From the Desk of Executive Director Richard Putnicki

Last year about this time, the world that we were living in was turned upside down with something none of us saw coming, thus giving new meaning to our "March Madness" reference. We used to use the metaphor of the college basketball tournament to the liking of our fast break, full court press we put on with our educational programs during the March and April months. The "madness" quickly shifted from our routine face-to-face educational conferences, to a session framed with social distancing, table spacing, elbow bumping and hand sanitizing, only to find out that wasn''t enough. Our "full court press" was now on to find how we could make this "virtual" platform work. The engagement that our members have shown, and stepped up with, over this past year has been awesome. We are excited to see what the new and improved in-person RMEL experience looks like when we can host live events again.

In the meantime, we see continued engagement from all of you through RMEL''s virtual offerings...

We just kicked off our March events with the 3-Part Virtual Workshop: Lithium Ion Energy Storage Systems -  Failures, Fires and Explosions ? Application of Best Practices with Part 1 and Part 2. Paul Hayes reviewed large scale fire test and real world case studies to help attendees understand how ESS systems fail and the consequences of those failures and more. Part 2 presented last Wednesday, focused on  Lithium Ion ESS 201 ? Mitigation Methods and Options for Safety system. To close out the series, Part 3 will be on March 17th, focusing on Lithium Ion ESS 301 ? Code requirements. You can still sign up for this workshop. You''ll receive a recording of Part 1 and 2 and can participate in the live sessions on the 17th.

Complimentary Programs in March

Presentation and Roundtable: Hydrogen and the Power Sector
Took Place on March 11, 2021 ? Get the Free Recording

Hydrogen is a versatile fuel, feedstock, and energy carrier for a host of different applications. Hydrogen can be produced in mass quantity through multiple low carbon methods and therefore promises to yield substantial results in decarbonizing a wide range of sectors, including power generation. Jason Rowell, global technology lead for Black & Veatch''s Power Business, led an overview of the burgeoning hydrogen market, including insight into production, storage, and transportation of hydrogen for the power sector.

Virtual Safety Roundtable - ATV & UTV Workplace Safety
March 18, 2021 ? 9:00-10:30 a.m. Mountain DAYLIGHT Time

During this presentation we will discuss the importance of ATV/UTV safety and education in the workplace. The following topics will be addressed and open for discussion: *History & Evolution of ATV's & UTV's *Growth of ATV's & UTV's in the Workplace *Common Accidents & Injuries *Cargo & Tow Ratings *Vehicle Loading & Unloading *PPE *Use on Public Roads and Pavement *Responsible Operators

We''ll continue adding more and more events this Spring all leading up to our Spring Conference in mid-May. Look for more details on the Spring Conference soon!

Upcoming April Leadership Workshop - Leadership in a Time of Uncertainty

"I Can See Clearly Now..." Leadership in a Time of Uncertainty
Tuesday, April 20th & Thursday, April 22nd - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Mountain DAYLIGHT Time
REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!

RMEL is offering an online development program aimed at helping leaders enhance their ability to lead in times of uncertainty and social change...times like now. This will be instructed by John Miner, P.E., President & CEO, Collaborative Learning, Inc./Collaboration Unlimited. and Betsy Aylin, PhD, Executive and Management Consultant, Collaborative Learning, Inc./Collaboration Unlimited. Participants who complete this program will be awarded 8.0 professional development hours (PDHs). This virtual but highly interactive and engaging program is aimed at helping leaders at any level in the organization understand and better use their own strengths to lead the people they work with through this time of uncertainty and change. This online program is structured in two online half-day sessions of approximately 4 hours each.  Pre-program requirements will enable the course to start quickly, ensuring comfort with the technology being used and framing the interests of the participants.  The program is highly interactive and will include working with small learning groups, skill practice, discussion and other ways to engage with the content.  

Nominate a 2021 RMEL Emerging Leader by March 19th

Nominate a next-generation leader for a 2021 RMEL Emerging Leader Award by March 19th. The nominee must have a minimum of 5 years of experience, and no more than 10 years'' experience within the industry.  Recipients are provided development opportunities through a variety of interactions with past and current Emerging Leader Award recipients, the RMEL Board and exclusive workforce strategy sessions with Spring Keynote Speakers, all to hone their leadership skills and experiences.

2021 RMEL Spring Conference

Mark your calendars for May to participate in the 2021 RMEL Spring Conference. We are finalizing topics, speakers and schedules. The virtual platform and registration information is COMING SOON! 

Thank you!

I want to close by thanking everyone who helped us promote the 2021 RMEL Foundation Scholarship Program. The deadline was this past Friday, and we received a lot of great applications. It''s always exciting to get a glimpse of the future through the perspective of these high school and college student essays. We''ll be announce the 2021 scholarship recipients at the Spring Conference. Thank you all again for supporting the future of the industry!