2017 Annual Conference
 
5/22/2017
7:00 amTVPPA 71ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE
No location
TVPPA 71st Annual Conference
7:00 am - 8:00 am
8:00 am - 1:30 pmTVPPA Annual Golf Tournament
Golf Club at Savannah Harbor
TVPPA Annual Golf Tournament (additional fee applies)
11:00 am - 1:00 pmSpouse Event: The Psychology of Clutter – Tea and Tips with Melissa Gratias
Westin - Harbor B (1st Floor)
Melissa Gratias Ph.D., Productivity Psychologist, Productivity Psychologist, LLC
SPOUSE EVENT: The Psychology of Clutter – Tea and Tips with Melissa Gratias We want to make sure your spouse enjoys their time in Savannah and offer this wonderful session with Melissa to provide special agenda content just for them. There's no fee but we do ask that you let us know ahead of time if your spouse will be participating.
2:00 pm - 6:00 pmRegistration Open
Convention Center - Georgia International Gallery (2nd Floor)
Please take this time to check in and grab your name badge(s), agenda, a fun snack and visit with our sponsors from 2pm-6pm.
3:00 pm - 5:00 pmTVPPA Board of Directors
Westin - Harbor A (1st Floor)
TVPPA Board of Directors
6:00 pm - 7:00 pmWelcome Reception hosted by the Sponsors
Westin - Grand Ballroom Foyer (2nd Floor)
TVPPA's Annual Conference couldn't exist as it does without the generous support of its sponsors. Please join us as we take a moment to thank them and take advantage of this time to reconnect with friends and colleagues as well as meeting someone new!
7:15 pm - 9:00 pmDIC Customer Appreciation Dinner (by invitation only)
Westin - Grand Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Invitation only dinner hosted by Distributors Insurance Company.

5/23/2017
7:00 am
7:00 am - 8:00 amBreakfast with our Sponsors
Convention Center - Georgia International Gallery (2nd Floor)
8:00 amFIRST GENERAL SESSION
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
8:00 am - 8:10 amWelcome
No location
Jack W. Simmons, President & CEO, Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, Inc. (TVPPA)
8:10 am - 8:30 amChairman's Address
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Greg Williams, TVPPA Chairman, Appalachian Electric Cooperative
8:30 am - 9:30 amOpening Keynote Address: How to Stay Relevant
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Ross Shafer, Founder & President, The Ross Shafer Company
Fifty years ago, the average lifespan of an S&P 500 company was 70 years. Today? It’s 14 years. Why? Annual Conference keynoter Ross Shafer says too many organizations simply don’t keep up with the marketplace. “If you don’t continue to matter to your customers,” Shafer says, “they’ll be happy to walk away and try something else.

Special guest: During this year's Annual Conference, you'll notice someone else joining our presenters. Erin Nicole Gordon, visual consultant and practitioner, will join our conference to graphic record several sessions. In graphic recording, Erin will visually capture thoughts and ideas from our speakers in real time. Her recordings provide synthesized snapshots of key messages in an engaging way and we're excited to offer this new visual dimension in Savannah! Learn more about Erin and view samples of her work at www.erinicolegordon.com

9:30 am - 10:00 amRefreshment Break -- Meet the Sponsors
Convention Center - Georgia International Gallery (2nd Floor)
10:00 am - 11:00 amCyber and Physical Security – Keeping the Homefront Safe
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Matt Fagiana, Director of Homeland Security, Lenoir City Utilities Board
Sarah Stevens, Program Manager, Compliance and Risk Assessment, NATF
In 2007, Idaho National Labs stunned the world, demonstrating an electric turbine spinning wildly out of control and ceasing production as a result of a computer hacker. What has been done to improve our cyber security posture since this video was leaked to the press in September 2007? Are our systems safe from an attack now? FERC and NERC have made certain cyber security standards and requirements mandatory for larger utilities, but what should smaller, consumer-owned utilities do to ensure continued reliable energy services can be provided to 9 million customers across Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia? In this session, we will explore the 2017 reality of the aurora project, review current NERC standards of reliability, and discuss what you, as a consumer-owned utility, can and should do today to help protect our critical infrastructure.
11:00 am - 11:30 amBO1: Essentials for the Purposes of Pricing
Convention Center - Meeting Room 203 (2nd Floor)
Jim Sheffield, Pricing Manager, TVPPA
Concepts of electricity pricing presented using fun, every-day examples of non-electric things, followed by a look at the “fixed cost problem”, what that means, and why it’s a problem. Lastly, a quick consideration, once again using every-day non-electric examples, of how pricing and fixed costs relate to DER, especially solar.
11:00 am - 11:30 amBO2: Innovative Solar Strategies
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Tammy Bramlett, Director, Business Development & Renewables, TVA
11:00 am - 11:30 amBO3: (Cancelled -- please select one of the other breakout sessions available)
Convention Center - Meeting Room 205 (2nd Floor)
Kim Vance, Attorney, Baker Donelson Law Firm
11:45 am - 1:15 pmTVPPA Honors Luncheon
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Join us for TVPPA's Honors Luncheon hosted by Distributors Insurance Company, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and several DIC business partners.
1:15 pmSECOND GENERAL SESSION
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
1:15 pm - 2:15 pmRates, Rate Change and Pricing: A Panel's Perspective
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Kate Miller, Technical Consultant, Chattanooga, TN, EPB
Larry Kernea, General Manager, Murphy Power Board
Mike Simpson, General Manager, Sand Mountain EC
Keith Hayward, CEO/General Manager, North East Mississippi EPA
Jim Sheffield, Pricing Manager, TVPPA
2:15 pm - 3:00 pmTVPPA Business Meeting
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
2:15 pm - 3:00 pmBB1: Maximizing Value from Employee Education & Training
Convention Center - Meeting Room 203 (2nd Floor)
Mike Temple, Director, Education & Training, Alabama Rural Electric Association
2:15 pm - 3:00 pmBB2: DSS, DER, TOU?: How to Speak Utility
Convention Center - Meeting Room 204 (2nd Floor)
Tim Culpepper, General Counsel and VP of Administrative Services, Cullman EC
2:15 pm - 3:00 pmBB3: Distributed Energy Resources (DER) 101
Convention Center - Meeting Room 205 (2nd Floor)
Doug Peters, Director, Technical Services, TVPPA
3:00 pm - 3:15 pmCSA Ice Cream Social
Convention Center - Georgia International Gallery (2nd Floor)
3:15 pm - 4:15 pmPreparing for Utility 2.0 in the Valley
Convention Center - Meeting Room 204 (2nd Floor)
Neil Placer, Managing Member & Renewable Energy Specialist, Placer Consulting Services LLC
The energy industry is currently in the middle of a major paradigm shift that some would classify as one of the most important industry transitions of the 21st century. Today’s electric grid is giving way to a complex array of customer choices called Distributed Energy Resources (DER). What should a local power company be doing to strategically prepare for what is being called Utility 2.0? We’ll provide key insights about the Utility 2.0 challenge and how local power companies can proactively respond.
4:15 pm - 5:15 pmCSA Business Meeting
Convention Center - Meeting Room 205 (2nd Floor)
6:00 pm - 7:00 pmChairman's Reception
Westin - River Lawn (outside)
7:00 pm - 9:00 pmDistinguished Service Award Dinner
Westin - Grand Ballroom (2nd Floor)

5/24/2017
7:00 am
7:00 am - 8:00 amBreakfast with our Sponsors
No location
8:00 amTHIRD GENERAL SESSION
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
8:00 am - 8:10 amOpening Remarks
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
8:10 am - 9:00 amGetting It Right – How Political and Cultural Trends Will Impact Your Utility
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Scott Rasmussen, Founder & President, Rasmussen Media Group

Annual Conference keynoter Scott Rasmussen’s polling firm, Rasmussen Reports, came as close as any polling organization – and closer than most – to pegging the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election. Rasmussen says the key to analyzing data is taking that data at face value and analyzing it in a disciplined, logical way.

9:00 am - 9:30 amUtility Now – What's Changed and Technologies to Move Us Forward
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Rob Manning, Vice President, Transmission, EPRI
9:30 am - 10:00 amThe Future of Utility Customer Engagement
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Brian Bowen, Regulatory Affairs Manager, FirstFuel
Customer expectations are changing. With companies like Netflix, Uber, and Amazon delivering fast, customized solutions to customers' fingertips, today's consumers demand personalized, digital platforms in the palm of their hand. And each year, more customers expect the same level of service from you, their electric power provider.
   As these changes take hold, it provides a unique opportunity for electric power providers to reaffirm their strong relationships with customers. Utilities of all kinds are starting to invest in digital engagement programs that leverage energy data and customer intelligence to deliver not only an improved customer experience, but also to meet sales, energy efficiency, and other program goals. Leveraging customer data and deep data analytics, utilities can create a winning situation for everyone involved – from program managers and account reps to the end customer. 
10:00 am - 10:30 amRefreshment Break – Meet the Sponsors
Convention Center - Georgia International Gallery (2nd Floor)
10:30 am - 11:15 amView from the Hill
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Elizabeth Whitney, Managing Principal, Meguire Whitney LLC
11:15 am - 12:00 pmTVA Looking Ahead
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Bill Johnson, President & CEO, Tennessee Valley Authority
12:00 pmAdjourn
Convention Center - Chatham Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Please be sure to mark your calendars for the 72nd TVPPA Annual Conference scheduled for the Grand Hotel Marriott in beautiful Point Clear, Alabama – May 21-23, 2018.