The Kansas Municipal Energy Agency recently announced 2024 award winners across a range of categories. Awards were also announced for the Kansas Municipal Gas Agency.
KMEA Award Winners
Max Embree Honor Award- Jon Quinday, City of Russell
This award was established in honor of Max Embree, of Colby, Kansas who played a leading role in the early years of KMEA.
The award honors his memory and is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and devoted service to both KMEA and Public Power.
This year’s recipient of the Max Embree Distinguished Service Award was Jon Quinday, the City Manager for the City of Russell.
He has served in many positions within his community, starting as a police officer and over the years working his way up to city manager.
For 12 years, he managed a full-service municipality with over 90 employees and an annual budget exceeding $30 million, and encompassing electric, water, wastewater, sewer, and sanitation utilities, along with county-wide 911 communications.
Through all his various roles including former school board president and board member for both Kansas Municipal Utilities and Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, and President of the KMEA Executive Committee, he’s gained firsthand insight into the complexities of municipal governance.
His dedication to the community is shown by successfully being awarded over $32 million in grants funds.
Throughout his tenure as City Manager, he wore multiple hats successfully and never stopped striving for the highest standards of professionalism and governance in order to serve his community to the best of his ability, KMEA said.
After 27 years of dedicated public service to his community, Quinday retired from his role of City Manager.
Dedicated Commitment to Service Award- Ralph Streit, City of Larned
This award was established to recognize an employee of a KMEA member city who has, over a period of years, demonstrated outstanding performance and made significant local contribution to their municipal utility.
This year’s recipient of the Dedicated Commitment to Service Award was Ralph Streit, the Electric Production Superintendent for the City of Larned.
Streit began working as a Power Plant Operator for the city in 1992. In 2006, the city appointed Ralph as the Electric Production Superintendent. Since that time, for the past 18 years, "he has continuously and faithfully served the city in this role and has displayed both innovation and inspiration along the way, often working 24-hour days," KMEA said.
In the words of the city manager of the City of Larned; “He is passionate and wholly devoted to ensuring the best for the citizens of our community. He’s constantly upbeat and always sees the best in others, and there isn’t one area within the organization that he hasn’t helped to make better in one way or another. This award is a great way to recognize his hard work and dedication to our citizens. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more. There is no one I’d rather have by my side during a Polar Vortex.”
KMGA Award Winners
Jodi Wade Receives the Ron Huxman “Distinguished Service Award ”
This award was established in 2016, in honor of Ron Huxman, who played a leading role in the day-to-day activities of the agency, as well as serving as President, Executive Committee member and Joint Board member.
The award honors his contributions to KMGA and is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and devoted service to both KMGA and to the Municipal Natural Gas Industry.
This year’s recipient of the Ron Huxman award was Jodi Wade, the City Clerk of the City of LaCygne. She "has played a crucial role in various aspects of city management, from budgeting and staffing to maintenance and community projects."
Her tenure as City Clerk has seen her participate in many city projects including a major water project, a major sewer project, a CCLIP intersection project, and currently a sewer lagoon project in addition to a pending application for a grant to tackle a water plant project.
Troy Blanton Receives the Mike Gilliland “Honor Award ”
In 2016, KMGA established this award in honor of Mike Gilliland. He played a leading role in the agency serving multiple terms as President, Vice President, and Executive Committee Member. The award honors his contributions to KMGA and is to recognize an employee of a KMGA member city who has, over a period of years, demonstrated outstanding performance and made significant local contributions to their municipal utility.
This year’s recipient of Mike Gilliland award was Troy Blanton, the Gas Superintendent for the City of Winfield.
Blanton began his career with the city as an operator in the gas department in 1994.
By 2016, he’d advanced to the role of gas supervisor, a position where he continues to excel. He played a crucial role in a major project to replace bare steel in the city’s gas system, and still oversees that task today.
His expertise was invaluable during the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) conversion project, where he leveraged his extensive knowledge of the gas distribution system and various meter models.
His community involvement extends beyond his immediate duties; he was heavily involved in creating and maintaining a state-wide Operations Qualification project for Kansas municipalities, dedicating countless hours to navigating the rules set by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
