Springfield City Club

FEATURED PRESENTATION: SPRINGFIELD UTILITY BOARD
For 75 years, SUB has been Springfield, Oregon’s customer-owned utility, created by the people of Springfield to bring safe, reliable, and cost-effective utility services to the community. Jeff Nelson, SUB’s General Manager, will take us through the utility’s remarkable history, including how residents wrested control away from an unpopular for-profit utility and instead created SUB to ensure Springfielders had a voice in how they were served. He’ll also share how that spirit of ownership continues to guide the utility today.

Looking ahead, Jeff will discuss the complex challenges facing SUB, including a changing climate, new regulations, and rapid advances in technology. Those challenges are addressed in SUB’s newly released strategic plan, which focuses on five key goals over the next five years. The document is a commitment to customers, one aimed at keeping the utility resilient, reliable, and responsive to serve Springfield’s needs in a fast-changing world. Learn about how SUB is securing the community’s drinking water and power future with large-scale infrastructure projects, plus about our new customer-focused service and technology initiatives. Jeff will share how SUB is preparing for the future while staying true to its mission—and how customer voices continue to shape our direction.

A native Oregonian, Jeff Nelson began his career with the Springfield Utility Board in 1996. He has served as the utility’s General Manager since 2012, making him only the fifth person to hold the position in the utility’s 75-year history. Under his leadership, SUB has emphasized energy and water efficiency, infrastructure investment, and a commitment to serving the Springfield community. Jeff has been instrumental in guiding the utility through various challenges, including the West Coast power crisis in the early 2000s and the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, he led the utility through a comprehensive review following the 2024 ice storm, resulting in a rigorous after-action process that has positioned SUB to better meet customer needs during future large-scale events. In March, Jeff announced he would retire in 2026, after nearly 30 years of service. He is working now to ensure a strong finish and a smooth transition to a new general manager.

You may have met Jeff in the wild without knowing it: from donning a beard and belly to play Santa in the Springfield Christmas Parade, to pulling on his formal stars-and-stripes attire to greet Light of Liberty Celebration festivalgoers as Uncle Sam, to jumping in a dunk tank dressed as a pirate, he’s known foe injecting fun and humor into even the most buttoned-up occasions.