Power Systems West Powers West Mercer Elementary for Spring Break

Date: Wednesday, June 16th, 2021

West Mercer Elementary School on Lake Washington outside of Seattle had a problem. Their current generator, an old model from the 90’s needed repair and the price tag was not going to be a small number.

Wayne Sumar, a Power Systems Sales Rep from the company’s Fife office paid a visit to the school to assess the situation. Wayne and the school’s facility manager agreed that a new generator was needed for the school to have reliable backup power. Also, the school needed it installed during Spring Break, a one-week window to get the job done. “We went over their needs and I was able to obtain enough information to start the process of supplying them with a turnkey solution,” says Wayne.

The school district had a Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Account which meant Wayne could leverage Sourcewell’s buying power and secure a new Kohler generator directly from Power Systems West. First turnkey accomplished.

Next, Wayne needed to secure an electrical contractor. He reached out to Milne Electric a contractor Power Systems West had worked with in the past. Milne visited the site and worked with Wayne on a game plan to meet the customer’s goal of swapping out generators and making the new backup system fully operational within a week. Now Wayne had the generator and the electrical installer. Another turnkey taken care of.

Wayne then went to work on guaranteeing the generator delivery date, coordinating with his Power Systems West service team for powering up and commissioning, and getting the crane reserved to lift the old generator and place the new Kohler in.

Spring Break arrived and the team Wayne put together went to work. The plan was executed to a T. By the end of the week, the old generator was removed, and the new Kohler generator was lifted in place, wired to the power grid, started up, and commissioned. The kids returned from vacation and West Mercer Elementary School returned to reliable backup power. Turnkey service mission accomplished.