We are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2020/2021 Mike Gilliland Honor Award, Terry Jantzen, former Utility Superintendent, City of Moundridge. In 2016, KMGA established this award in honor of Mike Gilliland. Mike played a leading role in the agency, serving multiple terms as President, Vice President, and Executive Committee member. The award honors his contributions to KMGA and is to recognize an employee of a KMGA member city who has, over a period of years, demonstrated outstanding performance and made significant local contributions to their municipal utility.
The City of Moundridge hired Terry Jantzen as summer help in March of 1982. Terry did such a great job they asked him to stay and after 39+ years of outstanding performance and significant contributions to his municipal utility, he retired just last month.
During Terry’s tenure, Moundridge grew by over 500 residents. Several new housing additions were added along with nearly a dozen new streets requiring the city to add all new utilities, gas, water, sewer, and electric services to serve over 150 new homes. The city also added more than 20 new businesses in a city owned commercial development area. Large industrial growth with manufacturers such as Tortilla King, The Grasshopper Company and The Bradbury Company support over 800 industrial jobs in the city. In the 1990’s, 7 miles of deteriorating cast iron gas mains were replaced with poly gas lines. The project took a total of 7 years to complete. Terry was also instrumental in bringing Pine Village, a 40-acre senior living facility, into the city’s utility system.
Terry’s hobbies include black smithing and windmills. He and his wife, Ruby enjoy traveling to different windmill shows and conventions and spending time with their nieces and nephews.
Please join us wishing Terry well in his well-deserved retirement!
