For 125 years, Consumers Energy has provided some of the most
valuable services in the world. Whether lighting a classroom in
Grand Rapids, moving an assembly line in Flint, powering an
X-ray machine in a Kalamazoo hospital or heating a home during
the winter, Consumers Energy is part of the quality of life in
Michigan. See Flickr photo album. Consumers Energy was founded
in 1886 by William Augustine Foote, a flour mill operator and
entrepreneur who enjoyed tinkering with electricity. Foote’s
innovative vision transformed his company from a small downtown
lighting project to one of the nation’s largest utility
companies. Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS
Energy, provides electricity and/or natural gas to 6.8 million
of Michigan's 10 million residents and has operations in all 68
Lower Peninsula counties. Here is a timeline of key events that
defined the company’s place in Michigan’s energy history. These
milestones helped lay a foundation that enables the company to
continue investing in the s