I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day! In the generations since this holiday was created there have been so many improvements to current working conditions that we often forget the harsh working conditions under which those before us toiled.

A large driver for these workplace changes were labor unions and trade associations. While of different orientations, they are of the same ilk in that they create more safe and functional industries and workplaces.

As part of NEPPA’s continuing efforts to assist and improve things for our members and their employees, the NEPPA Board approved two new offerings. These offerings will be reviewed at our Annual Membership meeting on November 7.

In 2015, NEPPA will release NEPPA-Q for managers. NEPPA-Q is our quality assurance program. After much discussion with members and leaders NEPPA has decided that we need to create certification for employees of public utilities in New England. Eventually we will create programs for the various positions, but, we have elected to start with managers. The program will be unveiled and presented at the Annual Business Meeting. It will include continuing education units and an initial certification process. The name NEPPA-Q is short for "quality assurance."

In addition to our entry into certification programs, NEPPA has also been discussing how we can provide greater overall services to our members. In 2015 we will launch professional services programs (PSP). We recognize that the size and needs of our members vary greatly, and to accommodate this we need to provide some services that we currently do not or that we had previously discontinued. Some of the services slated for review and potential launch include:

• Board or commissioner orientation assistance;
• Human resources assistance;
• Manager certification through the PUMP certification process;
• Strategic planning assistance and facilitation;
• Website development assistance and training;
• Customer service training;
• Utility management audits

For those of you who track NEPPA programs, you can see that some of these are currently offered or have been previously. By updating these services and packaging them together as a comprehensive professional services menu, we hope to remind you that we offer these various solutions to our members.

We will review this program and the services at our Annual Business Meeting, as well, but all of these services will be offered by NEPPA or a NEPPA-vetted vendor. When utilizing NEPPA for these services, it is important to remember that you will not have to go through the process of explaining the unique business model or practices of public power.

While the addition of NEPPA-Q and PSP seem to be dramatic new offerings for our members, they are not; they are services that have evolved and been in the making, in some form, for years.

NEPPA will be celebrating its 50th year in 2015, and as part of its growth and process to maintain relevance these new services will become core elements that we expect members to rely upon in the future.

This next year will be about recognizing the past 50 years and positioning ourselves and the industry for the next 50 years. To accomplish the first goal, Mark Kelly from Middleton Electric Light has agreed to chair a 50th Anniversary Committee. He is gathering an outstanding group of volunteers to work on this effort. We will discuss some of this at the Annual Business Meeting, but we plan to officially kick off all of our activities and festivities in January. We may be seeking historic information or items from some of you.

Thank you to our Annual Conference Committee and staff for putting together and running the best-rated conference in my tenure. Many of you who were in attendance came up and congratulated and thanked me for their efforts. Thank you for your feedback, and we will continue to strive to deliver you the highest quality programs and service.

Finally, thank you to Barbara Grimes, who officially retired this week. You have done an outstanding job representing the interests of Vermont members and the members in general. Your direct, no-nonsense approach will be missed, and we have great confidence that Calvin Ames will continue to hold the mantle of leadership high.