Bob Trussoni Will Retire December 31
Submitted to FOCUS – Marshfield Utilities (MU) General Manager Bob Trussoni has announced his plan to retire December 31, 2017 after 31 years with the utility. MU’s Commission Board will conduct a national search for his successor with a goal of finding a leader who will continue Trussoni’s legacy of excellent service to the community and will guide the utility into the future.
Trussoni’s decision to retire brings to close a career filled with accomplishments. Beginning in 1986, Trussoni was hired as the Electric Line Superintendent where he oversaw electric operations for the utility. In 1999 a new department was created and Trussoni was promoted to be the Technical Services Manager and then returned to the Electric Department in 2005 to be the Electric & Communications Manager and later Gas was added.
During his time in both the Electric and Technical Services Departments Trussoni was instrumental in leading the utility through electric system improvements. The utility went from one with frequent outages to being one now that rates among the highest in the nation for reliability.
In 2012 Trussoni was promoted to Assistant General Manager as a part of MU’s succession planning process. Following his predecessor’s retirement in 2013, Trussoni was then named interim General Manager and promoted to General Manager after a national search.
Serving as General Manager opened up areas to expand his knowledge including the water side of operations. During his tenure a major accomplishment for the utility includes securing funding for the water distribution main replacement through cash instead of bonding.
“This is the first time this has been done in the state and will lead to over $22 million dollars of savings for the community over the next 75 years,” said Trussoni.
Other areas of focus during his time as General Manager are related to relationship management. Trussoni made a conscious effort to build stronger working relationships and communication between the utility and the city and council. Equally he had a goal to partner with Human Resources to build and foster a more positive culture within the utility.
“Many times you spend more time with your work family than you do with your personal family so it makes sense to create a positive atmosphere,” said Trussoni. “I will miss the day to day interactions with this second family.”
Over the years Trussoni has served in many industry and other external leadership roles as well. From 2007 to 2008 he served as Rotary President to the local club and Rotary Assistant District Governor from 2008 to 2011.
Currently he is serving as the Treasurer for the Rotary District Charitable Trust. Most recently Trussoni has served on the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board, the Economic Development Board, and the Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin (MEUW) Board where he served as the Board President this past year. His guidance with MEUW helped during a major transition which will ensure a stronger association for the utility industry for many years to come.
When asked about his choice to come to Marshfield and the utility Trussoni states, “In 1986 I knew that the City of Marshfield would be a great place to live and raise a family and that Marshfield Utilities would be a perfect fit for a career, I could not have been more right about that decision.”
The Utility Commission Board and the MU Leadership team have spent a good amount of time with strategic planning and the groundwork for MU’s future has been laid.
“We have consciously attended conferences and other learning opportunities in an effort to ensure that MU understands the future of utilities and is taking the right strategic direction,” stated Board President Mike Eberl. “Bob has been a big part of the process and we know it is a big undertaking to find the right person to fill his shoes.”
