Colorado Springs Utilities CEO to step down at end of 2022

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The current CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities is set to step down at the end of the year.

Monday morning, KRDO confirmed that Aram Benyamin has accepted another job out of Colorado Springs and is resigning from his position with Colorado Springs Utilities. He is set to stay with the utility company through the end of this year and leave at some point in early 2023.

Benyamin joined the company in 2015 and became the CEO in 2018.

KRDO obtained a copy of Benyamin's resignation, which was submitted to the utilities board.

It is with both pride and sadness that I share with you my decision to resign my post as CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities on 12/31/2022. The past four years have been an incredible journey for me, and I am so proud of the innovative, forward-looking and community focused work that has happened at Utilities.

We have put into place a robust Integrated Resource Plan, preparing our growing city for decades to come. Our conservation efforts have shined, improving our resiliency in the face of prolonged drought and the Colorado River crisis. Our innovative agreement with Ting internet has allowed us to begin turningColorado Springs into a gigabit city, ready to reap the benefits of a truly connected utilities system while also providing secure and reliable connectivity to our first responders, military and private residents. We’ve expanded our renewable portfolio, modernized our electric grid, retired all generation at the MartinDrake power plant ahead of schedule and entered the final stages of adding six modular natural gas units at the Drake site that will bridge us into a new era of power generation. These are but a few of our organization's accomplishments over the past four years.

Perhaps the most important accomplishment of my tenure has been the creation of a dedicated and talented leadership team. The collaborative, community-serving and customer-minded team in place at Colorado Springs Utilities gives me great confidence in the future, even as I leave to take the next step in my career. I know I leave this community resource in very good hands.

To that end, Travas Deal will assume interim CEO responsibilities during this transition. I know you, like me, have great confidence in Travas as an experienced and respected leader.

While I cannot yet share the next step in my journey, I assure you that I will remain in touch with the incredible leadership team at Colorado Springs Utilities.

Serving this beautiful city has been a true joy, and I thank you all for the partnership.

If you have any questions, I will be here through year's end, and I look forward to continued discussion about this transition.

Sincerely,

Aram

Below is a statement released by Benyamin regarding his departure.

Serving this beautiful city alongside nearly 2,000 dedicated employees has been a true honor. As I take the next step in my professional journey, I will take with me the innovative spirit, community commitment, and collaborative environment I have witnessed here at Colorado Springs Utilities.

Aram Benyamin, current CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities

During his time at the utility company, Benyamin came under fire after he was accused of "leading by fear." 13 Investigates first learned of the accusations after Chief Water and Compliance Officer Earl Wilkinson and General Manager of Public Affairs Cindy Newsome submitted their resignations in March.

At this time, it's unclear when exactly he will move out of his position. According to officials with Springs Utilities, Chief Operations Officer Travas Deal will assume interim CEO responsibilities during the transition.

In a press release from Colorado Springs Utilities, Mayor John Suthers said:

“As Mayor, I have enjoyed a strong working partnership with Aram over the last four years, and I credit him with taking some vital steps in modernizing Colorado Springs Utilities. Aram’s forward-looking approach has helped put Colorado Springs in a favorable position to navigate growth, changes in the regulatory and environmental environments, and advancing technology. I am sad to see him leave Colorado Springs but understand the attraction of the new opportunity that presents itself. I wish him the best in his next endeavor and am confident in the team he has in place to lead in his stead.”

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers

This is a developing story.