Why Basin? Flexible schedule, professional development, and a healthy work/life balance

Basin Electric prides itself on its culture and commitment to its employees, offering flexible work schedules and professional development opportunities to attract the best in the business.  

Mandan, North Dakota, native Tavis Freidt started working at Basin Electric five months ago and finds joy in coming to work every day. “My hat goes off to all the great people working in Human Resources. They made me feel welcome from the very beginning of my employment,” says Freidt, Basin Electric energy systems administrator I. 

Working to keep Basin Electric’s cyber infrastructure secure and up to date, Freidt and the team of energy systems administrators monitor real time and past alerts for generation and transmission's most critical information technology systems. Some of those systems include supervisory control and data acquisition control systems, operator control systems, emissions monitoring systems, and Transmission System Maintenance transmission monitoring systems. “We patch those systems monthly and document all that the North American Electric Reliability Corporation requires for keeping critical infrastructure protection assets secure,” Freidt says. The team also works with a variety of other departments, both inside and outside of Information Services and Telecommunications (IS&T), to ensure the people in critical operations and transmission positions have the reliable access they need to do their best work.

“The most satisfying part of my job is helping play a part in keeping our generation and transmission facilities safe from cyber threats. Knowing that this helps keep energy costs down for my family, friends, and the whole region is a gratifying thought,” he says.

A graduate of the University of Mary, Freidt has lived and worked in the Bismarck-Mandan area his entire life, and says his prior job required a lot of after-hours work. “I applied at Basin Electric primarily for the flexible work schedule and their respect for a healthy work/life balance,” Freidt says. For him, the salary, benefits, and other perks were icing on the cake compared to being able to spend more time with his family in the evenings and on weekends. He loves being outdoors hunting, hiking, snowshoeing, and camping with his wife and kids. 

Freidt has been very pleased with his time at Basin Electric and is looking forward to the future. “There are many different career opportunities here and I appreciate the commitment Basin Electric has to personal and professional development,” Freidt says. “The group of people I work with in the Operational Technology section of IS&T are extremely skilled and dedicated and I enjoy learning new skills from them.” 

Freidt has already recommended Basin Electric as the employer of choice to his family and friends. “Based on my experiences so far, it is evident that the cooperative goes to great lengths to care for their employees,” he says.