public power magazine - may/june 2015

PUBLIC POWER

Powerful Leadership

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS of Strength page 6

What Is LEADERSHIP, Anyway? page 32

The Leadership Issue

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WEBPublicPower.org

TWITTER & INSTAGRAM@PublicPowerOrg

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EDITORIAL TEAMJoe NipperSenior Vice PresidentRegulatory Affairs and Communications

Meena DayakVice PresidentIntegrated Media & Communications

Paul CiampoliNews Director

Jeannine AndersonNews Editor

Laura D’AlessandroIntegrated Media & Communications Editor

Robert ThomasArt Director

Sharon WinfieldLead Designer, Digital & Print

INQUIRIES

[email protected] 202-467-2900

SUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected] 202-467-2900

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Advertising for APPA publications is managed by Naylor, LLC.

Public Power (ISSN 0033-3654) is published six times a year by the American Public Power Association, 2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22202-4804. ©Copyright, 2015, American Public Power Association. Opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily policies of the association. Periodical postage paid in Arlington, Va., and additional mailing offices.

For permission to reprint articles, contact @NewsPublicPower.org.

COLUMNS

4 Public Power Lines by Sue Kelly

46 Washington Report

47 Engineering

48 Security

49 Innovation

50 Resources: Outage Management

52 100 Years of Pride in Public Power

6 Seventy-Five Years of StrengthA look back at public power’s roots shows achievement in the face of overwhelming force and continued advancement in the average American’s quality of life.

20 Powerful LeadershipPublic power’s leaders steer their community-owned utilities with communication, collaboration and strength.

32 What Is Leadership, Anyway?Editor, author and APPA National Conference speaker Geoff Colvin maps the path to success that anyone can follow.

38 Top 10 Leadership ReadsGet the best insight on leadership with these books recommended by public power’s leadership in Washington.

FEATURES

CONT ENT S

Cover illustration by Jeanine Henderson

The Leadership Issue

#PublicPower

Search for American Public Power and Connect with US

PublicPower.org / @APPAnews 3

4 Public Power / May-June 2015

Those of you who studied Roman mythology in school might remember Janus. He was the Ro-man god who had two faces, one looking to the past and one to the future. According to Wikipe-dia — and isn’t that where we get our information in this digital age — he “frequently symbolized change and transitions,” and was invoked during rites of passage such as marriages and death.

When I read the articles on leadership in this issue of Public Power, I thought of both our leadership in the past, and out into the future. One article reminds us of the tough fights we had when public power got its start, and how we grew to be a force in our industry. Visionary leaders like Alex Radin and Leland Olds dedicated their careers to the principle that power could be delivered to the people, re-liably and at cost, and that public power could serve as a competitive yardstick — a function it still serves today.

But we are now going through a transition that will call for new leadership, and new lead-ers. First, we are seeing a wave of retirements in public power, as long-time general manag-ers and CEOs, and employees throughout the ranks, reach the end of their careers and move into their well-earned leisure years. We need to make sure that a new generation of experi-enced and thoughtful leaders is there to take their places. And given the increasing diversity of our nation, our customer base and our own workforces, that leadership will be increasingly diverse — as illustrated by the people profiled in our article on public power leaders.

Second, and every bit as important, we are going through a period of accelerating technological change. New technology is impacting and will continue to affect all parts of the electricity production and delivery chain. We will eventually see a much more distributed, decentralized and automated grid. Retail customers will have new options for how they use, or even generate, their power, and new companies will be eager to help them do it. We, as not-for-profit, community-owned power providers, can be at the forefront of these changes, and serve as a valuable resource for our retail customers as they negotiate these new options. But we have to engage early and we have to lead if we do not want to end up following. The new generation of leaders now taking the helm will have to take on this important task.

APPA itself is in transition too. By the time this magazine hits your inbox, I will have been on the job for a year.

Leadership — Looking Both Back and Forward

PUBLIC POWER LINES

So, like Janus, let’s look in both directions at once, taking inspiration from our past leaders and using that inspiration to meet the challenges ahead of us.

Looking back, like Janus, it was a year of change, including a number of staffing changes and our move to Crystal City, Virginia, and leaving the District after 74 years. This year, we are in the midst of strategic planning — with the goal of ensuring that we are using our human and financial resources as efficiently as we can to support our members as they deal with the changes facing our industry. While negotiating change can be unsettling, and even hard at times, it is certainly prefera-ble to what will happen if we look only backward, and assume the future will be like the past. You can safely bet it won’t be. So, like Janus, let’s look in both directions at once, taking inspiration from our past leaders and using that inspiration to meet the challenges ahead of us. ■

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SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS OF Strengthby Anthony J. Rivera


In the face of formidable challenges, public power’s leaders past and present do not shrink from the task — they make the most of the times given to them and in doing so leave us with an incredible legacy.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS OF Strengthby Anthony J. Rivera

“ I tell people I was a strong advocate of public power because I was offered 87 cents an hour,” said Joe Exum, who served as chairman of the American Public Power Association’s board of directors from 1987 to 1988.

Exum had just gotten out of the Navy after World War II and wasn’t interested in working for anything less than 50 cents an hour. That’s

when someone from the Jackson Electric De-partment, now the Jackson Energy Authority in Tennessee, offered him a part-time job. He took the position, moved up through the ranks and stayed at the utility for 42 years.

“I think it is important for institutions as well as individuals to be aware of their roots, in order to place present issues in perspective,

1942 1946 1947 1951 1955 19801940

Sept. 11 magazine and newsletter

Manager, on loan from Loup River Public Power District, opens first APPA office

General Manager

Conference in Memphis

summary of operations of public power systems

report contest

becomes General Manager (Read more about Radin on page 10)

Manual published

its research and development arm, Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Developments

and to assess prospects for the future,” former APPA Executive Director Alex Radin wrote in a 1986 article for Public Power magazine the year of his retirement. Radin passed away in 2014.

Public power’s 75th anniversary is an op-portunity to look back at the roots laid by founders such as Radin and Exum, put per-

1986 1987 1995 2001 2007 2009 2010 2014

becomes Executive Director

Power Week celebration

becomes Executive Director

Power Lineworkers Rodeo held with Santee Cooper

becomes CEO applications reviewed

utilities designated

becomes CEO

spective on the present and assess the future for community-owned utilities — from the smallest municipal distributors to the larg-est federally-owned generators. It’s not just to reflect on achievements in the face of over-whelming forces, but also to celebrate a con-tinuing advancement in the average American’s quality of life.

“Public power utilities provide more than just keeping our lights on and our televisions running, [they provide] a critical service to fam-ilies and businesses across the country, includ-ing in my home state of Washington,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in an email. Her state’s public power industry serves roughly half of her constituents and she’s cosponsored legislation

in the past to extend investment incentives.Talk to any former APPA board member and

a few themes repeatedly surface. Among them are the need for transparency and fairness in wholesale power transactions as well as fair and open access to transmission, especially for transmission-dependent utilities.

continued on page 12

Share your #PublicPower

milestones.


By 1986, Radin had time to move on from that

period of history but kept his focus on his old

friend. In his farewell article, he described how

Olds had helped fuel a failed filibuster against

privatization measures being proposed in the

Senate for the Atomic Energy Act. It was

another defeat but Radin kept it as a treasured

memory.

To this day, former chairmen of APPA still

feel the sharp acrimony for Johnson. Olds had

set the bar high for serving the utility needs of

the public and Radin’s 42 years extended that

bar. Their values have been infused thoughout

the public power community.

Alex Radin, the beloved executive director of

the American Public Power Association, who

passed away a little more than a year ago, said

it best while reflecting on his nearly 40-year

career at the organization.

“So virulent was the antagonism of the power

companies toward the federal power program

that they published national advertising which

equated public power with socialism, and

pictured haggard people behind the barbed

wires of a concentration camp,” Radin wrote

in his 1986 farewell article for Public Power

magazine.

He knew the politics of public power. He had

seen firsthand the lengths its enemies would

go to take down a person standing in their

way. One such person was the Federal Power

Commission’s chairman, Leland Olds, an

admired public servant and disciple of Franklin

Roosevelt and the New Dealers. The rise and

fall of Olds occupies several chapters of author

Robert Caro’s 2002 opus, Master of the Senate.

At one point, Caro vividly recounts Olds’

character assassination at the hands of

subcommittee chairman and future president

of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson.

Johnson had hoped to win over the deep-

pocketed Texas interests once he took down

Olds.

The author describes his interview with Radin.

The bitterness Radin still felt for Johnson’s

attack on his old friend was palpable. Caro

notes that Radin had a transcript from the

vicious re-nomination hearing sitting out, the

pages were “battered and dog-eared.”

“‘Yes, I’ve read it and re-read it many times,’

Radin said,” according to the book. He’d

clearly searched it for answers time and again.

Olds was never the same after that hearing,

some said.

Alex Radin, Leland Olds and the Master of the Senate

Alex Radin was a reporter in Tennessee before he moved to Washington in 1941.

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National advertising campaigns published in the 1950s aimed to smear public power’s reputation. The ad above was printed in U.S. News and World Report in 1956 and is housed in APPA’s Smithsonian collection.

‹‹‹‹‹‹‹


The Smithsonian National Museum of American History accepted APPA’s historical collection on “Advertising For and Against Public Power,” in 2014, an acknowledgement that it is valuable documentation of the political aspects and controversies of public power, which is of interest to researchers. The collection is available for review by appointment. Visit americanhistory.si.edu/archives/collections for more information.

Economies of ScaleAnyone who’s served in APPA’s leadership knows how important organizing has been. Small municipal utilities found themselves surrounded by enormous private utility companies. Joining together was the only option.

“We just didn’t have the economies of scale

that the competition had,” said Bob Nelson, APPA chairman in 1991. It was, for instance, unusual for public power facilities to get access to transmission lines before joint action agen-cies existed, he said.

For the past 15 years, Nelson has been helping locals in the East Indies maintain and operate their own electric and water utilities.

Unknown AdversariesIt took a coalition to fight for the public good in the electric utility industry, said Eldon Cotton, APPA chairman from 1995 to 1996. That’s one of the reasons why organizations like APPA exist, he said. APPA and the history of public power cannot truly be understood unless you understand the predatory pricing practices by private utilities in the early 20th century.

“You never know for sure who your adver-saries are but you suspect,” Cotton said when reflecting on his own experiences competing with investor-owned utilities.

Radin had been very aware of public pow-er’s adversaries since the 1950s.

“Although the federal power program had received a significant push during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt — espe-cially in the Tennessee Valley and the Pacific Northwest — each proposal for a new federal power project was the subject of bitter oppo-sition from private power companies,” Radin wrote in 1986.

WATCH: Hear more of Radin’s wisdom immortalized in

APPA’s 70th Anniversary video at publicpower.org/

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He started out on the island of Kosrae in Mi-cronesia and has since become a consultant to various other islands.

Public power has done great work with joint action agencies, Nelson said. APPA took a strong role in getting the agencies started as a viable organizational vehicle for matching the economies of scale in the market. Bill Carna-han, APPA chairman from 1986 to 1987, said joint action agencies allow smaller utilities to match the size of some of the investor-owned utilities.

“You know, the whole idea that competi-tion solves our problems — well competition isn’t competition when you have a monopoly or a near-monopoly,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., a progressive lion and outspoken advo-cate of public services.

In some cases, joint action agencies allowed public utilities to build their own facilities.

In other cases, they had the negotiating power to get better wholesale power contracts and transmission delivery.

Small distribution utilities don’t have the access to ser-vice at wholesale in the power business, said Cotton. There also isn’t much leverage for the price if you wanted to, say, have access to a transmission line.

“It’s a whole different ball-game,” Cotton said. “Individual managers became aware that they had a good story to tell but they were lone rangers against a huge cavalry of investor-owned utilities that were often times be-having in corrupt fashion.”

This 1955 ad printed in The American Magazine exemplifies public power’s adversaries’ attempt to brand the industry sector as socialistic.

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Bedrock Policy“Quite frankly, [tax exempt financing] is a bedrock of public power,” Carnahan said. “Because, after all, we’re non-profit. So we’re not going to borrow cheaper money and then declare higher dividends because that’s not who [we] are.”

Tax exemption often comes into play as a budget-balancing measure, Carnahan said, and both side of the aisle in Congress are guilty of it. Politicians look at the cost of bor-rowing and misunderstand the purpose of it, he said.

Challenge Du JourDuring Carnahan’s time on the board at APPA, he said there was always the challenge du jour and for others, too, throughout public power’s history.

Acid rain caught national attention during Nelson’s tenure. Regulators from the Environ-mental Protection Agency were looking at the effects of coal-fired power plant pollution. As a way to work with the EPA, Nelson said APPA helped create the concept of carbon credits, a pillar of cap-and-trade.

In the 1980s, the Chernobyl nuclear disas-ter caused ripple effects across the energy sec-tor, Exum said. He attended an energy con-ference in Paris, which sought to address the effects of the disaster. He said he remembers European representatives from places such as Italy and Sweden and the resulting changes made in nuclear energy policy.

Still, Exum said, nuclear needs to be part of the mix of energy options as the industry explores further into other, cleaner sources of energy.

Sustainable Public PowerLooking ahead at the EPA’s proposed carbon-dioxide reduction rule for existing plants, Carnahan said, it is affecting a lot of existing facilities. California’s standards, where he’s from, are already stronger than the rule, he said. But on a national scale it is a challenge. It’s not good when decisions are based on politics rather than on what’s best for the customer all around, including economically, Carnahan said.

If the history of APPA and public power is any indication, these new challenges will be

formidable but not impossible to overcome.As Radin said in a 2009 interview, the fu-

ture of public power is great, if the industry recognizes and deals with impending change.

APPA President and CEO Sue Kelly echoed Radin’s sentiment in her inaugural National Conference speech in 2014. “We need to have a vision that spans not just the next two or

even the next ten years, but beyond, to fu-ture generations of public power customers,” Kelly said. “We need to continue to diversify our generation and demand-side resources to ensure a sustainable future — sustainable in both the environmental and the economic sense of the word. We need to plant seeds, as Alex did, for the long term.” ■

WATCH: See APPA President and CEO Sue Kelly’s inaugural National

Conference speech from 2014 at publicpower.org/videos/2014natcon


APPA recognizes individuals and member utilities for significant contributions made to public power, and provides its members with many opportunities to earn deserved recognition through its annual award programs.

Receiving a national award from APPA is a high honor that can be achieved by public power systems of all sizes and by individuals in various career stages. Please consider nominating commendable individuals and public power utilities for an APPA award in 2016.

2015 awards will be presented at APPA’s National Conference, June 5-10 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Search for “APPAAcademy” in the App Store or Android Market to download this free app onto your iOS or Android device. Look for the National Conference app in June.

■ Create your own customized conference schedule

■ Access presentations and take notes on conference sessions

■ Share your contact information with other attendees

■ Learn about the conference sponsors and exhibitors

■ Know where you’re going with interactive floor plans

Check Public Power TV in mid-June for the annual awards video and look for winner bios

on publicpower.org or read about them on the APPA Academy mobile app.

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Let the APPA Academy provide you with the knowledge you need to perform your job at the highest level.Register for these events today at PublicPower.org/APPAAcademy.

ConferencesNational Conference & Public Power Expo

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Business & Financial Conference

Legal Seminar

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Education Courses & Workshops

Fall Education Institute

Featuring the following courses:■

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Public Power Leadership Workshop

WebinarsPublic Utility Governance Webinar Series: Overview of Utility Financial Operations for Board and Council Members

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Powerful LeadershipPublic power’s leaders achieve success through communication, collaboration and strength.

By Laura D’Alessandro, Integrated Media Editor, APPA

Hundreds if not thousands of history’s great-est thinkers have espoused witticisms on lead-ership principles. Not insignificant among those quotes is the somewhat ominous proverb that without a visionary leader, the people will not survive. In the business of electricity, leading an organization that delivers a necessary resource is, indeed, a vital task.

But for public power, keeping the lights on is unlike other utility business models. To suc-ceed, a public power utility needs support from its community, rather than shareholders. Top dollar isn’t top priority; service is inherent in the culture of public power.

Public power’s leaders create a culture of service within their utility by filling their teams with people they trust. They stay out of the way and let their employees do what they do best: their jobs. And they bring employees, board members and elected officials from all levels and backgrounds together to common ground.

Leading a community organization is a task like no other in both its challenges and rewards, according to public power’s top dogs. With that comes a collaborative, family-like at-mosphere that takes nurturing, just like a real family does.

Show us your #PublicPower leaders


When something goes wrong at Manitwoc Public Utilities in Wisconsin, the buck stops with its general manager, 56-year-old Nilaksh Kothari. Accountability is everything, Kothari said, and he takes responsibility for it.

An environmental engineer by training, Kothari has always wanted to lead, he said. The modest manager credits his success, not surprisingly, to his team. And he draws inspiration from his family and from others who are driven and passionate about causes beyond themselves.

And what is Kothari passionate about? Listening — communicating with his employees and community. “The most important quality of a leader is listening and accepting ideas of others — listening to employees, having empathy with the employees, builds trust and trust, is needed for consensus building.”

The bottom line for Kothari is relationships. “It’s all about building relationships,” he said.

nilaksh Kothari: the Communicator


Draft PicksAccountability is not only key to

the leadership role, Kothari said, but to an entire team within an organization. Making employees accountable and appropriately rewarding them builds ownership, he said. “The secret to building a good team is defining expectations. And employees must feel challenged, at the same time, in what they’re doing.”

Master LessonsKothari said he always tells

employees they need to find opportunities for what they define their success to be; his responsibility is to support them in achieving their success. In typical fashion, Kothari said the buck stops with him if his employees are not satisfied to stay where they are. “If they want to go somewhere else and be more successful, I have failed to keep them challenged and it is my problem.”

Crisis ControlFor Kothari, leading in a crisis is

all about “just being there.” It is a leader’s job to provide the necessary resources for employees to address the issue and ensure communication is very clear across the organization. But otherwise, he said, stay out of the way. “Frankly, they know what they have to do. A trained set of employees will do what has to be done because they know they have to take ownership of the assets that we have.”

Outside the OfficeCurrently reading: Being Mortal by Atul Gwande

Favorite destination: A beach

What to do with a free hour: Nap, walk or read

Most important part of the daily routine: Prayer

The one thing I’d change in the world is: Provide safe drinking water, sanitation and power to all or storage of electricity

S A F E T Y I S

For us, safety is a way of life and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We work proactively to maintain a well-trained staff, instilling safe work practices every step of the way.

From the innovative tools we use, to the safety measures we live by, we work together to ensure a safe and productive work place.

At Asplundh, is the only way to get the job done.


Spending five years as a labor negotiator for the city of Los Angeles will teach someone a lot about striking an agreement. It did for Phyllis Currie, the 67-year-old general manager of Pasadena Water and Power in Pasadena, California.

“You learn after a while that it’s better to encourage a certain level of agreement than to be so stubborn in your point of view that you can’t see what the other person’s point of view is,” Currie said.

The skill that she was lucky enough to develop early on is something she brings to the table as a leader, and one that all leaders should strive to cultivate, she said. One of the keys to being such a good negotiator is keeping your cool. “Too often it’s our emotions that will drive us to do something that won’t be productive in the end,” she said. And helping everyone work together brings out the best in the people she’s leading, Currie said.

To do that, people might have to get a little uncomfortable — in a good way. Currie said it’s all about getting out of your comfort zone. “Challenge yourself,” she said. “As a leader, that’s something you always have to do, challenge yourself to make sure you’re providing that sense of vision.”

Phyllis Currie: the Consensus Builder


Draft PicksA lot can be said for preparation.

Sometimes the secret behind a good team is proper planning on behalf of the leader. “Some of it is thinking ahead of time what it is that you want out of the perfect candidate for a given role,” Currie said.

Master LessonsLike others, Currie recognizes

that helping employees be their best means risking that they could get snatched up by someone else. But Currie said that may just be reality. “I try to get my staff to look at developing their skills and abilities, not just for a job at Pasadena, because that job may not materialize for them, but to think that they are in an industry where there is a wide range of opportunity,” she said. “I push that because I think that raises the whole level of the organization.”

Crisis ControlHer affinity for encouraging

agreement extends into every situation, even those you just can’t plan. In a crisis, Currie said, she is working to keep everyone calm enough to make good decisions. “The crisis that you plan for may not be the crisis that you experience,” she said.

Outside the OfficeCurrently reading: Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

Favorite destination: Europe

What to do with a free hour: Go shopping all by myself

Most important part of the daily routine: Going for a walk or working out at the gym

The one thing I’d change in the world is: Work with kids to help them see that life is full of possibilities and they should get out of their comfort zone and learn about other people and new things


There are a lot of sayings at Easton Utilities Commission in Easton, Maryland. But for president and CEO Hugh Grunden, there’s just one that sticks. “One of the things I keep driving home to all my colleagues is what I call T of R — test of reasonableness.” If something doesn’t make sense, then someone hasn’t asked enough questions. “I say that at least twice a day to my colleagues. In decision-making, it’s better to sit in adjudication than have a knee-jerk reaction.”

Grunden, like his slogan of choice, is concise and careful, giving credit to his engineering background for his practicality. The 56-year-old Easton native was inspired by his father, a bricklayer, who knew the value of hard work and integrity. He takes that inspiration to work with him every day. “We value integrity over expediency,” he said. “We have a lot of sayings in our office. If we make a mistake, we make it right, short of losing the farm.”

To ensure that, Grunden said, his guiding principle is fairness. “When you’re dealing with anybody, as long as there is a sense of respect and fairness at the end of the interaction, that’s the enduring sense they will have. Really it’s a backdrop against which you make decisions and interact with colleagues and customers.”

hugh grunden: the Critical thinker


Draft PicksHaving the right colleagues goes back

to Grunden’s nature to think critically — he hires the best people he can find and then ensures they are challenged. And everyone knows good talent should not go unchallenged. “If you don’t challenge them after you’ve hired the best, they have the capability to go elsewhere.”

Master LessonsTo be a prevailing leader, Grunden

said, the key is in continuing to learn. To put it simply, he said, “find an excellent mentor, and in that context, expand your listening and contain your speaking.”

Crisis ControlThe biggest crisis in Grunden’s time,

an ice storm in 1994, taught him lessons of resource allocation that he said can’t be found in any book. “We also learned that goodwill that has been banked over time is necessary when the lights are off for seven or eight days. The banking of goodwill, as far as a leadership component, is just something you have to make sure your colleagues are doing every day.”

Outside the OfficeCurrently reading: Eat, Move, Sleep by Tom Rath

Favorite destination: Any blue-water beach will do!

What to do with a free hour: My guilty pleasure is home repair

Most important part of the daily routine: My morning review of the weather and calendar

The one thing I’d change in the world is: Ensure a fair and equitable opportunity for all to achieve their goals


When Mike Peters walks away from the office after a day at WPPI Energy, he said he truly walks away. “I’m connected to email like everyone else,” but he aims for the distance to clear the mind. “I think I’m very good at compartmentalizing.”

The 52-year-old president and CEO of a joint action agency and power supplier for customers in Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Iowa is not short on things that could keep him up at night — he just doesn’t let them.

When asked what one word friends would use to describe him, Peters said, “laid-back.” His cool attitude doesn’t just insulate his sanity, it’s a leadership tool, too. A leader’s most important task, for Peters, is setting direction, but you don’t set that direction alone. “It’s built over time, through multiple conversations and pulling all the pieces and people together to achieve it,” he said.

Mike Peters: the Optimist


Draft PicksPeople are the most important piece.

“For us, it’s not just about hiring a skill set anymore. Personality and the ability to work with others is more important to some extent. We’re hiring for the right attitude.”

Master LessonsIt’s Peters’ attitude that makes him

such a good leader, he said. “For my staff to know me and my leadership style really puts them at ease. I’m not a dictatorial leader but one that leads by consensus — lots of talking. I think being a good leader is being open-minded to other people’s ideas.”

Crisis ControlWhile a crisis at WPPI may be less

immediate than a crisis at a utility — long-term power prices versus long-term power outages — Peters approaches it like he would any situation, with “lots of talking.” Conflict resolution was a skill set for Peters, an attorney by training, so finding consensus is his strategy.

Outside the OfficeCurrently reading: Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West by William Cronon

Favorite destination: Any place warm

What to do with a free hour: Read anything, or Netflix

Most important part of the daily routine: Exercise and a healthy breakfast

The one thing I’d change in the world is: Eradicate extreme poverty through education, basic healthcare, basic nutrition and electrification

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For someone who loves math and solving puzzles, engineering was a natural path. As the general manager and CEO of Platte River Power Authority in Fort Collins, Colorado, Jackie Sargent finds the best strategies to solve problems regularly. Sargent, 54, said her background helps her take a big picture look at problems rather than getting too into the weeds.

Also key to Sargent’s problem solving is not her own strategy, but that presented to her by her senior team. “They’re doing their jobs and I’m support for them — they’re my customers. I ask myself what I can do so they can do their jobs, how can I help them, so I can focus on the strategy and looking ahead.”

Sargent wouldn’t be able to rely on her team without trust, which she said is the most important thing a leader can have. “You have to know what your strengths and weaknesses are, communicate and talk about those and build those relationships to fill those gaps. Everybody is working toward the same end. If that trust isn’t there, then your employees aren’t going to be engaged.”

Jackie Sargent: the Strategist


Draft PicksFor Sargent, a team should also feel

like a family, and hers does. “People really care about each other. You have to balance that, too, because you have to strike the right balance of caring about each other and accountability. With peers, you want them to hold each other accountable — that kind of family environment.”

Master LessonsTo craft Sargent’s strategic MO, she

said take yourself out of the picture. “Get some distance. Look at things from a much broader view and get comfortable with ambiguity. Get comfortable that there may not be one right answer and that the strategy has to evolve over time.”

Crisis ControlIn a crisis, Sargent will rely on her

trustworthy team to map out what the problem really is and the best way to handle it. She said it’s also important to keep that logical, strategic vision. “Take charge, get the facts. If you’re prepared, you’ll have emergency procedures in place.”

Outside the OfficeCurrently reading: The Martian by Andy Weir

Favorite destination: The Black Hills of South Dakota

What to do with a free hour: Put my dog on my lap and call family and friends to catch up or go through the stack of non-technical magazines like Better Homes and Gardens or Vogue

Most important part of the daily routine: My morning exercise routine, the Five Tibetan Rites

The one thing I’d change in the world is: To end religious extremism

What does it take to succeed?

Deliberate hard work, according to

Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large

at Fortune magazine and author of

the book Talent Is Overrated. The

book’s title says it all about Colvin’s

theory. Work hard and purposefully

at anything and you will master

it — even the most accomplished

experts need about 10 years of hard

work before reaching master status,

what Colvin calls the 10-year Rule.

But how do these strategies apply to

leadership? Colvin tells Public Power

how leaders can apply deliberate

practice to succeed.

Define leadership — what are the key skills or areas of expertise for a leader?

If I really had to boil it down, I would say it is to give hope, to set a clear direction and to say, “The future is better, I see it, follow me.” That’s a very boiled down version of it, but that really, I think, is the essence. It varies, of course, with the kind of situation you’re in, what you have to do, but the key thing to remember here, I think, is that people want to be led. We hear a lot about the need to flatten hierarchies and we hear a lot about servant leadership, and these are all valid points. But the fundamental reality to remember is people want to be led. If someone can step up and say they have a vision of a better future and how to get there, follow me, people want to follow. That really will work.

That being said, what are key deliberate practices for someone who wants to end up a leader?

As in all forms of deliberate practice, the key is analyzing or getting help analyzing where you stand now, and then figuring out the next thing you have to work on. In other words, you don’t look just at your ultimate goal, which may be quite a long ways down the road. You look at your state of development right now and what is the next thing you have to work on. And by the way, you will probably benefit by getting someone else’s perspective in addition to your own on this matter.

So, with regard to leadership, the question is where do you stand now. It may be that the next thing for you to develop is a way of addressing people, actually standing up and talking in a way that engages and inspires. That happens to be one of the easier things to practice,

because you can usually find situations where you have an opportunity to do that. It may be in your work, in other activities in your life, but you can find ways to get up and speak to people and that’s something you can practice pretty easily.

Another thing that you may find you need to work on is actually giving people evaluations of where you think they stand. This is something leaders have to do. And most people find it difficult and they don’t like it, but you can usually find ways to practice that, too.

The premise of your book Talent is Overrated is start young — get experience, get that deliberate practice. What does this say about the theory that some people are born leaders?

What it says very clearly is that people are not born leaders. And that’s great news. It’s very liberating news, because if you believe that some people are just born leaders, then you may well conclude that you’re not one.

Almost all of us will have problems early in our lives or in our careers where we maybe are in a leadership role and things don’t go very well — that’s normal. But if you think some people are born leaders, then when that happens to you, you’ll think, “Oh well, I guess I’m not a born leader,” and then you’ll give up — which is logical in light of what you believe.

But it’s a tragedy because all leaders, even the greatest, encountered difficulties along the way, failures, mistakes. But they didn’t stop and no one should stop. The fact is, and it’s absolutely clear, leaders are made not born. If that’s what you want to be, you can be one. That’s the message of the research behind my book. It says great performance is not reserved for a pre-ordained few; it’s available for you.

What Is Leadership, Anyway?By Laura D’Alessandro, Integrated Media Editor, APPA

Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large at Fortune magazine and author of the book Talent Is Overrated, is a keynote speaker at APPA’s National Conference in June.


Speaking personally, as a leader and expert in your field, how have you applied deliberate practices to end up where you are today?

Well, in a number of ways. I have to tell you that doing the work that led to [Talent Is Overrated] really did influence me. I began to look much more closely at the various things I do, writing is part of it, speaking is part of it, trying to be a leader — a thought leader. And what I’ve found myself doing is what everyone finds, that you start to look in much finer detail at what you do.

For example, in writing, trying to be effective — I’ve done this my entire career, but I now find that I look much more closely at the specific elements of writing. Am I using quotations most effectively? Am I organizing the argument most effectively? When you start applying deliberate practice principles… you start focusing on even finer details within that. Is it more effective if I state this point as a question and then answer it? Or can I set it up in a different way that’s more effective? Every time you do it, you focus on a finer level of detail. The essence of mastering any field is focusing on ever-finer levels of detail in understanding what you do.

Is there anything else you’ve learned about leaders in your research?

Leaders need to be visible, and this may sound obvious, but the reality is that in those situations where leadership is most called for, it’s also generally most difficult for the leader to be visible. When there’s a crisis, that’s precisely when the leader is constantly on the phone, in small meetings with various people, precisely when his or her time is most consumed, and yet it’s also the time when he or she must be most visible. So it’s a real problem, but that’s the nature of it.

Another element of it is that the leader must project fearlessness and confidence. And again, this is often a challenge when it’s most important. In a crisis, the leader actually may not have the answer for what to do next, because it’s impossible to know,

and yet that’s when the leader must say everything is going to be OK and project calm and fearlessness. Those things are enormously important, and often they are where leaders fall short when it’s most important. ■

Join us in person and online for the

#PublicPower National

Conference in Minneapolis June

5-10


Ability to inspire

Characteristics gathered from interviews, the Wharton School of Business and Forbes

Creativity

Vision

Communication

Intuition

Confidence, in self

and others

Positive attitude

Exemplifying organization's values

Courage/fearlessness

29 May-June Leadership Graphic.pdf 1 4/3/15 11:34 AM


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Good to GreatJim CollinsAs public power leaders know, working with what we have within our community is our specialty. Follow Jim Collins’ lead and make your utility the best it can be — not just good, but great. The timeless book lays out common challenges to the conventional notion of corpo-rate success paired with dozens of case studies.

PUBLIC POWER’S

TOP 10 LEADERSHIP READS

By APPA Staff

Fire up your Kindle and enrich your leadership learning with these picks from public power’s senior leadership in Washington.


Steve JobsWalter IsaacsonLove him or hate him, Steve Jobs was one of the biggest innovators of our era. And his innova-tions touch the electricity industry, too — what phone are most people likely using your utility’s apps on? To boot, innovation is a key tenet of leadership, according to public power’s leaders, and a skill we should all seek to hone. Take it from the 21st century’s master innovator himself.

The Tipping PointMalcolm GladwellInnovation may be at the top of all our minds, but we know that change doesn’t happen over-night. That’s what Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point is all about, incremental change up until the moment when a new idea goes viral, as they call it these days. Take this and make your utility the Internet’s next Grumpy Cat.

Lean InSheryl SandbergThis one’s for the ladies — actually, it’s for ev-eryone. Many of public power’s leaders, not just the ones highlighted in this issue, are women. As the community-owned utility workforce continues to diversify and better reflect the community it serves, so do the women in lead-ership roles grow. Men and women alike will benefit from this powerful read about women in the workforce.


Smart PowerPeter Fox-PennerSometimes, leadership expertise is sector-spe-cific. In our sector, staying ahead of the curve is just part of the territory. Peter Fox-Penner’s book lays out what some have called the most disruptive technology to face the electric indus-try to date, but in a way we can all understand.

From the Battlefield to Bottom Line: Leadership Lessons of Ulysses S. GrantBil HoltonThis issue’s feature Seventy-Five Years of Strength tells the tale that public power is steeped in American history and strength. So is this lesson in leadership. The book is a com-panion piece to author Bil Holton’s From Battle-field to Boardroom: The Leadership Lessons of Robert E. Lee. These books take lessons from forefathers in the trenches and apply them to the challenges facing business warriors today.

Daring GreatlyBrene BrownVulnerability is not just a characteristic of the power grid – powerful leaders are vulnerable, too. In this book, Brene Brown encourages readers to embrace vulnerability and live courageously. And public power leaders know that being a strong, courageous leader is most important.

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The Corner OfficeAdam BryantIf there’s anything that says anyone can do it, it is a heartening story of someone else’s climb to the top. In The Corner Office, New York Times feature writer Adam Bryant takes his stories from the pages of the newspaper and brings to life the lessons learned from some of the most prominent CEOs.

has his prevailing presidency that followed. In public power, we deal with elected officials all the time. We could all use a little of Lincoln’s political genius.

All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in KindergartenRobert FulghumPublic power leaders know there’s something to be said for some simple common sense. This timeless classic has been educating leaders for more than 40 years through a collection of essays that helps us navigate the sometimes-unnecessary complications of adulthood. We could all use a moment to ponder on simplicity. ■

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham LincolnDoris Kearns GoodwinWhat better way to learn about leadership than to look at one of the greats. This award-winning book illustrates Abraham Lincoln’s triumph over three rivals to become president as well

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Diamond

Benton PUD, Wash. Braintree Electric Light Department, Mass. Bristol Tennessee Essential Service, Tenn. Burbank Water and Power, Calif. City of Clinton Department of Public Works,

S.C. City of Lompoc Electric, Calif. Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, Fla. Greeneville Light & Power System, Tenn. Holland Board of Public Works, Mich. Holyoke Gas & Electric Department, Mass. Idaho Falls Power, Idaho Knoxville Utilities Board, Tenn. Lakeland Electric, Fla. Lincoln Electric System, Neb. Lowell Light and Power, Mich. Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, Tenn. Norwich Public Utilities, Conn. Oconomowoc Utilities, Wis. Pasadena Water and Power, Calif. Piqua Power System, OhioSacramento Municipal Utility District, Calif. Shakopee Public Utilities Commission, Minn. Town of Albemarle, N.C. Two Rivers Water & Light, Wis. Waverly Light and Power, Iowa

Platinum

Borough of Ephrata Electric, Pa. City of Calhoun, Ga. City of Cartersville Electric System, Ga. City of College Station, Tex. City of Elizabeth City, N.C. City of Gastonia, N.C. City of High Point Electric Utility, N.C. City of Jackson Electric Operations, Mo. City of Kirkwood, Kirkwood Electric, Mo. City of Lodi Electric Utility, Calif. City of New Bern, N.C. City of Rochelle, Ill. City of Rock Hill, S.C. City of Shelby, N.C. City of Tallahassee Electric Utility, Fla. Cleveland Public Power, Ohio Coldwater Board of Public Utilities, Mich. Columbia Water and Light, Mo. Douglas County PUD, Wash. Eugene Water and Electric Board, Ore. Freeport Electric, N.Y. Greenville Utilities Commission, N.C. Hannibal Board of Public Works, Mo. Johnson City Power Board, Tenn. Kansas City Board of Public Utilities, Kan. Kissimmee Utility Authority, Fla. Loveland Water and Power, Colo. McMinnville Electric System, Tenn. Montpelier Municipal Electric, Oh. Municipal Commission of Boonville, N.Y. Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, Ariz. Owensboro Municipal Utilities, Ky. Richland Center Electric Department, Wis. River Falls Municipal Utilities, Wis. Springville City Electric Department, Utah Town of Granite Falls, N.C. Town of Wake Forest, N.C. Traverse City Light & Power, Mich. Tullahoma Utilities Board, Tenn. Wisconsin Rapids Water Works and Lighting

Commission, Wis.

Congratulations Congratulations to the 2015 Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) program designees. APPA salutes your

commitment to operating at the highest levels of reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement.

Gold

American Samoa Power Authority, American Samoa

Anderson Municipal Light and Power, Ind. Azusa Light & Water, Calif. City of Bowling Green, Ohio City of Harrisonville Electric Dept., Mo. City of Kinston, N.C. City of Lumberton - Electric Utility, N.C. City of Milan Department of Public Utilities,

Tenn. City of Morganton, N.C. City of Palo Alto Utilities, Calif. City of Rock Falls, Ill.City of Winfield, Kan. Cowlitz County Public Utility District No. 1,

Wash. Denton Municipal Electric, Tex. Evansville Water and Light, Ind. Grand Haven Board of Light and Power, Mich. Heber Light and Power, Utah Hudson Public Power, Ohio Lehi City Power, Utah Macon Municipal Utilities, Mo. Mansfield Municipal Electric Department,

Mass. Mount Pleasant City Power, Utah Murfreesboro Electric Department, Tenn. New Martinsville Municipal Electric Utility,

W. Va. Newnan Utilities, Ga. Northern Wasco County People’s Utility

District, Ore. Orrville Utilities, Ohio Paris Board of Public Utilities, Tenn. Stillwater Electric Utility, Okla. Town of Clayton, N.C. Town of Smithfield, N.C. Truckee Donner Public Utility District, Calif.

Special thanks to the RP3 Industry Support Council members for their support of this program

730408_Henkels.indd 1 17/03/15 4:22 AM


Public Power Stands Behind Fair Treatment of Small Utilities, Solar DeploymentBy Laura D’Alessandro, Integrated Media Editor, APPA

WASHINGTON REPORT

Protecting small utilities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act and sup-porting responsible, community-driven solar deployment were among 2015 priorities set when more than 600 members from public power utili-ties from throughout the nation gathered in Washington in March.

The American Public Power Association’s legislative and resolutions committee passed six resolutions, which will come before the general membership at the association’s annual business meeting in Minneapolis in June.

The resolution for equitable treatment under the Regulatory Flex-ibility Act was proposed by members from the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, Kissimmee Utility Authority in Florida and Owensboro Munici-pal Utilities in Kentucky with additional support from the city of Idaho Falls, Idaho.

While large cities may have 500 employees or more within their municipality — the requirement that knocks a business out of the “small” category under the existing law — only a few of those employees may ac-tually be employed by the utility, said Kevin Gaden, president and CEO of the Illinois joint action agency. What should be considered a large utility makes up only about 25 to 30 of the public power utilities in the nation, said Gaden and APPA Senior Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs Joy Ditto.

Other issues made a priority by the association’s legislative and resolu-tions committee are improving problematic coal shipments by rail; easing access to unmanned aerial aircraft for utility-related operations; protect-ing preference customers from the costs of transmission projects; ad-dressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final coal ash rule; and supporting the affordable, reliable deployment of solar power.

Access to coal shipments by rail has been an ongoing nationwide prob-lem. Most of the coal that supplies 39 percent of the nation’s electricity needs is transported by rail, APPA said, but transportation costs are often unreasonably high and utilities are unable to negotiate those costs. Federal regulators have been examining issues with railroads on the behalf of utilities, both investor and municipally-owned. For public power, APPA president and CEO Sue Kelly said, reliability is just as important an issue with coal deliveries as it is for other utilities.

While Ditto said the Surface Transportation Board has not been looking out for utilities and modifications in oversight are necessary,

Vote on APPA’s policy resolutionsWhen: June 9, 2015, 4:15 p.m.

Where: APPA National Conference, Minneapolis, Minn.

Who should attend: APPA’s voting delegates

Information: publicpower.org/nationalconference

some small tweaks have been made. The fee to file rate cases has been reduced, Kelly said. But more oversight is necessary, they said, particularly into what Ditto called the monopoly nature of the railroads.

Solar power is another issue that has been growing in popularity, at-tention to which has been burgeoning among electricity consumers. The United States added 4 gigawatts of solar generation to its grid in 2013 — public power utilities contributed 200 megawatts to that total. The public power solar generation capacity is nearing 1 GW. In continuing to pursue solar responsibly with attention to reliability, community solar power is the best option for public power, according to experts and public power leaders. ■

Read public power’s 2015 policy priorities in full at publicpower.org/resolutions and visit APPA on Pinterest to see the 2015 Legislative Priorities infographics

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Public Power Is Meeting 21st Century Electricity ChallengesBy Paul Ciampoli, News Director, APPA

ENGINEERING

Public power utilities are deploying new technologies and making smart grid advancements, a public power general manager told the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power in March.

Joel Ivy, general manager of Lakeland Electric from Lakeland, Florida, joined electricity industry experts before the committee to talk about 21st century electricity challenges.

Lakeland has achieved full deployment of advanced metering infra-structure and was awarded a smart grid investment grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Ivy told the committee. Lakeland Electric serves about 122,000 customer accounts and has been in operation for more than 100 years.

“Since the initial deployment, Lakeland has been working to add data management tools and processes to best leverage the new information we are receiving through the AMI technology,” Ivy said in his testimony.

Lakeland has integrated information into its grid monitoring pro-gram, often referred to as SCADA — system control and data acquisition.

“Using new graphic-based tools, our system operators are able to spot problems on our circuits well before our customers notify us of outages, and more effectively determine the number of utility employees needed to remedy the problem,” Ivy said.

In his remarks before the committee, Ivy said that APPA and Lakeland are generally supportive of distributed energy resource technologies, but skeptical of rate programs that continue to spur this investment, while allowing utilities recovery of fixed costs.

He said net metering, for example, in places like Lakeland might pro-vide a customer credit based on the full retail rate of electricity. This could allow customers to reach a net zero bill annually, he said. “Changes to our rates must not punish the early adopters who invested in older, more expensive solar technologies,” he said.

Along with Lakeland, other municipal utilities have deployed smart grid technologies. A report issued in 2014 by the Department of Energy detailed the benefits that have resulted from smart grid deployment by three municipal utilities. ■


Sharing threat information is of the utmost importance to ensure grid reliability. The electricity industry has been working with government agencies to increase communication about threats and potential vulner-abilities to the reliability of the grid. Here are the top five reasons to partici-pate in NERC’s Electricity Sector Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ES-ISAC) to help promote effective industry-wide information sharing.

1 A central hubThe ES-ISAC is meant to be the central hub for all electricity sector information on physical and cyber security. The group is working to streamline and consolidate information sharing to be more effective in analyzing and collaborating on emerging threats.

2 A trusted environmentIncreasing trust between government and industry is like building trust in any relationship — it takes time. But time is of the essence in securing the grid. Don’t be hesitant when it comes to sharing threat information through the ES-ISAC. NERC has adopted a strict code of conduct barring transfer of attributable information between the ES-ISAC and the rest of NERC.

Top 5 Reasons for Information SharingBy Nathan Mitchell, Senior Director of Electric Reliability Standards & Security, APPA

SECURITY

3 Easy reportingThe portal is a useful and usable tool, through which industry can report threats, as well as receive technical guidance products from NERC and government agencies. The ES-ISAC is always looking for ways to enhance the portal so they can deliver timely and actionable security reports in a one-stop fashion. Industry feedback on the effectiveness of the portal is needed.

4 More aggregation, collaborative analysisThe industry needs the latest analytic tools to anticipate and respond to the next cyber attack. The ES-ISAC is developing ways to expand the use of those tools and increase the speed of mitigation development with near real-time delivery of threat indicators and mitigation measures to the industry.

5 CEO engagement Information sharing is essential to risk mitigation. Senior leaders within the federal government and CEOs of electric utilities are engaged through the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council in policy discussions that will foster greater collaboration and information sharing between govern-ment and industry. This high level dialog will help focus resources and optimize the threat information sharing processes that take place through the ES-ISAC. ■

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All-in-One System Demonstrates Generation, Storage and Electric Vehicle IntegrationBy Michele Suddleson, DEED Program Director, APPA

INNOVATION

The evolving electricity customer of the future is driving an electric vehicle, installing rooftop solar panels to generate power, storing energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine, feeding excess power back to the grid, and monitoring energy use through smart devices. Managing these new trends and technologies is a challenge for utilities. Questions arise such as when and where electric vehicles will charge, what the load impact will be, and how photovoltaic generation will impact grid stability.

North Carolina State University research-ers sought to address a range of such issues through their Vehicle Energy Storage and Solar Demonstration project funded by the American Public Power Association’s Dem-onstration of Energy & Efficiency Develop-ments program. They designed and installed a single, integrated system to generate solar power, charge electric vehicles, store energy up to 20 kWh, connect to the local microgrid and educate the public about intelligent energy management. While it seems like a tall order, the project has demonstrated how small distributed generation systems, energy storage, and electric vehicles can be intel-ligently integrated and controlled so there is no harm to the grid.

N.C. State designed, built and operated the solar powered electric vehicle charging station with capacity for 10 chargers that is coupled with an energy storage system. The station is installed in the parking deck of the Keystone Science Center at the university. The system is tied to the 12.4-kV Green Energy Hub microgrid. An LCD touchscreen is mounted to the parking structure to monitor energy generation and flow between components in real time, and to educate visi-tors. The system integrates several advanced energy technologies and serves as a test bed for intelligent integration of renewable gen-eration and storage within microgrids.

The project also sought to build a fully direct current system, where solar energy is not converted from direct current to alternat-ing current, but is collected, moved to the batteries, and used to charge vehicles as DC energy. This was possible in a research setting but DC input vehicle chargers are

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not commercially available yet. But the project yielded data to infer the efficiencies of such a system. The integrated system includes a battery that serves as an energy buffer to isolate distribution from the demand spikes and to even out the production of the intermittent solar energy. ■


In his previous position as director of the electric department for the City of Hamilton, Ohio, Tony Pochard contended with energy analysis soft-ware and a geographic information system that were difficult to upgrade and had limited capabilities. In 2014, Pochard oversaw the city’s transition to the mapping and analysis software from Milsoft Utility Solutions. To-day, as Electric Utility Director for Anderson Municipal Light & Power in Indiana, Pochard manages the utility’s full-scale deployment of Milsoft’s engineering and operations suite, including outage management and IVR communications.

When Pochard arrived at Anderson Municipal Light & Power, the util-ity had already deployed the field engineering and analysis, GIS, OMS and IVR software packages from Milsoft. During an outage, if the Anderson phone lines become overloaded, the system automatically switches the overflow to a server hosted off site by Milsoft and customers never receive a busy signal when trying to report an outage or request information on service restoration.

In addition, staff can access the OMS via a web browser on a tablet. “Wherever we are, we can call up the OMS data to see instantly where the problem is,” Pochard said. “Also, because the OMS information is linked to GPS information on our utility vehicles, we can see where our crews are in relation to the outage zone. With the outage information linked to the city’s website, customers can call up outage information wherever they have Internet access. And with the OMS linked to our AMI system, we can pinpoint trouble to individual houses or transformers.”

Along with IVR systems that are installed on-site and maintained by utility personnel, Misoft maintains a cloud-based solution hosted. For the small City of Napoleon, Ohio, the hosted IVR solution from Milsoft is proving to be a very effective customer service tool.

During a wide-spread, weather-related outage in July 2014, the high volume of calls reporting outages overwhelmed the city’s administration, police dispatch and electric department. Internal communications were nearly impossible as all phone lines were being used to answer customer calls. Tracking outages using the internal messaging and job board method was quickly found to be inadequate. The staff decided that an IVR system would be the best way to proceed in the future.

“The most important beneficiaries have been our customers, who now have the instant ability to report a problem with their electric service,” said Todd Wachtman, substation specialist for the City of Napoleon Light & Power. “By simply calling in to the system, they are guaranteed the best level of service from our crews in restoring their power. The electric department staff is now able to focus on managing an outage instead of being inundated with calls. We also have a reliable means to track crew progress on each ticket.” ■

Hometown Connections is the utility services subsidiary of the American Public Power Association and a marketing affiliate of Milsoft Utility Solutions.

Effective Outage Management and IVR CommunicationsBy Susan Ryba, Hometown Connections

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Ad IndexABB Power T&D Company Inc. ....................................www.abb.com/mediumvoltage ...................................................16 Aclara .........................................................................................www.aclara.com .................................... 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(FEC) ............................................www.fecinc.com ...............................................................35 Hendrix Wire & Cable, Inc. ...................................................www.hendrix-wc.com ............................................................5 Henkels & McCoy, Inc. ............................................................www.henkels.com .............................................................45 High Voltage Inc. .......................................................................www.hvinc.com ...............................................................37 IFD Corporation ..................................................................www.ifdcorporation.com ........................................................42 iiX Employment Screening Services ...........................................www.iix.com ..................................................................50 Kaddas Enterprises, Inc. ..........................................................www.kaddas.com .............................................................48 Krenz & Company Inc. .......................................................... www.krenzvent.com ...........................................................43 Laminated Wood Systems ...................................................... www.lwsinc.com ............................................................8, 9 Leidos Corporation .............................................................www.leidos.com/activate .......................................................52 MasTec North America, Inc. ....................................................www.mastec.com .............................................................36 National Information Solutions Cooperative .............................www.nisc.coop ................................................................43 PhoneTree® ................................................................ www.phonetree.com/APPA2015 .................................................14 Power System Engineering, Inc. ........................................www.powersystem.org .........................................................49 Rubin and Rudman, LLP .....................................................www.rubinrudman.com .........................................................40 SEL .............................................................................................www.selinc.com .................................................................1 Solar Power International 2015.................................www.solarpowerinternational.com ................................................11 Solar Promotion International GmbH - Intersolar North America .....................................................www.intersolar.us..............................................................51 Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP....................................................www.spiegelmcd.com ..........................................................17 Sterling Security Systems ...............................................www.sterlingpadlocks.com ......................................................42 The Stresscrete Group .................................................... www.stresscretegroup.com .....................................................31 Tallman Equipment .........................................................www.tallmanequipment.com ....................................................41 Tana Wire Markers ............................................................www.tanawiremarker.com ......................................................40 TEA - The Energy Authority .......................................................www.teainc.org ...............................................................25 Tech Products, Inc. .............................................................www.techproducts.com.........................................................43 Thomas & Betts ............................................................www.tnb.com/stormhardening .........................Inside Front CoverThomas & Betts ................................................................www.tnb.com/switchgear .........................................................2


#PublicPower

100 YEARS OF PRIDE IN PUBLIC POWER

Juneau

True to by-the-people, for-the-people form, Juneau, Wisconsin’s electric utility was created by a special election in 1914. The ballot asked residents to vote on the construction of an electric transmission and distribution system. In approving the measure, the small city created a utility that it still owns and operates today.

Situated west of the Rock River, Juneau is a place to work, live and play, and is anchored by a large in-dustrial company. To keep up with its customer base, General Manager Ed Brockner said, the utility has recently embarked on a project to install advanced metering infrastructure.

New projects come at a cost. Brockner said a ma-jor challenge for Juneau has been keeping rates low and competitive in recent years. But that’s not the only competition Juneau has faced with surrounding investor-owned utilities.

“The biggest challenge today is keeping linework-ers,” Brockner said. “Being a small utility and having a couple investor-owned utilities nearby — it certainly will be a challenge for us.”

Attracting the next generation of workers, includ-ing line apprentices and journeymen, is a challenge all public power utilities face. But linework is a career with heritage and utilities are finding some new line-workers with grandparents and/or parents who have been in the field. Captain Public Power is helping to recruit.

Continuing to face formidable challenges head-on is also one of the foundations of public power. In 100 years of business, Juneau has done just that. Why?

“Nothing beats local control and decisions,” Brockner said. ■

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