EPHRATA – John Mertlich is the new general manager and chief executive officer of the Grant County Public Utility District, PUD  commissioners announced Tuesday. The decision was announced during the Commission's meeting Tuesday. Mertlich's official start date is today. He succeeds Rich Wallen, who is leaving to take a position with Oglethorpe Power in Georgia. 

Commission President Terry Pyle expressed confidence in Mertlich’s capability to lead Grant PUD, highlighting his extensive experience within the organization.  

“John has served Grant PUD diligently in several capacities, most recently as our chief commercial officer,” Commission President Terry Pyle wrote in a press release. “We are confident in his ability to lead our organization forward while upholding our values and commitment to excellence.”  

Mertlich joined Grant PUD in 2019 and has held roles, including senior manager of financial planning and analysis and, more recently, chief commercial officer since late 2023.  

In his role as CCO, Mertlich has been crucial in leading the Energy Supply Management business unit, where he focused on ensuring that the utility has sufficient energy resources to meet the growing demand for electricity in Grant County, the press release said.  

“In my current role, I'm the chief commercial officer and we've started up what we call the energy supply management group,” Mertlich said. “That group is focused on new generation, planning and recently for this coming year, we worked on transmission and really doing a deep dive into the planning so that we can make decisions on what things we need to buy in terms of generation. Along with system upgrades, along with transmission partnering, along with partnering with some of our large loads out there around solutions to those three things I talked about.” 

Mertlich has over two decades of experience in the utility sector. Before his tenure at Grant PUD, he spent 15 years at PacifiCorp, where his responsibilities included technical forecasting, budgeting, financial performance reporting and assisting with regulatory filings and Integrated Resource Plans.  

“I have spent time at investor-owned utilities, consulting and I spent seven years here,” Mertlich said. 

Reflecting on his new appointment, Mertlich expressed gratitude towards the commission for their confidence in him.  

“I’m honored to have been chosen. I feel the gravitas of the position as the steward of the PUD’s business,” he said. “I am very excited for the challenges and opportunities in front of us.”  

As Mertlich steps into his new role, he emphasized the importance of continuing to provide world-class service to Grant PUD customers. 

“Our mission continues to focus on delivering electric power and fiber-optic service safely, efficiently, and reliably to our customers,” he said. 

The transition process will involve collaboration with the outgoing general manager.  

“First, I want to express appreciation to Rich Wallen for his service in the GM/CEO role,” Mertlich said, recognizing Wallen's contributions during his tenure. Wallen's last day with Grant PUD will be March 27. 

Mertlich discussed the challenges and opportunities facing Grant PUD in the utility industry.  

“I think one of the biggest challenges for this role right now is orienting ourselves to all the things that are changing in the utility industry, especially in the West,” he said.  

He noted that utilities along the West Coast face significant regulatory and operational challenges, including carbon reduction goals and energy supply reliability. 

Mertlich added that he considers managing rates while ensuring quality service to be paramount.  

“We want to make sure that we can provide the best value to our customers and that is keeping rates low for as long as we can, but we also recognize that quality comes at a cost,” he said. 

Mertlich holds bachelor's degrees in philosophy and economics, as well as a master's degree in economics from Portland State University. His family, including his wife Viva and two of their three children, live in Wenatchee. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mertlich is also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. 

“Today I have been honored with taking on the general manager role, so I'm very excited and I am looking forward to the challenge,” Mertlich said. “It's an exciting time for Grant County. That's not new; it's always been an exciting time for Grant County. I'm just looking forward to all the work that we can do. I've got great people here at the utility. I knew that when I first came on and started working here. It's just a great place to work, filled with great folks.”