Serving Basin Electric's members from the warehouse

When you think about the essential roles needed to keep a plant running, a few jobs might pop in your head. Perhaps an electrician or welder, or maybe a mechanic, coalman, or engineer.

One important role that shouldn’t be overlooked is a warehouseperson.

Warehouses that contain parts and products necessary for the facilities to run are located at many of Basin Electric’s larger generation facilities and several of its transmission outposts. The warehouse at Antelope Valley Station is one such location that fulfills requests for every tool, part, or product used at the facility. Mechanics, electricians, even contractors – every person in the entire workforce goes to the warehouse to get whatever they need to do their job.

“Everything needs maintenance, especially when parts are moving 24 hours a day. Someone might come to us and need parts to repair a motor or pump,” Julie Amsden, a warehouseperson at Antelope Valley Station, says. “We also hand out a lot of tools, like slings and chains. And it seems like every day we’re giving out a gasket or two. It’s like a huge store.”

The warehouse even distributes items you may not think about, like cleaning supplies and toilet paper.

The tool room window at the Antelope Valley Station warehouse is where everyone comes to pick up the materials they need to successfully do their work.

“The four of us in the warehouse rotate jobs – sometimes we receive inventory and sometimes we work at the window. Working at the window is my favorite because I get to give people their parts so they can keep the plant running,” Amsden says. “It’s a customer service role, really. I fill their work orders so they can get back out to the plant faster. I like getting to see everyone, smile, and tell them to have a good day.”

Read more about a day in the life of a warehousperson in the story, How we serve: Warehouse team, which is featured in the Fall 2023 issue of Basin Today.