POWERGRAMS

4 Many business owners advise newcomers to their world that making contacts – and having a chance to get a foot in the door – are needed for success. It's advice that Collette Lewis takes to heart. Lewis, CEO of FFG Strategic Consulting, was among representatives of nearly 60 companies receiving prime business opportunities during Alabama Power's recent Power Vision Partnership Expo in Prattville. The exposition, which brought together Supplier Diversity "mentees" and diverse companies that have served Alabama Power since 2010, allowed business owners a chance to connect with Supply Chain analysts and Supplier Diversity representatives. Alabama Power created its Supplier Diversity mentoring program to expand its supplier base, and to encourage and develop business relationships. The program pairs dedicated Alabama Power employees responsible for the sourcing and procurement process with small and diverse suppliers who are doing business with Alabama Power and want to cultivate long-lasting partnerships. Lewis, who has operated her engineering firm for four years, called the conference an "eye-opener." A former engineer for Alabama Power, Lewis is seeking every opportunity to expand business relationships: In July, she attended Georgia Power's Supplier Diversity conference. Mentees, companies that are working with Alabama Power and those seeking to do business with the company enjoyed ample opportunity to discuss their business offerings with more than 70 Generation representatives. Lewis took advantage of the "one on one" time to promote her company. "I know how important it is to establish contacts within this business," said Lewis, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an MBA from the University of Houston. "Being able to form good, strong business relationships means everything." Attending the expo's mini-sessions about contracts and powerhouse maintenance agreements, and the Power Generation student of the business class, added to Lewis' knowledge of how the company operates. A team of panelists involved in the Supply Chain Management process – Laura Green, SCM director, Southern Company Services; Ken Compton, Supplier Diversity manager – Georgia Power; David Waites, Tallapoosa River Hydro manager, Alabama Power; and Herbie Johnson, Hydro Services general manager, SCS – gave attendees an inside view about how to make solid contacts within the company and keep relationships strong. They advised suppliers to never underestimate the importance of good communication. "The main thing is to do what you say you're going to do, at the price you gave us," said Waites, who has had leadership roles in Hydro Generation, as well as working in nuclear, during his 32-year career. Johnson, who has worked throughout Southern Company Generation, Engineering and Construction Services for 21 years, agreed: "We need trust, good communication and no surprises." Johnson said suppliers should learn about the company and understand employees' commitment to safety, performance and trust. "You need to align with our culture," he said. "That means that when you make a delivery to one of our sites, you should also align with our safety culture. We're totally dedicated to Target Zero, and we hold ourselves and our suppliers accountable for safety. The better you align with our company culture and understand it, the better you are at delivering services to us. We want you to be a success." Ric Edwards, SCM Maintenance Contracts analyst at Plant Miller, told suppliers they should personally know their contacts at Alabama Power plants. "Don't make cold calls to employees at our generating facilities and, if you're making a trip to a plant, make sure you let them know first," Edwards said. "At the end of the day, it's your job to make and maintain these relationships. Work is planned, scoped and bid for each individual plant, and you want to be considered, but there are protocols you must go through first." Generation Vice President and Alabama Senior Production Officer Jim Heilbron said the diverse suppliers help strengthen and support the company. "We recognize how valuable our diverse suppliers are in helping us to provide world-class electric service," Heilbron said. "We depend on our suppliers to come through for us – without them, our generating plants and employees wouldn't be able to do the great job that we do every day for our customers." By Donna Cope Diversity University POWER TO ALABAMA SUPPLIERS, BUYERS GATHER TO LEARN, BOOST BUSINESS RELATIONS Diverse suppliers received business tips from company panelists (left) and learned about contractual agreements from Contract Analyst Ricardo Brito. Photos by Karim Shamsi-Basha

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