LAMAR, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 13, 2025--
In celebration of Father’s Day Weekend, Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, recognizes three generations of a single family that have worked at the company’s Colorado energy projects over the past two decades. The Allen Family, which has helped build a culture of safety, service, and integrity at Avangrid, has seen three generations of fathers and sons work at the company’s various energy projects in Colorado, including the Colorado Green and San Luis projects.
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Christjan and Sheridan Nieschburg with daughter Grey. Photo Courtesy of Avangrid
Family members Nicole, Erik, Tyler, Gabby, Chris and Christjan. Photo Courtesy of Avangrid
Larry Allen. Photo Courtesy of Avangrid
Pictured: Larry Allen with his son, Chris Allen. Photo Courtesy of Avangrid
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“Father’s Day is our annual opportunity to honor and commemorate the guidance, support, and love that comes from fathers and father figures,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “Our teams do an incredible job of creating a welcoming and positive work environment and we are proud to provide opportunities for multiple generations at Avangrid. The story of the Allen Family is not only an inspiration, it represents the culture and proud legacy Avangrid’s employees work to build every day.”
The story begins with Larry C. Allen (1947–2010), a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in radar operations in the late 1960s. His military service planted the seeds for a lifelong commitment to technology, responsibility, and integrity. After working in appliance and television repair, Larry joined the energy sector, eventually becoming a Lead/Senior Technician at Avangrid’s Colorado Green project in 2008. He quickly earned a reputation as a trusted team player and safety leader.
“Larry was an outstanding team player who influenced the character of the entire team,” said Jason Sheaves, senior director of field operations at Avangrid. “He always led the charge to get things done while staying focused on keeping everyone safe. His sudden passing in 2010 was a staggering loss—we all miss him to this day.”
Larry’s passion for safety and integrity shaped his son, Chris Allen, who followed Larry’s footsteps at Colorado Green and now works as the supervisor at Avangrid’s San Luis Solar project, also located in Colorado. Inspired by his father’s work ethic, Chris served in the U.S. Navy from 2000 to 2009 as an advanced electronics technician, laying the technical foundation for his career at Avangrid. Chris approaches his work with the same principles and values his father lived by and ingrained in him.
“Safety for the people you are around is the most important aspect of the job, any job in our company,” said Avangrid Supervisor Chris Allen. “Always look out for your colleagues in the field. Have integrity in everything you do.”
Beyond his technical expertise, Chris also served as a mentor helping prepare new hires who graduate from Avangrid’s National Training Center. His approach mirrors the values his father instilled in him: take responsibility, do the work well, and always protect your team.
Today, that legacy continues into a third generation through Chris’s son, Christjan J. Nieschburg, who serves as a technician and environmental health & safety coordinator at Colorado Green.
“They both instilled hard work and discipline in me from a young age, and I'm so proud to have learned from them,” said Nieschburg.
Outside of work, the Allen family remains deeply committed to each other, enjoying outdoor pursuits like fishing, hunting, and exploring the mountains. Their commitment to family mirrors the care they bring to the workplace every day.
At its core, the Allen family story is a reflection of what makes Avangrid special: a workplace where integrity, safety, and service aren’t just words, but guiding principles passed down from one generation to the next.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Oregon, including operations in 23 states with approximately $48 billion in assets, and has two primary lines of business: networks and power. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. Through its power generation business, Avangrid owns and operates more than 75 energy generation facilities across the United States producing 10.5 GW of power for over 3.1 million customers. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens – in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year. The company was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2025 for the seventh consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit http://www.avangrid.com.
Christjan and Sheridan Nieschburg with daughter Grey. Photo Courtesy of Avangrid
Family members Nicole, Erik, Tyler, Gabby, Chris and Christjan. Photo Courtesy of Avangrid
Larry Allen. Photo Courtesy of Avangrid
Pictured: Larry Allen with his son, Chris Allen. Photo Courtesy of Avangrid
Protesters confronted federal officers in Minneapolis on Thursday, a day after a woman was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
The demonstrations came amid heightened tensions after President Donald Trump's administration dispatched 2,000 officers and agents to Minnesota for its latest immigration crackdown.
Across the country, another city was reeling after federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon.
The killing of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday set off a clash between federal and state officials over whether the shooting appeared justified and whether a Minnesota law enforcement agency had jurisdiction to investigate.
Here's what is known about the shooting:
The woman was shot in her SUV in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where police killed George Floyd in 2020. Videos taken by bystanders and posted online show an officer approaching a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.
The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle draws his gun and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.
It is not clear from the videos if the officer gets struck by the SUV, which speeds into two cars parked on a curb before stopping.
It’s also not clear what happened in the lead-up to the shooting.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the SUV was part of a group of protesters that had been harassing agents and “impeding operations” that morning. She said agents had freed one of their vehicles that was stuck in snow and were leaving the area when the confrontation and shooting occurred.
No video has emerged to corroborate Noem’s account. Bystander video from the shooting scene shows a sobbing woman who says the person shot was her wife. That woman hasn’t spoken publicly to give her version of events.
Good died of gunshot wounds to the head.
A U.S. citizen born in Colorado, Good described herself on social media as a “poet and writer and wife and mom." Her ex-husband said Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school Wednesday and was driving home when she encountered ICE agents on a residential street.
He said Good and her current partner moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Missouri.
Good's killing is at least the fifth death to result from the aggressive U.S. immigration crackdown the Trump administration launched last year.
Noem said Thursday that there would be a federal investigation into the shooting, though she again called the woman’s actions “domestic terrorism.”
“This vehicle was used to hit this officer,” Noem said. “It was used as a weapon, and the officer feels as though his life was in jeopardy.”
Vice President JD Vance said the shooting was justified and referred to Good's death as “a tragedy of her own making.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara gave no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone when he described the shooting to reporters Wednesday. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he had watched videos of the shooting that show it was avoidable.
The agent who shot Good is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
Jonathan Ross has been a deportation officer with ICE since 2015, records show. He was seriously injured this summer when he was dragged by the vehicle of a fleeing suspect whom he shot with a stun gun.
Federal officials have not named the officer. But Noem said he was dragged by a vehicle in June, and a department spokesperson confirmed Noem was referring to the Bloomington, Minnesota, case in which documents identified the injured officer as Ross.
Court documents say Ross got his arm stuck in the window as a driver fled arrest in that incident. Ross was dragged 100 yards (91 meters), and cuts to his arm required 50 stitches.
According to police, officers initially responded to a report of a shooting outside a hospital Thursday afternoon.
Minutes later police heard that a man who had been shot was asking for help in a residential area a couple of miles away. Officers went there and found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. Officers determined they were wounded in a shooting with federal agents.
Police Chief Bob Day said the FBI was leading the investigation and he had no details about events that led to the shooting.
The Department of Homeland Security said the vehicle’s passenger was “a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring” who was involved in a recent shooting. When agents identified themselves to the occupants during a “targeted vehicle stop,” the driver tried to run them over, the department said. An agent fired in self-defense, it said.
There was no immediate independent corroboration of that account or of any gang affiliation of the vehicle’s occupants.
Trump and his allies have consistently blamed Tren de Aragua for being at the root of violence and illicit drug dealing in some U.S. cities.
Drew Evans, head of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Thursday that federal authorities have denied the state agency access to evidence in the Good case, barring the state from investigating the shooting alongside the FBI.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz demanded that state investigators be given a role, telling reporters that residents would otherwise have a difficulty accepting the findings of federal law enforcement.
“And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem,” Walz said.
Noem denied that Minnesota authorities were being shut out, saying: “They don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.”
Dozens of protesters gathered Thursday morning outside a Minneapolis federal building being used as a base for the immigration crackdown. Border Patrol officers fired tear gas and doused demonstrators with pepper spray to push them back from the gate.
Area schools were closed as a safety precaution.
Protests were also planned across the U.S. in cities including New York, New Orleans and Seattle.
Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy contributed.
Protesters confront federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
People gather for a vigil after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a motorist earlier in the day, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
People participate in a protest and vigil after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
