Whether you live in one of Michigan’s smallest communities, like Henry Vender, or one of our most populated cities, our pledge is to provide reliable service you can count on.  

When Vender moved to Michigan’s Lost Peninsula about 40 years ago, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect. How would he give directions to get there? What recreational opportunities would be offered? Where would he get his groceries? Who would be his energy provider? 

Vender said the latter has thankfully been a smooth transition from the first day he moved into his home. And he said Consumers Energy continues to provide him and his neighbors with the reliable and safe service they need every single day.

He learned about the community’s rich, unique history as he packed his belongings and made the journey for a job transfer to Toledo. Today, he claims buying a house in Michigan and working in Ohio was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.  

“It’s a unique area, in that we aren’t attached physically to the rest of the state of Michigan unless you come in by air or water,” said Vender outside of his Erie, Mich., home – a stone’s throw from the Ottawa River and the Ohio border. “I’ve grown to love it here because of the water and all the boating opportunities.”  

Border Dispute 

The Lost Peninsula was created after the Toledo War boundary dispute in the 1830s. After the war, the state border was established just north of the Maumee River. The agreement gave the river and the city of Toledo to Ohio. But the state line continued across the smaller Ottawa River and divided the peninsula on the far side of the river. 

The land just north of the state line on the far side of the river remained in Michigan, but it no longer was connected by land to the rest of the state. All this led to it getting the nickname of The Lost Peninsula, located in the southeast corner of Michigan. It consists of about 350 acres and is home to a marina, a restaurant and homes. 

The 140-some Michigan residents who live on the peninsula must travel south into Lucas County, Ohio before going north to go back into Michigan. And the area’s public school students are bussed through Ohio to reach their schools in Michigan.

As is the case with our crews throughout the state, the crew in South Monroe prepares throughout the year to be ready for any type of storm at a moment’s notice. 

But unlike other crews, this one sometimes has to travel through Ohio. And doing so isn’t simple. 

The company’s bucket trucks aren’t allowed to drive into other states unless it’s an emergency. This means it must be towed into Ohio and back into Michigan for maintenance work during non-storm days. 

“We’re in a unique situation for the different areas that we cover in South Monroe, including the Lost Peninsula,” said Michael MacBlain Jr., supervisor of electric operations, who oversees 16 employees in South Monroe that make up six-line crews. There are also two electric service workers, who also reside at the headquarters but report to a different supervisor. 

Other areas the crew serves include an unnamed peninsula on the west bank of the Ottawa River, a large commercial business, one half of a manufactured home community and two residences off Graham Road in Ottawa Lake. 

Strong Safety Record 

MacBlain said the South Monroe crew is extremely proud of their safety record – going more than 10 years without an incident. 

“To the public, it might sometimes look like we are working slower than they would like us to,” he said. “But that’s because we’re taking the time to get our work done safely under extreme conditions. We want every one of us to go home to our families after our shifts.” 

Vender said he understands our crews have an important job to do. He’s had nothing but positive experiences with crews who have come to The Lost Peninsula over the years, including a recent humid, sunny August Day with orders to improve reliability in the neighborhood.  

They fixed fusing, upgraded a transformer and converted streetlights to LEDs. 

An “A” for Reliability 

“The reliability here has been excellent, the crews have done wonderful things,” Vender said. “The power almost never goes off, unless during a catastrophic storm.” 

He added he’d give Consumers Energy an “A” when it comes to delivering reliable power. 

“I’ve been here so long that you were called Consumers Power when I first moved here,” he said with a laugh. “But you’ve done great things and really stay on top of your reliability efforts, I’m very complimentary of the outage map….It’s convenient to use.” 

Every Customer Matters 

Local crews take pride in providing reliable service to every last customer – including Vender – in the South Monroe area. 

Dustin James, a lineworker in charge who grew up in the area, said while it’s a challenge to get to the Lost Peninsula, they’ll go to any lengths to safely deliver and improve the area’s power. 

“The way we look at it is a customer is a customer no matter who they are, where they live or whether they root for the Wolverines or Buckeyes,” said James, an avid Michigan Wolverine football fan. “And we’ll continue to provide every single customer with the safe, reliable energy they deserve. Even if we have to go through Ohio to do so.”