Market Influencers and Opportunities:  Leading Our Industry in Times of Change

RMEL's 116th Annual Fall Executive Leadership and Management Convention is just around the corner, September 16-18, 2019 (NEW for 2019! Monday-Wednesday dates) at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza, in Kansas City, MO. Register and get more details at RMEL.org/fall. The electric utility industry is at a crossroads of change and moving towards a new paradigm. We will discuss what's happening in the energy world markets and explore those critical elements in leading during these times. 

If you can only attend one event this year, THIS IS THAT EVENT! Register and view the interactive convention grid.

The Fall Convention is your opportunity to:

• Leverage the RMEL professional network with 300 electric energy executive attendees
• Get an energy pricing outlook for the rapidly changing industry, including commodity markets, global fuel demand outlook, future of coal/nuclear and renewables
• Gain insights on how Berkshire Hathaway has built agreements with new industry interveners
• Discover new culture and employee engagement/direction strategies
• Hear about the changing value of the customer experience and the drivers, how disruptive technology empowers the customer and how to take the customer experience to the next level
• and much more...

You won’t want to miss this premier lineup of speakers:

Day 1 Keynote
John Doggett, Entrepreneurship, Global Competition and Sustainability Expert

Renowned lecturer John Doggett will share his insights and perspectives on global energy markets. He has extensive experience working with companies and trade associations in a wide range of industries, including electric utilities, oil, gas, coal, manufacturing, retail, transportation, software and non-profit.

 

 Day 2 Keynote – Visionary Leaders – The Future is Now
Clifton L. Taulbert, Pulitzer Nominated Author, International Lecturer and Entrepreneur

For 21st century utility leaders, an innovative approach remains key to facing the future. In his conversation, he will address fourteen of the many issues your leadership faces on an ongoing basis-from INNOVATIVE RETENTION to RENEWABLE ENERGY. He will explore five leadership initiatives (takeaways) that we feel to be important for your leadership mindset when addressing these issues and others.

  

CEO Panel

Panelist #1: Terry Bassham, President & CEO, Evergy	Panelist #2: Nick Brown, President & CEO, Southwest Power Pool	Panelist #3: David Tudor, General Manager & CEO, Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.	Panelist #4: Kevin Wailes, CEO, Lincoln Electric System

The power industry is transitioning to a new electric energy paradigm. Electric utilities are leveraging new and existing technology to minimize costs and maximize operations while delivering solutions that are more aligned with changing customer expectations. This popular panel will focus on the diverse strategies CEOs are employing to usher their utilities into the new power industry frontier. There will be brief discussion from each CEO, followed by questions from the moderator and collected questions fielded from the audience.     

Facing an Energy Abundance
Michael Zenker, Managing Director, NextEra Energy Resources
The U.S. is facing an abundance of energy in almost all forms. Growing U.S. oil and gas production will transform the U.S. from the largest global importer, to a net exporter by 2020. At the same time, a boom or renewable energy construction is occurring despite the fact that electricity demand is not growing in the U.S. The presentation will explore the origins of this abundance, and then turn to implications to power markets in the western U.S.  
 
Berkshire Hathaway Case Studies Presentation with Interview and Q&A
Cathy Woollums, Senior VP, Chief Sustainability Officer, Berkshire Hathaway Energy
 
State of the American Workplace
Faith Gaines, Gallup
"The workplace is changing." Leaders hear this declaration or some variation of it frequently. It's a common refrain that, in the past, has carried little weight. After all, change is a constant in the business world. The workplace certainly was changing when we released past State of the American Workplace reports. So why does it feel different now? Why does "change" feel so heavy, pervasive and notable? Because the changes that are affecting organizations today are coming fast and furious. They are overlapping and colliding in ways they haven't before. They are historic and monumental. These changes are forcing organizations to reconsider how they manage and optimize performance in a time when the very essence of how, when and where people work and the value they place on work are shifting.

South Texas Project Leadership Culture
Dennis Koehl, Former CEO, South Texas Project
This presentation will cover the business achievements and leadership attributes of the STP team, and will provide a better understanding of the nuclear business. Dennis will describe the process of constantly discussing where STP stood in the ERCOT market and its true profitability to its owners. It required constant reinforcement in order to gain alignment and achieve the financial goals demanded by owners.
 
The Changing Value of Customer Experience in the Energy Cloud
Ted Walker, Managing Director, Navigant
Utilities are experiencing a paradigm shift as they move from regulated commodity providers to sophisticated total energy solutions providers. Customer experience (CX) sits at the heart of this transformation. The pressure is on for incumbent utilities to transform how they interact with their customers to find their place in this evolving market, but what is missing for many utilities today is a top-tier CX.

Trends & Technology
To be Announced 

RMEL Foundation and upcoming Silent/Live Auction

In addition, the RMEL Fall Convention is an exciting time to continue growing the industry through the RMEL Foundation. Many students don’t realize the exciting opportunities available in the electric energy industry. As your organizations, high schools, colleges and universities partner together to showcase power careers, the RMEL Foundation is a resource for scholarships. The biggest fundraiser is the RMEL Foundation Auction, which takes place during the Fall Convention on Tuesday, September 17, in Kansas City. You can donate an item and participate in the Auction at the Fall Convention.

Donations raised will fund the 2020 Scholarships. Scholarship applications for interested students will be available this November. Please share the scholarship application with friends, colleagues and university/college contacts who can help us spread the word.

RMEL has Packed August Full of Great Events Leading up to the Fall Convention - There’s Something for Everyone

Introduction to the Electric Utility Workshop (2 dates to select from)
August 6, 2019 – Fort Collins, Colorado
August 7, 2019 – Fort Collins, Colorado

This course is designed to acquaint non-technical utility employees with the basics of their industry from the generation to the distribution of electricity. The workshop will focus on five areas: an overview to electricity and electrical power systems, information on conventional production methods, alternative technologies, transmission and distribution systems and customer service. In the overview, you will learn about the basic theory of electricity, how it is produced, and delivered to your home. In the conventional production methods section you will learn the role of primary energy sources: water, gas, oil, coal, and nuclear. You will also hear about power conversion processes, system application, capital and operating costs and grid connection considerations. 

Plant Management, Engineering and Operations Conference
August 7-8, 2019 - Golden, Colorado

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.

Transmission Resiliency, Response and Restoration Symposium 
August 13-14, 2019 - Golden, Colorado

This symposium will explore different aspects of preparing for and responding to natural disasters from the perspectives of resiliency, response and restoration. Attendees will strategize on powering through hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, snow storms, floods and more.

Leadership Workshop: Preparing Today's Leaders for Tomorrow's Utility
August 14-15, 2019 - Lone Tree, Colorado

This is an essential workshop for anyone navigating a successful career in the electric energy industry, especially those in middle management (new or seasoned). The workshop will feature industry specific leadership and technical topics.

August Safety Roundtable
August 23, 2019 - Golden, Colorado

Switching - A Human Action
Kyle Conroy, EPTC Manager, Western Area Power Administration
As an industry there is certainly many variations of Power System Switching Operating Procedures, Guidelines, and Protocols developed to minimize the potential for the human element to error. In doing so, ideally our priority is/was concern for human safety. Of course, this is followed very closely with our concern for system reliability. Yet, with all these various efforts designed or intended to guide the human through switching, errors (incidents) still occur. What seems to work well vs. what doesn't? Can process driven protocols lead to complacency? The answer is... What is the question again? There is much discussion on how we as an industry should proceed to mitigate switching errors; these often include but are not limited to discussions regarding: improved processes and job aids, improved situational awareness, more effective root cause analysis, near miss reporting, more automation, integrating virtual or augmented reality, integrating artificial intelligence. And the list goes on...I am curious, have we actually really defined the question we should be addressing?

I look forward to seeing you soon!