ENERGY AND UTILITIES
Utilities and energy-dependent businesses have unique opportunities and challenges. Complex relationships commonly exist between governance and regulatory requirements, capital investment needs, funding and, at times, competing goals (e.g. cost reduction vs. environmental stewardship).
The intersection of competitive pressures and increased costs can be particularly difficult. Many public institutions are facing direct and indirect comparison against private entities that play by different rules. Incumbent service providers must continuously improve customer service with fewer resources. In short, virtually all organizations have a compelling need to operate smarter and faster, while simultaneously balancing political constraints and public perception issues.
Because of these and other challenges, identification and management of risk across the enterprise
Risk Management
We have deep expertise in assisting utilities and energy companies with the design and implementation of formal risk management programs, including governance protocols, policies, procedures, analytics, metrics, and reports.
Resource Planning and Contracting
Our consultants have assisted multiple utilities in analyzing the cost and risk tradeoffs of long-term resource development and contracting options using customized economic models that accurately reflect the operational and economics behavior of resource portfolios.
Demand Forecasting, Pricing and Rate Design
We have extensive experience in developing cost of service models and analyzing customer pricing as part of rate design. This includes careful examination of fixed costs and variable costs across the utility enterprise to develop appropriate and defendable rate structures. We also have capabilities to assist utility clients with the design of innovative pricing programs in response to customer interest in renewable energy, distributed generation, and demand-side management.
Finance, Economics, and Risk Management
Our consultants have deep expertise in conducting economic analysis and producing financial projections consistent with applicable accounting standards. We place special emphasis on identifying and exploring the risks and uncertainties contained in forecasts. We apply advanced financial modeling and analysis tools to create greater insight into the numbers.
Strategic Planning and Stakeholder Engagement
We are experts in designing and executing strategic planning processes, including development and administration of surveys and town hall meetings to engage stakeholders. The plans we help our clients develop are clear, actionable, and endorsed.
Process Improvement
We have assisted a broad range of public service and related organizations assess their internal processes, and identify ways to improve quality, speed, and efficiency.
Technology
We offer seasoned experts in information technology strategy and offer hands-on implementation assistance. We understand the tradeoffs between system choices, and provide unbiased recommendations
Program and Project Management
We are experts in program and project management, assisting our clients with the application of leading practices, including Project Management Institute (PMI) standards. We commonly serve in program management advisory roles, providing oversight and coordination of multiple interrelated workstreams.
Training
We offer several introductory and advanced courses on subjects such as project management, communication skills, business analytics, and supply chain management.
Practice Leadership
P. Glen Justis, Senior Partner
Energy & Utilities focus: Energy risk management, resource planning, and analytics
Glen Justis is a Senior Partner with Experience on Demand, where he leads the firm’s Energy & Utilities practice. He is highly experienced in delivering consultative services to governmental entities, utilities, and related public service institutions. He has served in partner and director-level roles at Experience on Demand, Acclaim Strategies, Deloitte & Touche, R.W. Beck, and Ameren Corporation. He has extensive experience across multiple types of organizations, including municipal, cooperatives, federal, and state-regulated entities. Over his thirty-plus year career in consulting and industry, he has established an outstanding reputation for assisting clients with issues where strategy, economics, and risk management intersect.
Mr. Justis has an MBA and engineering degrees. He has also completed executive education on competitive strategy at the Wharton School.
Dave Berndt, Senior Partner
Energy & Utilities focus: IT strategy and systems implementation oversight
David Berndt has built an excellent reputation as a business technology leader, helping clients achieve results through running their IT as a business. He brings a reasonable and pragmatic approach to ensuring that IT and the business are fully aligned toward meeting business objectives. David’s work experience includes twenty years as Partner, CIO, and Co-Founder of DataServ, a St. Louis-based document automation solution. He was recognized with the Society for Information Management’s (SIM) National Leader of the Year award in 2016, having served in several positions with SIM at the chapter and national level over the past six years. He joined Experience On Demand in 2015. David is involved in the St. Louis community with the local technology community and various philanthropic and faith-based organizations.
Steve Finkelstein, Senior Partner
Energy and Utilities focus: Strategic planning and process improvement
Steve Finkelstein is a Senior Partner and co-founder of Experience on Demand, which he started in 2008 after 20 years of experience as a Consulting Partner with both Deloitte and Grant Thornton, and as a Senior Manager with Dun & Bradstreet Software. He is an Army Veteran who served during Vietnam. He was recognized by the University of Missouri in 2016 with the Distinguished Career Achievement Award. His experience in strategy planning and stakeholder engagement has been critical to successful projects with Ferguson-Florissant School District, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and many other public service organizations.
Ray Scott, Senior Partner
Energy & Utilities focus: Supply chain management and negotiations
Ray Scott brings to his assignments a vast array of experience in Supply Chain, Purchasing, Operations, Marketing, and Accounting. He has performed a variety of consulting and training engagements for Experience on Demand, focusing on inventory management, process improvement, purchasing strategies, operations management, software selection & implementation, and project management.
His certifications include Certified Public Accountant, and Certified Fellow in Production & Inventory Management, Certified Supply Chain Professional, and Certified in Integrated Resource Management from APICS
Rick Vanderwal, Senior Partner
Energy & Utilities focus: Finance and accounting
Rick Vanderwal is a seasoned executive in Corporate Finance and Operations with a successful track record of building enterprise value. His passion is to help companies achieve and sustain their highest level of financial success. He is highly experienced in reviewing financial data and evaluating corporate financial strength. He is also an expert in helping companies across multiple industries improve their financial processes and accounting capabilities.
Rick has a B.S. in Accounting from Ferris State University and a MBA from DePaul University. Rick also serves on the Board of Directors of Friendship Village St. Louis both as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair.
Pat Murphy, Partner
Energy & Utilities focus: Data analysis and operational modeling
Pat has vast experience in several industries, including food and beverage, industrial, and transportation equipment. As an Industrial Engineer, he has improved processes, reduced costs and improved customer service through all areas of manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. Pat is a Certified Supply Chain Professional through APICS and holds a Certificate in Supply Chain Management from St. Louis University. He is a Life Member in the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and has held offices of Chapter President and several other board positions. He has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering Management.
Third Party Collaborators and Affiliates
Experience on Demand is pleased to maintain strong relationships with talented third party consulting firms and individuals. By combining our expertise and resources, we can address virtually any business challenge of our energy and utility clients.
Kevin Cox, CDG Engineers
Kevin Cox is a Principal and Electrical Engineering Manager at CDG Engineers. He has direct experience leading Integrated Resource Planning for a major western electric utility, as well as working directly with clients to implement industry standard methods for capacity expansion, forecasting, and production cost modeling to their unique circumstances. CDG Engineers is an independent professional engineering firm based in St. Louis, Missouri with specialization in electric utility engineering services. CDG has been in operation for over 25 years serving municipal, cooperative, and investor-owned organizations. The CDG team has decades of experience with electric utilities, including a specialty in utility analysis and resource planning. Further information on CDG can be found online at www.cdgengineers.com
Michael Proctor, PhD
Michael Proctor has a PhD in Economics from Texas A&M University. He has extensive experience in utility economics, forecasting, cost of service, market design, levelized cost of energy analysis, and RTO structure/cost allocation issues. Dr. Proctor collaborates with Experience on Demand on issues where PhD-level expertise is beneficial in understanding the behavior of energy markets and utility costs.