Gabe Bolas has a big job – probably the biggest job in town held by someone almost nobody knows.
Who is president and CEO of KUB?
Why, that’s Gabriel Bolas II, known best as Gabe. He’s worked at KUB for more than 25 years, taking the top job in 2018. Previously, he was VP and chief engineer. Chartered by the city of Knoxville, KUB serves more than 468,000 customers in Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties with electric, gas, water and wastewater services.
Bolas holds two engineering degrees from UT and is a past president of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers. He serves on several community boards and was a member of Leadership Knoxville’s class of 2018. Gabe and his wife, Tarah, are parents of three sons, Gabriel III (Kirsten), Zander and Avery.
Leadership Tips: For Bolas, the most important principle of leadership is to stay true to your values and show how much you value people.
“KUB’s mission is to serve; that’s our bottom line,” Bolas said. “This past year has been full of challenges due to the pandemic, but we’ve come through it by focusing on doing the right thing for our customers and our essential workers who serve them.”
Like other organizations, KUB adjusted to unprecedented conditions to meet customers’ needs while protecting the health of the public and employees.
“Our employees didn’t miss a beat in not only continuing to serve customers, but also to find new ways to make KUB better,” Bolas said. “With their commitment, KUB earned awards for sustainability and community service efforts. They’ve worked tirelessly to determine new ways to help our customers in need.
“And in true KUB fashion, they readily sacrificed time with their families to get out in the toughest of conditions to restore services during the Christmas snow event. Their dedication is a reflection of all of us working toward one common mission of serving our community.”