Bear Prairie is the General Manager of Idaho Falls Power and Idaho Falls Fiber. Prior to assuming this role in 2018 he was the Assistant General Manager for eight years. Bear has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry, started his career at Idaho Power Company in Boise Idaho holding numerous roles in commodity trading and power supply management. After leaving Idaho Power, Bear developed and staffed a west coast based electric and natural gas trading business for Integrys Energy, a Fortune 100 corporation, which he based in Boise. He has experience in utility executive management, commodity trading and asset development.
Bear serves on numerous boards including: Public Power Council, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, Idaho Consumer Owned Utilities Association, Idaho Energy Resources Authority Board, and Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee. He earned an MBA for Northwest Nazarene University and a BA in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. Bear and his wife have two children whom all enjoy skiing, golfing and fishing along with most other outdoor activities.