From the Desk of Richard Putnicki, Executive Director, RMEL

2018 SPRING CONFERENCE WRAP UP
Last week we had the opportunity to turn the page on another Spring Conference! There is a good reason why programs like these are successful. I want to thank speakers, attendees, exhibitors, RMEL Champions and everyone who made this another strong RMEL event! Commander Kirk Lippold's keynote address had us all on the edge of our seats, and his story of leadership really set a meaningful tone for the conference. We are still getting attendee feedback and emails noting the quality of the speakers assembled, along with the relevance and timeliness of the topics. The success for this event started with the members who participated in the planning session back in October 2017. They were able to identify the pertinent topics for the tracks as well as prospective presenters on the topics. All members are invited to participate in the 2019 Spring Conference Planning Session this October. I also want to thank the RMEL Board and RMEL Section Committees for taking the baton, from the planning event and assisting in filling session gaps and, most of all, promoting the event with their professional network. Look for a special 2018 Spring Conference Recap eNewsletter with more details and pictures from the event soon!

LOOK FOR THE RMEL MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY COMING YOUR WAY!
We live in changing times. Our ability to recognize and adapt to the impact of that change can be an opportunity, and our ability to respond is critical. I want to make you aware of a key and important initiative we at RMEL are participating in. And, we will need YOUR help along the way! This Spring, RMEL contracted the services of WestGroup, a marketing research firm, to assist us in talking to our members to help us determine how we can better serve the membership, and our industry. As RMEL staff worked closely with WestGroup to help frame the process, a few of you joined in firsthand by participating one of the two focus groups held during the Spring Conference in Keystone and we’ve already seen some very powerful and helpful insights from those discussions. WestGroup will take that information, along with data gleaned from phone interviews, and build a comprehensive survey to be distributed to the RMEL Membership next month. This is where you come in. Everyone, please be on the lookout of for RMEL electric energy industry survey. I can’t tell you what it means to have your participation in this study. Your insights are this association’s most valuable resource as we continue to plan future association programs, events and member benefits.

SUMMER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
It’s going to be an awesome summer full of RMEL member-driven events, building up to our flagship event, the RMEL Fall Convention!   

The road to the Fall Convention is paved with many other great topics and speakers at conferences, workshops and roundtables this summer.  Take advantage and sign-up for these educational events:

Transmission Resiliency, Response and Restoration Symposium
June 6-7, 2018 - Austin, Texas

This symposium will explore different aspects of preparing for and responding to natural disasters from the perspectives of resiliency (examples: California wildfires, southeast hurricanes, Nebraska tornadoes and ice storms), response (examples: U.S. Virgin Islands lessons learned, Hurricane Harvey air response and staging, mutual assistance programs) and restoration (example: transformer relocation during restoration efforts).

Effective Teams and Myers Briggs Workshop
June 13-14, 2018 - Lone Tree, Colorado

Utilizing the work of Patrick Lencioni's "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team," you will learn about and experience specific tools and approaches to building high-functioning teams. The session on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator will provide you insights to your own style and its impact on your leadership. By the end of the session, you will have an action plan for moving from teamwork pain to organizational gain in your own workgroup. 

Steam Generation Cycling Symposium
June 14, 2018 - Omaha, Nebraska
SOLD OUT, EMAIL INFO@RMEL.ORG TO SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST

The RMEL Steam Generation Cycling Symposium will provide an interactive forum for presentations and discussion surrounding the operational environment and the resulting impacts of increased cyclic operation of coal generation facilities. The increased penetration of intermittent and low fuel cost generation in today's integrated energy marketplace has influenced the demand for flexible generation from coal generators with increased cycling conditions including low load operation, starts/stops, and ramping. This one-day symposium will cover information pertaining to energy market conditions, and the associated impacts on plant condition and maintenance, operation and solutions to these challenges. 

RMEL Foundation Golf Tournament
June 27, 2018 - Littleton, Colorado

The 2018 Golf Tournament benefits the RMEL Foundation Scholarship Program. Contact our office to find out all the ways you support the future of our industry, not to mention enjoy a wonderful round of golf with your industry colleagues at the beautiful scenic Arrowhead Golf Course. Call us to get registered! The foursomes are going fast!

The RMEL Foundation provides scholarships to deserving and qualified university/college students focused on engineering or curriculum related to the electric energy industry with the intent of encouraging students to pursue a career in the electric energy industry. The Foundation also provides scholarships to those pursuing an electric industry position certificate or associate degree at a college (community college, two-year college or a four-year university). 

Plant Management, Engineering and Operations Conference
August 1-2, 2018 – Farmington, New Mexico

Get details on construction, operations, maintenance, emissions, water quality, plant personnel, fuels, planning, security, safety, technologies, regulatory and policy issues and strategies and procedures that plant personnel can use to optimize plant operations and performance. RMEL members will share best practices to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and extend the life of their existing plants.

The conference will include a tour of the Four Corners Generation Plant and attendees are encouraged to visit the Four Corners Monument and Tribal Park, the quadripoint for Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The monument is managed by the Navajo Nation and is a waypoint along the Trails of the Ancients National Scenic Byway.

Transmission Project Management Workshop
August 8-9, 2018 – Golden, CO

The 2018 project management workshop will review the basics, build on the methodologies, and share tools and apply them to new case studies to assist you with continuing down the path of successful project management. Regardless of the types of projects you work, they all require you and your team to have sound project management skills and understanding in order to successfully plan, manage and control the projects. This workshop will further the in-depth discussions and applications to help you become a more disciplined, well-organized and highly effective project manager.

Future Utility Emerging Leaders Workshop
August 15-16, 2018 – Lone Tree, Colorado

This is a workshop for everyone managing a power industry career. Hear from today’s leaders on how they identify those with leadership potential, gain their commitment and ensure their development.

This workshop is an opportunity to ask:

• Are these the skills and tools you use to develop your staff?
• What are you doing to manage your career development and preparing yourself for future leadership opportunities?
   

RMEL FALL CONVENTION – SAVE THE DATE & MARK YOUR CALENDARS

All this impactful education and networking leads up to RMEL’s 115th Annual Fall Executive Leadership and Management Convention. I highly encourage you to join us September 16-18, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. Register and look for more details soon at www.rmel.org/fall.

The Fall Executive Leadership and Management Convention gives senior leaders a unique opportunity to strategize about industry vital issues of today and what the power industry will look like in 5, 10 and maybe even 30 years from now. Futurist Jim Carroll is going to help you ride critical fast-paced trends in order to achieve dramatic market success. Carroll is one of the world’s leading global futurism, trends and innovation experts, with a massive global blue chip client list that ranges from NASA to the PGA, Disney to Johnson & Johnson, the Swiss Innovation Forum to the National Australia Bank. Over the last 20 years, more than 2 million people have shared his insight with his events on stage, taking in his ability to inspire audiences through a combination of deep insight, on-stage humor and motivational guidance, all grounded in deep observations on future trends.

Fall Convention Day 2 Keynote Speaker is Dr. Michael Webber. As Deputy Director of the Energy Institute, Co-Director of the Clean Energy Incubator, Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, Author, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Michael E. Webber trains the next generation of energy leaders at the University of Texas at Austin and beyond through research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization. His recent book, "Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival”, which addresses the connection between earth’s most valuable resources and offers a hopeful approach toward a sustainable future, is receiving wide praise. His television special Energy at the Movies was in national syndication on PBS stations 2013-2015, and a suite of energy literacy tools titled Energy 101, including videos, online courses, and an interactive ebook, is available globally.  He was selected as a Fellow of ASME, has authored more than 300 publications, holds 4 patents, and serves on the advisory board for Scientific American.  Webber holds a B.S. and B.A. from UT Austin, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford.  He was honored as an American Fellow of the German Marshall Fund, an AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow, and on four separate occasions by the University of Texas for exceptional teaching.

The convention will also include the popular CEO Panel, featuring Paula Gold-Williams, President & CEO, CPS Energy; Mary Kipp, President & CEO, El Paso Electric; Bill Magness, President & CEO, ERCOT; Lisa Johnson, CEO and General Manager, Seminole Electric Cooperative; and moderator Scott Fry, who will be the 2019 RMEL President and is the Managing Director at Mycoff, Fry & Prouse. The CEO Panel will be held on Tuesday, September 17. Look for more details on the full slate of 2018 Fall Convention speakers soon.

I hope you have a great start to your summer, and we hope to see you soon!