Robert J. Buckler Retiring as Detroit Edison President and COO; Will be Succeeded by Steven E. Kurmas
02 October 2008 - 11:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
DETROIT, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert J. Buckler, president and
chief operating officer of Detroit Edison and a 35-year veteran of
the company, has announced his retirement effective in December
2008. The DTE Energy board of directors has elected Steven E.
Kurmas president and chief operating officer of Detroit Edison to
succeed Buckler. "Bob has devoted his entire career to Detroit
Edison and DTE Energy," said Anthony F. Earley, DTE Energy chairman
and chief executive officer. "Who we are today in many ways is a
reflection of his leadership over 35 years of incredible growth and
change for our company and our industry. "He has made a tremendous
impact on all fronts during his career." Buckler joined Detroit
Edison in 1972 as an engineer. He held various positions of greater
responsibility throughout and was elected president & COO of
DTE Energy Distribution in 1998 and of Detroit Edison in 2005. In
addition to his contributions to the company, Buckler has been
deeply involved in the community and has been instrumental in
efforts to boost the economic development of the region and state.
He plans to devote more time to these commitments upon retirement.
Buckler is chairman of the Michigan Economic Development
Foundation, the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership, and the
Wayne County Economic Development board of directors. He is vice
chairman of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, Detroit Regional
Chamber of Commerce, and Next Energy Corporation. He served as
chairman of the Downtown Planning Committee for Super Bowl XL,
hosted by Detroit in 2006 and has the lead responsibility for the
special events committee of the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four, which
will be played in Detroit next April. Buckler is a trustee of the
University Musical Society, the Rackham Engineering Foundation and
past president of the Engineering Society of Detroit. Kurmas
currently is DTE Energy's executive vice president of fossil
generation. In his new position, he will be responsible for power
generation, fuel supply, electric distribution, customer service,
marketing activities and assorted support functions. "I'm confident
in Steve's ability to lead Detroit Edison through this very
exciting period in its history," said Earley. "Steve brings nearly
30 years of utility experience on both the gas and electric sides
of our business. He is an outstanding engineer, manager and leader.
I have long been impressed by his breadth of knowledge and ability
to consistently improve operational excellence and financial
results." His recent accomplishments include improving customer
average outage restoration times by 37 percent; reducing operating
costs by $40 million while improving random unit outage rates by
13.5 percent; and reducing injuries within electric distribution
operations by 60 percent. A graduate of Wayne State University with
bachelor and master's degrees in chemical engineering, Kurmas
joined MichCon in 1979 and held various engineering and
construction leadership posts before being named vice president,
gas supply in 1995. Over the next several years he held senior
management positions in gas supply, transmission, and storage and
gas operations. At the time of the merger of DTE Energy and MCN
Energy in 2001, Kurmas served as president and chief executive
officer of MCN Energy's midstream & supply and senior vice
president of MichCon supply services. Kurmas was named Detroit
Edison's senior vice president, electric operations and customer
service in 2003, and executive vice president in 2006. Kurmas is a
licensed professional engineer. He serves on the board of directors
of the Michigan State Chamber of Commerce and YMCA Southeast
Michigan, and is treasurer and past president of the board of
directors of the Engineering Society of Detroit. Kurmas and his
wife Teri have three children and reside in Shelby Township,
Michigan. DATASOURCE: Detroit Edison CONTACT: Eileen Dixon,
+1-313-235-9154, or Lorie Kessler, +1-313-235-8807, both of Detroit
Edison Web site: http://www.dteenergy.com/
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