Bruce Power’s President and CEO has been honoured by Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s Ontario Business Achievement Awards.
On Wednesday, Mike Rencheck was named CEO of the Year.
The annual awards gala celebrates the incredible innovations and achievements of a broad range of industry sectors and sizes from across the province.
Since joining Bruce Power in 2016, Rencheck has overseen the company’s operations, isotope programs, and community and economic development efforts while launching a $13-billion Life- Extension Program to extend the operation of its eight nuclear units to 2064.
“I’m extremely grateful to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce for the OBAA award and I accept it on behalf of our employees whose collective efforts have kept us safe and healthy through a very challenging 2020,” Rencheck said. “We have been able to continue safe and reliable operations on our site, and at the same time, work with our suppliers, elected leaders, businesses and organizations to help people in our communities through this public health crisis.”
In 2020, Bruce Power has had two successful harvests of Cobalt-60, used for the sterilization of medical equipment and for the treatment of certain forms of cancer. The company has harvested enough Cobalt-60 to sterilize up to 25 billion pairs of gloves or COVID-19 swabs.
When the pandemic struck in March, Rencheck rallied the company and its supply chain to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline and health-care workers in Bruce, Grey and Huron counties, and to other parts of Ontario as needs arose. In April, Rencheck also made a commitment from Bruce Power to provide 600,000 pieces of PPE – a number that has since risen two million as of this week.
Bruce Power also participated in and led several programs to help others. They helped raise more than $500,000 for area food banks; coordinated with suppliers to raise more than $380,000 for local and national organizations facing funding shortfalls in 2020; and more.
“We are extremely proud to honour Mike Rencheck as CEO of the Year,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “He has contributed significantly to the prosperity of communities across the province. Under Mike’s leadership, Bruce Power has continued to produce 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity at 30 per cent less than the average cost to generate residential power, and the company continues its production of medical isotopes to support health care across Canada and internationally.”