Why Basin? Engaging workload, work-life balance, and great people

Basin Electric prides itself on its culture and commitment to its employees, offering an engaging workload, work-life balance, and meaningful collaboration to attract the best in the business. 

ReNee Kline, Basin Electric administrative assistant in IT, has been a part of the team at Headquarters for two and a half years. Originally from Harvey, North Dakota, Kline was living in Montana before she moved to Bismarck in 2001 to be closer to family. Before coming to Basin Electric in 2022, she worked for the City of Bismarck as an office assistant in the Finance/Special Assessments department. She chose to apply at Basin Electric for a change of pace. “I was looking for something different and I figured IT would be very interesting and rewarding,” she says. “It’s not your basic office work, or just working with numbers. Plus, I had always heard good things about working at Basin Electric.” 

Kline earned her bachelor’s degree in business and attended both Valley City (North Dakota) State University and Bismarck (North Dakota) State College. She takes advantage of the professional development opportunities at Basin Electric. In the past, she has participated in LinkedIn training and Leadership Development Training. She takes courses that work toward a better understanding of her job within IT. 

“My job is wide open in terms of daily work, I work with over 100 IT employees, and we have something different to do every day,” she says. Kline works closely with the leadership team by coordinating process mapping and data strategy meetings. Additionally, she participates in Engineering, IT, and Transmission Systems Maintenance coordination meetings. “It is a very interesting opportunity to explore various aspects within Basin Electric,” she says.  

A significant portion of her daily work is dedicated to attending and organizing meetings for different IT teams, taking minutes at those meetings, and ensuring new Basin Electric IT employees are fully equipped for their first day. Aside from her regular administrative duties, Kline also organizes team-building activities and coordinates events. “The dynamic nature of my responsibilities means that each day presents new challenges and tasks,” she says.  

For Kline, the best parts of working at Basin Electric include the benefits, on-site medical staff, workout facilities, and coworkers. “I have never worked with such a supportive group of people,” she says. “It’s so nice to work with genuine coworkers that want to see you succeed at your job and provide the tools to do so.” Kline also appreciates the work-life balance offered in her position. “My family all live outside the Bismarck area,” she says, “and I have the freedom to take time from my job to travel and visit them, which is very important.”  

In her free time, Kline enjoys bow-hunting, fishing, pickle-ball, and spending time outdoors.  

For the past 25 years, Kline has been teaching fitness classes and working as a personal trainer. “When I started, I had four kids at home,” she says. “We were a busy family, and it was my way to destress and take time to myself while helping other people achieve their goals in the process.” Kline has taught a variety of fitness classes including yoga, circuit training, water fitness, water volleyball, cardio, weight training, core classes, and high intensity training. 

Kline plans to stay at Basin Electric for the long run. “I work with great people, have good working hours, and I like that Basin supports a work-life balance,” she says.