Member Spotlight

James Hietala, Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, Duluth

by Alex Hyatt
National Sales Manager


This month, we feature new MEA member, James Hietala, of Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD). Since joining in December 2017, the WLSSD has had MEA instructor, Mike Miller, out to teach a private group code session on Special Occupancies and Hazardous Locations.

An Electrical Engineer and Master Electrician, James has worked at the Duluth-based regional wastewater treatment facility since 2011, where he currently serves as the Electrical and Instrumentation Supervisor. James and his wife, Becky, are proud parents to Justin, a Data Scientist, and Jonah, a Journey Electrician for local 292. They have two grandchildren, James and Amalie. James loves to read, ride bicycles and is a craft beer enthusiast.

What made you want to become an Electrical Engineer? 

In ninth grade, I took a Basic Electricity shop class. We were working with tube technology back then! I found that I really enjoyed and understood it. I later went on to graduate from the U of M with a BS in Electrical Engineering.

Tell us about your upcoming project.

We are initiating construction on a completely new oxygen supply system. We are replacing the rest of our electrical distribution feeders and lineup to allow us to increase reliability and safety, and will be replacing any outdated cable, our unit substations and all incoming switchgear. Then we’re moving forward on our combined heat and power project, including two 825 kW generators we’ll run using our own methane-rich biogas produced during wastewater treatment. The hope is that we’ll be able to generate enough gas and the loads will be low enough, that we can create our own energy supply and become self-sufficient.

What aspects of your job as Master Electrician in a plant environment do you enjoy most? 

It’s a great challenge to work in an industrial environment. When problems come up, we have to figure out how to get things back up and running, often in a limited amount of time. From a variety standpoint, we work on everything from PLCs, up to 900 hp motors and 13.8 kV switchgear and everything else in between.

You’re currently hiring for an experienced Apprentice or Journey Level Electrician. Tell us about why WLSSD is such a great place to work.

WLSSD is a leader in environmental protection and is a critical component to keeping Lake Superior the beautiful, freshwater body that it is. So there is a great purpose to what we do and why we want to do a great job. The position covers a wide variety of work, and there is great potential to become a highly-talented and flexible electrician. It’s a safe and pleasant setting to work in, unlike what you may see in some other settings. Our outside contractors often tell us how clean and safe our environment is.

Duluth is a beautiful area to live and work. WLSSD is a great plant to work in, with great people, and we offer competitive pay with excellent health and retirement benefits. Plus, you’ll never have to travel and can enjoy the perks of a consistent schedule. If you’re interested in starting a career with long-term job stability, please visit the Careers section of our website at wlssd.com.