From the Desk of Richard Putnicki, Executive Director, RMEL

RMEL’s 2019 Fall Convention - Market Influencers and Opportunities:  Leading Our Industry in Times of Change

We are making final preparations for RMEL's 116th Annual Fall Executive Leadership and Management Convention, 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.

Our Convention topics focus on the challenges we face as leaders in our respective organizations. From the global influencers, to the customer solutions driving new technology. And of course, leading in times when we are finding solutions in doing more with less, and doing it differently.   

If you can only attend one event this year, THIS IS THAT EVENT!  Get full details with the Interactive Convention Grid and Brochure: The Fall Convention includes 9 strategic, senior-level presentations that RMEL members designed to comprehensively examine the power industry and provide solid, thought-provoking advice for your organization.

• Day 1 Keynote Speaker: John Doggett, Entrepreneurship, Global Competition and Sustainability Expert, will help us maximize on the new energy paradigm with insights and perspectives on global energy markets

• Day 2 Keynote Speaker: Clifton L. Taulbert, Pulitzer Nominated Author, International Lecturer and Entrepreneur, will explore leadership initiatives (takeaways) that are important for your leadership mindset in this changing industry

• CEO Panel: This is a great opportunity to hear from our association's key leadership and understanding the challenges their organizations face in the current utility world. This year’s panel features Terry Bassham, President & CEO, Evergy; Nick Brown, President & CEO, Southwest Power Pool; David Tudor, General Manager & CEO, Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.; and Kevin Wailes, CEO, Lincoln Electric System

The Fall Convention is your opportunity to:

Explore the origins of the U.S. energy abundance and implications to power markets in the western U.S.; gain insights on how Berkshire Hathaway Energy has negotiated difficult agreements with environmental groups and regulators; get new strategies to manage and optimize performance in a time of historic and monumental industry change...a time when the very essence of how, when and where people work and the value they place on ­work are shifting; discover how customer experience changes in the Energy Cloud, and how utilities and energy providers can begin to navigate the customer experience transformation in their organizations; learn about the multifaceted, unique and successful South Texas Project leadership culture, which emphasizes the value that the workforce brings to the table and how leadership takes on many forms; leverage the RMEL professional network with 300 electric energy executive attendees, and so much more.

Check out RMEL’s Fall Lineup of Events That will close out the 2019 Training Calendar

Planning Session: 2020 Spring Management, Engineering and Operations Conference
October 3, 2019, Denver Marriott South, Lone Tree, CO

The entire membership is invited to help plan the 2020 RMEL Spring Management, Engineering and Operations Conference. The planning session is October 3, 2019. By attending the planning session on October 3rd, you help direct the education provided at the conference. Have a story to tell? All members are invited to suggest topics and/or speakers for the Conference. Presentations should be technical and engineering focused. There will be a few general industry interest topics as well. Suggest your topics and speakers or just help brainstorm ideas for the Conference. Bring your topics and/or speakers, appropriate for the Spring Management, Engineering and Operations Conference venue, to this meeting. Please RSVP with the name of the person that will attend from your company. There is no registration fee.

Distribution Engineers Workshop
October 9-10, 2019, Denver Marriott South, Lone Tree, CO

Preliminary Topics (Subject to Change):

• The Future of the Electric Utility
• Identifying Solutions in the Field
• Measurement Technology
• Best Practices for Primary Cables
• Specifying Cables
• Utility Emergency Reaction Response Panel
• Arc Flash Considerations with Distribution Overcurrent Protection
• DERMS Overview
• Load Factors for EV
• Finance Justification Fundamentals
• Line Design Software
• Leveraging Communication Network at Company

Renewable Planning and Operations Conference
October 16-17, 2019, Denver Marriott South, Lone Tree, CO

Preliminary Topics (Subject to Change):

• EPRI Renewables Presentation
• Lithium Ion Battery Safety
• SPP Ancillary Market Study on Accommodating Higher Penetration of Renewables
• Key Aspects to Repowering a Wind Farm
• Interconnection of Batteries at Substations
• Wind Farm Maintenance
• Community Solar
• Energy Storage

Electric Utility Financial Decision Making Workshop
October 28-29, 2019, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, Westminster, CO

This two day course focuses on electric utility decision making and will cover the following topics:

• Business Building Blocks
• Generation and Energy Market Fundamentals
• Cash-Based Financial Decision Making
• Valuation of Cash Flows (Net Present Value)
• Handling Uncertainty
• Capstone Case Study: Blastoff

Safety Roundtable – November 2019
November 1, 2019, Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association, Fort Collins, CO

Roundtables offer a unique forum for peer-to-peer sharing of experiences, critical issues and expertise. The roundtable is a discussion group, open only to RMEL members. Discussion is based on topics brought by attendees. Typically one or two presentations are given, followed by attendee discussion and sharing. Roundtables are focused on the open discussion period and provide each attendee the opportunity for participation and dialogue on their particular issue. Roundtables are held in conjunction with a conference and many topics presented at the conference are discussed further in the roundtable setting. The roundtable is a good opportunity to share experiences, troubleshoot problems and network with peers in a smaller, informal setting. Each participant is offered a chance to pose questions and share information. All attendees are encouraged to bring issues for discussion and materials for sharing.

Call for Presentations: Thinking Ahead to 2020 and Beyond: Send Us Your Training Needs, Questions and Ideas

We are so excited about another big year of RMEL member collaboration and sharing of experiences. RMEL’s five Education Section Committees for Safety, Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Vital Issues are hard at work planning the remaining 2019 events and a full calendar of 2020 events, and they would love to hear from you! Whether you have a quick question or a specific topic and speaker you’d like to share, you can use the Electric Energy Topics Submission Form. Submissions will be sent to the appropriate committees. You are always welcome to email me directly with questions and/or ideas.

RMEL Board of Directors and staff are looking forward to seeing you this month in Kansas City!