Bill Johnson, general manager of the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities, was named to Ingram’s Magazine’s annual list of the 250 most powerful business leaders in the Greater Kansas City region.
Each year, the magazine identifies the most influential executives out of the 2.8 million persons in the metropolitan area, recognizing them as “power brokers who lead organizations that are attaining measurable levels of success and growth … while elevating the entire region’s commercial success, vibrancy and quality of life.”
Under Johnson’s leadership, the BPU continues to be recognized as one of the top municipal utilities in the nation.
As detailed in the September 2021 issue of Ingram’s Magazine, Johnson shared the challenges of operating the public utility during the pandemic, including decreased revenues and increases on the costs of commonly used supplies, which forced the utility to suspend or cut back a significant number of capital improvement projects.
He added a key component throughout the COVID pandemic has been and continues to be the safety of BPU employees and the customers BPU serves.
Johnson is a past president of Kansas Municipal Utilities and a current board member of the United Way of Greater Kansas City, as well as past board member of the Boys and Girls Club. Johnson is a member of the American Public Power Association, the Rocky Mountain Electric League and the American Water Works Association, and past president of the Kansas-Missouri chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
Among his career achievement awards, he has received the “Black Achievers Award” from the Southern Christian Leadership Council and the “Black Man of Distinction Award” from the Friends of Yates. Most recently Johnson was named a recipient of the “2020 Industry Leadership Award” from RMEL and the 2021 “Mark Crisson Leadership and Managerial Excellence Award” from APPA.
The Ingram’s 250 story is online at https://www.omagdigital.com/publication/?m=54501&i=722206&p=2&ver=html5.
- Story from BPU