Mike Murray
Hometown: Bismarck, ND
Position/Employer: Property & Right of Way Manager, Basin Electric Power Cooperative
IRWA member since: 1999
Right of Way experience:
I actually started in Records Management in 1994 where one of my primary duties was to interact with the Property and Right of Way Department to help manage their easements, leases and fee lands records. I was pursued by Gaylord Johnson to apply for a Property and Right of Way Assistant job opening in late 1999 where I was hired for that position. I was a Property and Right of Way Assistant from 1999 - 2003, a Property and Right of Way Specialist from 2003 - 2008, and the Property and Right of Way Manager from 2008 - Present.
Past/Present IRWA Leadership Roles:
My first IRWA leadership position was when the Chapter 72 officers voted to send me to the first ever IRWA Young Leadership Development Council in 2003 in hopes that I would pursue other leadership positions for the Chapter. That was the beginning of several leadership opportunities (some pursued and some appointed) that I would eventually hold. I have held every Chapter 72 officer position (except Secretary/Treasurer), every Region 3 officer position including sitting on the International Governing Council, past member of Chapter Compliance Task Force, past member of Succession Planning & Leadership Development Task Force, Region Officer Position Description Task Force, served as chair and/or committee member for the Chapter 72 Pipeline Committee and Membership Committee. Current Vice-Chair of International Ethics Committee, Chapter 72 Nominations and Elections Committee, and member of Chapter 72 Professional Development Committee.
Primary benefits you receive from your IRWA membership:
I would have to say there are three things I feel I receive the most benefit from. Those would be leadership development opportunities, education and networking. I have made some good friendships over the years through my IRWA membership.
Professional/IRWA membership aspirations:
I have already been so fortunate to achieve many of my IRWA professional development aspirations. I guess the one goal I still have is to be a resource for those members who have a drive to take up a leadership role, whether it be for our Chapter or the Region.
Hobbies:
My wife tells me I have too many hobbies. Some of those would be hunting, fishing, camping, woodworking, traveling, relaxing with family and friends on the river, volleyball, working around the yard, and spending time with my cocker spaniel “Mikah”.
Something most people don’t know about you:
Some of you know, but most of you likely don’t know that I just graduated from college this past May 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management.
Funny Right of Way Story:
Probably the funniest story I can think of, now that I look back on it, was a time where Jack Holt was mentoring me on how to introduce a new project to landowners and to attempt to acquire survey permission. After doing several of these landowner visits together near Rapid City, SD, Jack decided to stay back in the vehicle and let me handle one on my own. So, I walked up and knocked on the door. A lady answered the door in nothing but a bathrobe as she clinched the front of it closed. Although it was about 6:00 in the evening, I did not give too much thought about it. I explained why I was there and she said I needed to talk to her husband, as she yelled for him. This guy comes to the door in nothing but his whitey tighties, and proceeds to step out on the porch to visit with me in about 40-degree weather. I immediately apologized for waking up him and his wife, when he says, “you didn’t wake us up, we just got home from work about a half hour ago”. I could feel myself turn red and concluded the visit with a signed survey permission after about a 10-minute conversation. As I walked back to the truck, Jack was laughing so hard and I was still trying to figure out what just happened.