NEPPA eNewsletter

Foxborough, MA: Energy New England (ENE), LLC, an energy cooperative based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, announced that David Cavanaugh will assume the role of Regulatory Manager, effective June 17, 2013. David Cavanaugh becomes the first official Regulatory Manager for the public power cooperative who represents 20 systems throughout New England with power supply and risk management services.

President and Chief Executive Officer John G. Tzimorangas says, "The appointment of David Cavanaugh to the regulatory role at ENE will be a significant benefit to the systems we represent and all of public power as David brings a well of knowledge and experience, and his previous interactions with ISO-New England and the representatives on the ISO committees, gives ENE a seat at the table."

Dave comes to ENE from Northeast Utilities where he has served for the past 15 months as Project Manager, Conservation & Load Management, with primary responsibility of managing CL&P and WMECO's Forward Capacity Market participation. Prior to that, Dave worked at ISO New England for 13 years in a number of capacities, including training, supervising the group that fields ISO customer inquiries (and there are many), Manager of Market Services and later as Director, Market Services. Dave comes to us with an intimate knowledge of the market rules, the rule development process and many participants. He is widely known and respected in that space, having spent several years as a liaison between various market participants and the ISO. He lives in Holyoke and brings a broad base of ISO senior management and staff business relationships to ENE, which is something we haven’t enjoyed in the past. 

Prior to ISO, Dave worked at Northeast Utilities for 13 years holding many operations positions in the Fossil & Hydro generation side of the house and later in his career, various corporate staff training positions at NU Service Company and Western Massachusetts Electric. 

Formed in 1998, ENE has grown significantly over the past few years, and is a leading provider of both supply and demand side services to the public power community. The company works with more than 35 municipal systems on a dedicated basis in the provision of one or more supply or demand-side services. In addition, it manages more than 900 MW of load and 550 MW of generation throughout New England.

NEPPA would like to congratulate Sharon A. Staz, General Manager & Treasurer of the Kennebunk Light & Power District, for receiving the James D. Donovan Individual Achievement Award at the APPA National Conference held this year in Nashville, Tennessee. This award recognizes individuals who have made significant individual contributions to the electric utility industry and to public power. 

Sharon A. Staz has been General Manager & Treasurer of the Kennebunk (Maine) Light & Power District since 1998.  In addition to her duties at the District, Ms. Staz serves on the Town of Kennebunk’s Energy Efficiency and Economic Development Committees. She previously served 12 years as Manager of the Princeton (Mass.) Municipal Light Department, where she received the American Public Power Association’s Seven Hats Award (1989) for outstanding service to the community.

During her tenure, Princeton received the Massachusetts Governor’s Energy Award in the renewable energy category for its wind-generating site.  She is active in the Northeast Public Power Association (NEPPA), having served on the Board of Directors and continues to be Chair of its Legislative Committee, a post she has held since the early 90s.

Her commitment to legislative issues was also recognized by the American Public Power Association when she served a term as Vice-Chair and a term as Chair of its Legislative Committee.  In 1998, she was recipient of NEPPA’s Francis "Skip" Willey, Jr. Individual Achievement Award for her professional commitment to public power.  Ms. Staz served as a member of the Twenty First Century Task Force for the American Public Power Association (APPA). She was elected to the APPA Board of Directors in 2004 and served a term as Chair of the Board’s Membership Committee.  In 2009/2010, she was asked to serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.  She is the first person in Maine ever elected to serve on the APPA Board.  The Board has 30 members representing more than 2,000 public power utilities across the United States and the Virgin Islands.  Ms. Staz also serves as Secretary and Legislative liaison for DIRIGO, the consumer-owned utility association of the state of Maine.  In 2006. she served on the Governor’s Renewable Energy Task Force and the Governor’s Maine Energy Council. 

 Most recently, in August of 2008, she was named the Northeast Public Power Association’s (NEPPA) Person of the Year.  NEPPA has 76 member utilities throughout the six New England states. The Association's most prestigious award is presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves through their sustained, outstanding service and contributions to the entire public power community.  In July of 2010, Staz served as a representative of APPA on a fact finding mission to Japan on solar power, sponsored by the Solar Electric Power Association.  Staz is also a member of a service organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in Maine through literacy and needs support.  Prior to joining public power, she held financial and business management posts at several academic institutions of higher learning.

Ken has been at the Braintree Electric Light Department since 1997.  In 200,1 he became the Division Manager of Energy Services, and in 2008 he became the Division Manager of Energy Services, Accounting and Procurement. He oversees all power supply planning functions, the accounting department and all inventory and materials purchases, including the issuing of IFBs and RFPs.  He is also the NERC Compliance Officer for Braintree. 

Ken goes on to say:

Ken received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology from Northeastern University, and went on to earn his Executive Master's Degree in Business Administration from Suffolk University. 

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Old Sturbridge Village

Sturbridge, MA

On June 19th and 20th the NEPPA Lineworker Apprentice School held its 15th Annual Skills Assessment Rodeo at the NEPPA Training Center in Littleton Massachusetts. Approximately 50 students worked on 10 separate events in which they utilized the skills they are developing at the school. The 10 events include Pole Top Rescue, Bucket Rescue, Free Climb, Fall Arrested Climb, Obstacle Course, Single Cross Arm Changeout, Double Cross Arm Changeout, Insulator Changeout, Transformer Changeout, and Cutout Fuse Replacement (from the ground using an extendable hotstick). All of the students are very busy for the 2 days attempting to finish all of the events. Each event is scored based upon a point system that rewards quality and safe work and each event is timed. Please look in this newsline for the winners of each event, as well as all the pictures taken at the event.

The weather this year was fantastic with sunny skies and temperatures near 70 degrees with low humidity. The weather may have been a factor in the record turnout of visitors that watched the students perform. All the participants are encouraged to see visitors from their respective utilities showing support.

Several vendors in the industry also supported the rodeo by donating very nice gifts to be handed out to the top performers in each event. Hydron, Irby, Greenlee Tools and Lincoln Hoist were among those on hand and they also provided some gear for some of the helpers. Ed Tilgren from Buckingham was also in attendance. He demonstrated the use of a fall arrest tool that is popular among the students.

To stage an event like this much help is needed. Many thanks to Littleton Electric Light Department, Pascoag Utility District, the vendors, the NEPPA staff, Steve Towne and all who helped. Without this support the "Rodeo" would not be possible. Thank you!

Overall Top Performer – Jesse Cote (Year 2)

 Ken Rhudick – Year 2

 Jeff Huard – Year 2

Justin Monteiro – Year 1

 Kirk Blaisdell – Year 3

 Nathan Furtado – Year 1

Will Maxeiner – Year 1

 Chad Allen/Shane Johnson – Year 3

 Nick Hartung/Dan Martin – Year 1

Matt Tadry/Matt Vachula – Year 2

 Tim Gray – Year 3

 Tony Franqui z – Year 3

Jason DaCunha – Year 1

 Tom Cassidy – Year 1

 Bruce Duby – Year 3

Mike Beskid – Year 1

 Jeremy Doucette – Year 3

 Tim Murphy – Year 1

Jack Verner – Year 3

 Dave Duhamel – Year 2

 Gary Kimatian – Year 3

Dave Shaw – Year 1

Dan Martin/Nathan Furtado – Year 1

Elier Alvarado/Rick Dombek – Year 1

Tom Keough/Paul Watson – Year 1

 Sean Quinlivan – Year 2

 Rick Dombek – Year 1

Will Stevens – Year 2

 Ryan McMahon – Year 2

 John Szymonik – Year 1

Tom MacRae – Year 2

• Congressional Focus: The President’s climate plan takes center stage...

• Nominations: NRC move forward; EPA less clear with Obama Plan looming...

• Energy Policy: Small hydro and energy efficiency bills pass...  

• Cyber Security: New House bill circulating...

• Transmission Issues: IOUs support transmission incentives in letter...

• Dodd-Frank: H.R. 1038 passes House unanimously....

On June 25, the President announced a comprehensive Administration effort to combat climate change.  While the plan contains few items that had not previously been contemplated, it consolidates many "kitchen sink" initiatives and elevates them to what the President may hope will be his legacy on climate change. 

The Climate Action Plan would reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.  Of interest to electric utilities, the plan will direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work expeditiously to complete carbon pollution standards for both new and existing power plants.  In developing the standards, the President asked EPA "to build on state leadership, provide flexibility, and take advantage of a wide range of energy sources and technologies including many actions in this plan."  Obama’s plan directs EPA to finalize new source standards by September and propose existing source standards by next June.

The plan sets a goal of doubling renewable electricity generation by 2020 by accelerating clean energy permitting, and expanding and modernizing the electric grid, among other things.  

Democrats cheered the plan as a good first step while Republicans pooh-poohed it.  However, the plan requires no legislation; only items the Administration could do unilaterally.

To read the complete legislative update including the following topics, click the links below:

Nominations

By Rick Dacri, Dacri & Associates, LLC

Every NEPPA member dreams of having a steady stream of highly qualified line workers and engineers knocking at their door, hoping to be hired—applicants who are skilled, fully engaged and who mesh with their current employees and fit within their culture. And as idealistic as this sounds, companies with a strong recruitment brand enjoy this benefit. Just ask the folks at Google, Johnson & Johnson and Apple. They understand the value of a strong brand.

So what is a recruitment brand, how can you develop one, and do we have to be a big company to have one? A recruitment brand is a message that communicates what it’s like to work at your company. It tells the world who you are and what you believe in—your mission, culture and values.  It’s your way of telling applicants, "This is who we are and individuals who believe and think like us are welcome."

Whether it’s the Tennessee Valley Authority’s promise of "low-cost and clean energy by 2020" or L.L. Bean’s "deep history and a powerful connection to the outdoors" or J&J’s family friendly environment—a positive recruitment brand attracts candidates who identify with their beliefs and culture; a candidate who wants to be part of an organization that is made up of employees just like them; a candidate who shares the passions and commitment of the organization. 

With a strong recruitment brand, candidates will seek you out, saving you time and money on recruitment initiatives. But even more importantly, your brand is the glue that holds your current workers together, increasing employee retention, engagement, loyalty and productivity. And in an industry group with a shortage of skilled workers, attracting and retaining key talent is essential.

Communicate your brand consistently and with clarity in all your recruitment pieces. The message in your advertisements, recruitment brochure, website and social media must constantly promote your brand. Look at L.L. Bean’s and the TVA’s website. Their words and photos support their brand and define their work culture. 

Your employees, who can often be your best recruiters, should be walking billboards for your recruitment brand. Whether it is casual conversation with friends and family about working for you, or comments made on Facebook, or representing your organization at a job fair, what they say should reinforce your brand while promoting your organization as a great place to work. 

As your brand evolves, listen to hear how it is echoed by your employees, customers and the public. What’s being said about you? Is there chatter in the press or in the social media? Google your company. It is important to understand what’s being said, for good things will draw in job candidates and bad things will scare them away.

If you are not attracting quality candidates to your door, find out the reasons and make changes. If you are drawing them to you, build on your success.

Every organization has a recruitment brand, whether you consciously develop one or not.  Candidates formulate their own perception of your company by what they hear, read or see. And if you lack a well-formulated, affirmative brand, the void becomes your brand. A positive recruitment brand will attract your targeted candidates to your company like a magnet, ensuring that you always have a steady stream of candidates drawn to your door.

Companies with a positive brand and reputation as a great place to work will surge ahead in the fierce competition for skilled labor. Are you ready?