We are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2020/2021 Mike Gilliland Honor Award, Brad Ewy, former Fire Chief & Maintenance Superintendent, City of Cheney.  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.

 

After 42 years working for the Cheney Fire Department, Brad Ewy retired on June 25, 2021.  He joined the department in 1979 and wore several hats throughout the years, including firefighter, EMT, and officer.  In 1992, Brad was also hired by the Maintenance Department and in 2009 was promoted to Maintenance Superintendent.  Not only was Brad in charge of the Cheney’s natural gas system, he was the department head for the Water, Wastewater, Streets, and Parks Departments.  Working for a town of just over 2,100 citizens, Brad was the “go to” guy that never said “no” to any project.  His creativity allowed the city to minimize outside costs as Brad and his crew could conquer most any project.

In addition to the positions Brad held in Cheney, he was also command for many natural disasters.  He and his assistant, Jerry Peitz traveled across Kansas to present OQ training at KCC workshops, teaching others to learn to think on their feet to prevent and deal with emergency situations in the natural gas industry.  Brad also served on the KMGA Board of Directors since Cheney became a member in 2018.

KMGA would like to thank Brad for his many years of dedication, outstanding performance, and desire to serve his utility and represent the Municipal Natural Gas Industry at the highest level.  We would also like to congratulate him and wish him the best on his well-deserved retirement.