After considering the Air Force, Brady followed his stepdad’s advice and applied to Consumers Energy. He started his career in fleet services at 19.

Colleagues say what separates Brady as a leader is that he’s an elite communicator. He gets his points across in an even-keeled way.

“He’s always had a touch for people,” said Ty V., who’s known Brady for more than 30 years. As a referee, “He knows how to talk to coaches and players.”

Brady says about his work: “It helps the lights stay on, and we also help new businesses expand. It’s what we do and I’m proud we rise to the challenge each day.”

“My crews provide energy to our communities,” Brady says. “We reduce the risk from severe weather while building a more resilient system.”

“And in turn I get to do what I love on Friday nights. You can’t beat that.” Calling football plays and serving the community. What could be better than that?

A new event center in Kalamazoo will host more than 230 events each year, including Western Michigan University hockey and the minor league Kalamazoo Wings.

In Mattawan, Consumers Energy plays a crucial role with the Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery, which uses energy to power its buildings, wells and pumps to keep the fish healthy.

In 2024, our crews completed 1,350 major projects in the Kalamazoo area to improve reliability and we’ve had similar progress as we close out 2025.

We buried four miles of electric power lines in Allegan County that improved reliability to more than 15,000 residents. That means fewer outages. 

We installed 8,500 feet of new secondary wire in city of Kalamazoo and replaced 80 poles to improve the reliability for 300 customers along Oakland Drive near Western Michigan University.

We’re also modernizing Kalamazoo’s natural gas system. In 2025, we’ll replace 12 miles of gas main, and 1,300 service lines. New durable plastic pipes reduce the risk of winter freezing.