Larry Chapman
Metering Consultants

Welcome to this website, the hope is to see it develop into a helpful resource for information about the challenges of electric metering. My plan, since retiring from Chapman Metering, is to continue serving the REC’s and Municipal Utilities in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas by keeping the “Hands On” programs we have developed over the past 30 years operational. Presentations to groups or even utility safety meetings on topics about metering pitfalls and safety in general can also be provided to any of you that might have interest.

To bring everyone up to speed on just who the “Old Guy” responsible for all this is, I am Larry Chapman, and I began my career in metering after 5 years in Uncle Sam’s Navy by joining my Father in the business he started in 1960. Our initial goal was to serve as a meter testing service to Rural Electric Cooperatives and Municipal Utilities in Iowa. By 1979, when I took over the responsibility of running the company, we had expanded into Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Missouri. In the early 90’s the infamous Turtles, the first automated meter reading system to show up in the Midwest, sprang up out of Paul Hunt’s basement in Minnesota. The little old meter guy logo for this website was actually brought to life by Paul’s son Ryan as a caricature of me. Demand to get involved deploying and retrofitting that equipment provided a new opportunity to grow our company. That also brought the need for capital which led us to a partnership with Nishnabotna Rural Electric Cooperative of Harlan Iowa and a move to Avoca Iowa, where Chapman Metering is still located. As I began to realize I might be getting old someday and we were getting a little too large to continue partnering with a cooperative, we sold out to the Kriz-Davis Company in Grand Island, Nebraska, an Employee Owned Company. After a couple of years the Kriz-Davis Company had the opportunity to join Border States Electric, another Employee Owned Company. So there you have the history in a nutshell and the gang at Chapman Metering will remain the most thorough and conscientious group of metering professionals in the country.

Actual meter testing or equipment installation requests that might come along here will be deferred to Cliff DeSchamp who has taken on my responsibilities, at the now 62 year old, Chapman Metering Company with its brand new beginning with Border States Electric.

Thanks for Listening,
Larry “The Old Guy” Chapman