FROM THE CEO

Brittdye

CEO/GENERAL MANAGER BRITT DYE


Britt began his career at Fayetteville Public Utilities on June 14, 1977 as a Groundman. He worked his way up through the ranks over the years, holding the positions of Apprentice Lineman, Journeyman Lineman, Director of Substation and Metering, and Director of Engineering and Operations. Britt has served as CEO/General Manager since 2006.

Here are a collection of thoughts from Fayetteville Public Utilities' CEO/General Manager Britt Dye. Check back for regular updates on the happenings at FPU.

KEEP UTILITY WORKERS SAFE

Slow down, move over and save a life
Utilities are things we use every day, practically all day long without giving it much thought. We wake up, turn on the lights, brew a cup of coffee, take a shower and start our day. At the workplace, we use our phones and computers to complete our day-to-day responsibilities. When the day comes to an end, we gather around the television to unwind with our families.

Utilities are things we often take for granted until the power goes out or something goes wrong. Even though we use them daily, it is important to stay safe and use caution when around them.

Unless you have tiny fingers attached to busy, little feet running around your house, you likely haven’t given much thought to utility safety after removing those outlet covers. However, safety awareness shouldn’t stop in the home once the kids are old enough to not put things in outlets.

The next time you cross paths with our crew members working

 
on the roadside, take time to share these safety tips with the soon to be driver in your car.

Slow down. Whether our workers are restoring power after a storm or performing routine maintenance, please be mindful that you are entering someone’s workspace. If you do so at a fast speed, you could be putting lives in danger. Lives that make sure you have what you need to go about life as normal.

Move over. Even routine work has the potential to be dangerous, and it requires the full attention of our crew. Everyone is responsible for the team’s safety and distractions can have deadly consequences. Putting distance between your vehicle and the crew can keep everyone safe.

We hope you will help us advocate for the safety of not only our crews but also the ones you love. Slow down, move over and save a life.
 
June 2025
 

POWERFUL CONNECTIONS

Linking home, work and our community
Connections are powerful, and most of the time, they happen without us even noticing it.

Connections happen within the family. My wife and I look forward to spending time with our children and grandchildren. We enjoy gathering around the dinner table to talk about work and school. It is a pleasure to connect and make new memories as well as reminisce over old ones. It’s those everyday moments that hold great power.

Connections happen in the workplace. I am blessed to be able to drive to work every day to a job I love. I connect with coworkers through daily tasks and yearlong projects. I connect with customers we serve through phone calls, community events and day-to-day interactions. Working together towards the same goal of providing safe and reliable utilities holds great power.

Connections happen with utilities. We use phones to make calls and computers and laptops to get our work done.

 
We use lights throughout the day and appliances to make dinner. We gather around the television in our warm homes, and we enjoy a hot shower after a long day at work. Connections are found the utilities we use every day.

Connections happen at Fayetteville Public Utilities. Here at FPU, we connect substations to meters and computers to the internet, but that might not be the most important connections we make. We work hard to connect with our community to provide the best resources possible. We want to connect with you – our customers. We want to know your names and faces. We also want you to know our names and faces and know that we are just a call or visit away if you need any assistance.

This type of connection allows FPU to enhance every moment, change lives and improve our community. We are not just a utility; we are a link in the chain that makes our community thrive.
 
April 2025
 

ENHANCING EVERYDAY LIFE

Everyday moments can be ordinary like helping with homework or sharing our day around the dinner table, but those moments can also be extraordinary like opening a new business or welcoming a child. Whether the moments are routine or remarkable, Fayetteville Public Utilities plays an essential role in the everyday lives of the people and places we serve.

To us, utilities are more than keeping the lights on, the water flowing and the community connected. It is about providing the services that enable today’s priceless moments and tomorrow’s endless possibilities. We enhance every moment in ways you may not see, and it is our honor to carry out that mission every day.

We work hard to connect with those we serve. In 2024, we hosted events to celebrate our customers, constructed beds for children in need, assisted our neighbors following devastating hurricanes, provided funds to assist our local veterans and invested in our youth through the Student Utility Board,

 
Youth Leadership Summit, Washington Youth Tour, TAUD pre-apprenticeship program and job shadowing opportunities. We are committed to helping when there is a need and training the next generation of leaders.

We also work hard to improve utilities and provide reliable infrastructure. Last year, we built an EV charging station to support our community, continued the expansion of broadband services to underserved areas in our county, extended natural gas services and made tremendous improvements and upgrades to our water, wastewater and electric utilities. Our commitment to growth and development means a healthier community, more jobs and brighter futures.

All of us at FPU are working behind the scenes to supply the utilities that play a fundamental role in enhancing everyday life and making Fayetteville and Lincoln County a great place to live, work and raise a family. You can be confident that the team at FPU is always here to ensure you have the utilities you need for the moments that matter most.
 
February 2025
 

THE SEASON FOR GIVING

The holiday season is here. Families are busy decorating their homes, preparing large meals and purchasing gifts. For me, the holidays are focused on spending time with family and reflecting on the past. I fondly remember the anticipation of receiving gifts when I was a child, but as I have gotten older, I have found that it is far greater to give than to receive.

As your local utility provider, Fayetteville Public Utilities realizes that the most meaningful gifts are those we give to our community each and every day. Through our efforts to provide customers with safe and reliable utilities, promote economic development and support our local schools, FPU is constantly focused on giving and making the area we serve a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Giving back to those we serve defines who we are as a utility provider. Our employees and the members of our board call Fayetteville and Lincoln County home, and we deeply care about our families, neighbors and friends who live here, too.

It is incredible to see the passion that our employees have for their neighbors.
Their commitment to making life better is clear in their dedication to providing our customers with dependable electric, natural gas, water, wastewater and telecom services.

Our employees also give back to the community by serving immediate needs through opportunities such as our annual Day of Service. This year, employees hung up their hard hats and climbing gear to serve others by assembling 50 beds for local children in need through Sleep in Heavenly Peace and Hands of Mercy Outreach Center.

During this special season – and the rest of the year – you can be confident that the team at FPU is here for our customers and our community. We are committed to ensuring that those we serve have the utilities they need for the moments that matter most.

The employees of FPU join me in wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season and many blessings in the coming New Year.
 
December 2024
 

INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION

At Fayetteville Public Utilities, we believe that investing in our youth is important for the continued growth and strength of our community. By offering a range of youth programs, we support the educational and leadership development of the young people within our service area.

Our youth programs are designed to provide valuable experiences that foster leadership, cooperation and career readiness. In June, three high school seniors from Fayetteville and Lincoln County participated in the 2024 Washington Youth Tour as delegates of Fayetteville Public Utilities. This annual event provides young leaders with an opportunity to explore the nation’s capital, learn about government and develop their leadership skills.

Beyond the Washington Youth Tour, we provide several other programs designed to help students learn through experience. The Youth Leadership Summit is an annual event in Nashville that gives high school students the opportunity to learn about teamwork and leadership.

FPU also participates in the 4-H Electric Camp each year on the campus of the University of Tennessee. This event gives middle school students the chance to learn about science, technology, engineering and math through hands-on activities. In addition, FPU maintains a range of in-classroom programs designed to teach students about electrical and natural gas safety.
Since 2010, FPU has sponsored a Student Utility Board (SUB). A total of 15 groups of high school seniors have served on the student board, meeting once a month throughout the school year to gain valuable knowledge about FPU’s electric, water, wastewater, natural gas and telecom services. Each May, FPU awards a student board member a $1,000 scholarship to help offset the cost of higher education. The scholarship is awarded based on points earned through the student’s community and board involvement as well as the written response submitted on the scholarship application.

Investing in local youth has far-reaching benefits. FPU’s Job Shadowing Program helps students formulate and refine their career plans by gaining work-based learning experiences in their fields of interest.

FPU’s youth programs not only help students achieve their educational goals but also strengthen our community by fostering a new generation of skilled and informed citizens. By supporting education and leadership development, FPU ensures a brighter future for everyone in our service area.
 
October 2024
 

SAFE, EFFICIENT PLAN FOR SERVICE RESTORATION

At Fayetteville Public Utilities, we do our best to avoid them, but there’s no way around it; service disruptions happen.
Thanks to the great work the FPU team does each day to strengthen our system, most of our customers experience rare and brief outages. Unfortunately, when strong storms roll through, they sometimes leave behind damage.

When utilities go out, how do FPU crews know where to start working? How do you know if your outage has been reported? It all starts with a safe, efficient plan for service restoration.

When it’s safe for our crews to begin the restoration process, they assess the damage and develop a plan of action. Usually, the plan will focus on restoring services to the greatest number of people in the shortest time possible. This process typically begins with repairs to main distribution lines that service many homes and businesses. After those repairs are made, crews work on smaller lines that feed neighborhoods and streets. Finally, service lines to individual homes or businesses are repaired.

We can’t control the weather, but we can prepare for it.
 
FPU keeps a supply of poles, transformers and other equipment on hand, so we can quickly get to work in the event of an outage. When widespread outages occur, multiple crews will be out in the field simultaneously working to repair damage at multiple locations. We also coordinate with other utilities to bring in additional crews when necessary.

If you experience a disruption in service, don’t assume a neighbor reported it. It’s always best to report the outage yourself, and we make it easy to do. The quickest way to report an outage is through our SmartHub app. You can also call our dispatch department 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 433-1522.

If you have a medical condition that requires electrical equipment, please let us know, and always have a backup plan in place. This plan could include having extra medical supplies on hand or moving to an alternate location until services are restored.

Mother Nature can be unpredictable, but as a customer of FPU, you can feel confident knowing we’re standing by, ready to restore services as quickly and safely as possible.
 
August 2024