friday, April 2, we were out wake surfing around the ice burgs on Little Glen in the snow!”
  • My Dream Day Off: “A warm, sunny day with no wind, getting to sleep in and spend the rest of the day on a boat with family and friends wake boarding and wake surfing on mirror-like blue northern Michigan water.”
  • Last Great Book You Read: “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg & John Mann.

In his Glen Arbor community, Siepker volunteers as the Buildings & Grounds Committee chair for the Glen Lake Community Reformed Church, and serves on the Glen Lake Fire and Rescue Association board.

This year’s winners include 19 first-timers and several multiple-year recipients. Besides Siepker, winners include Paul Bussey, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians; Marie-Chantal Dalese, Chateau Chantal winery; Cindy Evans, Grand Traverse Industries; and Alison Metiva, Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. See the full list and read about them here, or in the newsstand version of the September Traverse City Business News.

Winners were chosen from over 100 nominations by a panel of business and community professionals. Northwestern Michigan College is the event sponsor, and will host a reception for the honorees, who will receive a bag full of goodies from area businesses.