Catching Up with Darrel Anderson, President & CEO, Idaho Power
Idaho Power is a strong supporter of the Women’s and Children’s Alliance: a Corporate Pillar with numerous active Ambassadors, TWIN honorees, and a CEO who shares his leadership and passion with the WCA. We spent some time with Darrel to see what’s new in his world and what’s on the horizon.
“I really enjoy living in this community; there are so many great things happening here and I am fortunate to be part of them, whether it’s the evolving energy world at Idaho Power, my involvement with the WCA, or time with my family — I have a lot to be thankful for,” said Darrel.
Darrel said at Idaho Power, they are well into their year-long centennial celebration. “We’re proud to say that for 100 years, we have provided reliable, fair-priced energy that has made our communities a more comfortable place to live. And for at least the past 22 of those 100 years, Idaho Power has been involved with the Women’s and Children’s Alliance. Since 1994, the company has proudly nominated 37 women as TWIN honorees. They have, in turn, done much to compassionately support the mission of the WCA.
“Many of you know that one of my passions over the years has been the fight against domestic violence,” Darrel said. “I’ve shared this unfortunate statistic many times: one in three women will be impacted by the effects of domestic violence over their lifetime. There are four women in my life that have been very important to me — my grandmother, my mother, my wife and my daughter. One of these, my mom, was a victim of domestic violence. I have been intent on breaking that cycle after being exposed to domestic violence while growing up, which is why I got involved with the Women’s & Children’s Alliance more than six years ago. There are a lot of good people working on this issue, and I hope that one day the services that are currently provided will no longer be needed,” he said.
Idaho Power’s more than 2,000 employees get involved and volunteer countless hours in support of their favorite causes, and the WCA is among them. “I’m proud of our employees. They are well known for their service to their communities, their integrity and generosity. We’re all Idaho Power customers, too, and we share a similar passion of giving back to the communities where we live,” said Darrel.
“For anyone who works or visits downtown, parking is often part of the equation. We have a couple new features that readers might find interesting. We added a bank of charging stations for employees who own electric vehicles (EV). The chargers will do a couple things: make it convenient for EV owners who need to charge their cars to get home and also provide us with data on how the different chargers work, how fast they charge, etc. We’ll share that data with other employers who want to provide workplace charging as well. And for our employees who are expecting, we added reserved parking near our downtown buildings to shorten their walk if they choose to,” Darrel added.
Darrel’s tour of duty as president of the board for the WCA wraps up in October, and he will hand the reins to fellow board member Bill Bodnar, of The Leader’s Board. But you can guarantee Darrel’s passion and support for WCA and its mission will not waiver.
