The Backstory
How it started
When Mike Anton purchased Roberts Electric in 1995, he brought over 20 years of motor shop experience to the Grand Valley. Mike began his career in road service where he supervised the rewind and rebuild of large hydro and steam turbine engines. A few of his most memorable projects include the Grand Coulee Dam, Hoover Dam, Bagnell Dam, Priest Rapids Dam, Noxon Dam, TVA Paradise, Wheeler and Wilson Dams, and the Bull Shoals Dam. Mike also worked on the rewinding of three hydroelectric generators at the Mesitas Dam in Bogata, Columbia.
Together with a strong team of experts, Mike and his crew began operating Rocky Mountain Electric Motors in downtown Grand Junction and put their expertise to work serving their local client’s large motor service needs. Six years later, Mike kept the momentum going and purchased Craig Electric Motor & Machine in Craig, Colorado. This successful merger saved Craig Electric from having to close its doors, rescued several jobs, and ensured that Craig’s client base would continue to receive the services they needed. Between the two shop locations, they were able to expand their service area to include clients within a 500-mile radius of western Colorado.
Three years later in 2004, Mike saw another fantastic opportunity to better serve their client’s needs and opened Rocky Mountain Standby Power as a division of Rocky Mountain Electric Motors. Standby Power’s fleet of portable generators and light towers available for lease or purchase was a perfect addition to the expanding line of services Rocky Mountain Electric Motors offered.
Mike and his team have always been deeply committed to advancing their community through philanthropy, and have generously supported dozens of organizations since opening their doors in 1995. Below are a few of the recipients of their thoughtfulness:
- Western Slope Chapter of Colorado Oil & Gas
- Challenger Little League
- Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado
- Partners
- Grand Junction Air Show
- Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
- Eagle Corps Robotics
- St. Mary’s Hospital & Regional Medical Center
- Mesa State Saunders Campaign
- 4-H Club
- American Cancer Society
- American Red Cross
- Boy Scouts of America
- Cabaret Dinner Theatre
- Central High School
- City of Fruita
- Civil Air Patrol
- Colorado Discoverability
- Colorado Extreme
- Colorado National Monument Association
- Colorado Ski Country USA
- Community Hospital Foundation
- Crime Stoppers of Mesa County
- Dean Moore Racing
- District One Little League
- Dolphin Swim Club
- DooZoo Children’s Museum
- Effective Parents Project
- Family Health West
- Fruita Monument High School
- GJ Gymnastics Academy
- Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
- Grand Junction Chapter of Future Farmers of America
- Grand Junction Downtown Association
- Grand Junction Economic Partnership
- Grand Junction Firefighters
- Grand Junction Peace Officers Association
- Grand Mesa Little League
- Grand Valley Cats
- Humane Society of Moffat County
- Impact Boxing
- Junior Service League’s Walk-4-Life
- Latin Anglo Alliance’s Cinco Di Mayo
- March of Dimes
- Marine Corps League’s Toys For Tots
- Mesa County Search and Rescue
- Mesa County Sheriff’s Posse
- Moffat County High School
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- Museum of Western Colorado
- National MS Society
- Northwest Colorado Oil & Gas Association
- Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute
- Rotary Club International
- Special Olympics
- United Way of Mesa County
- Up With People
- VA Hospital
- Western Colorado Science Fair
- Western Colorado Shrine Club
- Yampa Valley Men’s and Ladies’ Golf Tournament