Ozarks Profile: Cathleen F. Meyer

Cathleen F. Meyer

Senior manager of pricing, City Utilities of Springfield, 301 E. Central. CU provides electric, gas, water and bus transportation services to Springfield and the surrounding area and is owned by the citizens of Springfield. It was created in 1945, when the city of Springfield purchased the gas, electric and transit operations, adding water in 1957. CU's bus system shuttles people 365 days a year, from 6 a.m. to midnight. Meyer's department is responsible for developing and implementing the rates and charges for utility services. The pricing department also forecasts utility sales, revenues and fuel costs for CU. Meyer has worked for CU for 23 years.

Age: 47

No. of years in Springfield/area: 23

Education: Meyer holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Drury University.

Early career: "In 1973, at the beginning of the energy crisis, I went to work for Laclede Gas Company in St. Louis. Shortly after I came to CU, the National Energy Acts were adopted in response to the crisis, and I became involved in passing the skyrocketing energy prices to customers. I was also responsible for communicating the reasons for the higher prices to customers and for coordinating CU's energy conservation programs to help customers cope with the increases. It's been nice to have lower energy costs and lower customer bills for the past 15 years," Meyer said.

Current projects: "CU currently has several projects underway which will allow us to be more responsive to the changes in the utility industry and to our customers' needs for utility services. One of the more significant projects is a new customer information system. My part of this project involves developing the programs that calculate the customer's bill."

Management philosophy: "Encourage a diversity of viewpoints that allow for discovering the best solutions and then provide the support and resources necessary to implement those solutions."

Spare-time pursuits: Meyer enjoys reading and traveling.

Family data: Meyer's husband Joe is a division controller at Associated Wholesale Grocers. Their daughter, Gretchen, is 18 and will be a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis this fall.