POWERGRAMS

24 HONORS While aending the 1999 conference, Bowen recognized "When improvement suggestions were made by a couple of my colleagues, they had the same idea, but it was stated differently." "Stated differently" because Montreal – Cyme's headquarters – is bilingual: French and English. Bowen had a brainstorm: Invite engineers from the Southeast and hold a "pre-users conference" where ideas for improving soware could be hashed out and formalized for presentation at the international meeting. Today, membership in the pre- meeting has grown from a group of Southeastern utilities to one of utilities from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, including Canada. Any electric utility can be a member, whether large, small, municipality or co-op. "Our group would meet each April at a different member's location to discuss improvements in the soware; concerns; provide utility feedback from the group; and business issues that would concern the developer with restrictions imposed on users," Bowen said. The group includes a moderator and secretary elected by the group each year. Bowen is the one constant, responsible every year for sending ideas and discussion points to group members aer the meeting. The pre-user's meetings have been a big hit. "It provides Cyme with what the industry needs, when needed and how it should operate before implementation," Bowen said. But it goes beyond that. "Alabama Power and Southern Company have seen many improvements in the soware resulting from the group's work," Bowen adds. Another bonus is the meetings created a network of planning and protection engineers across the United States. "One can call or email a question for other members to see if they are having the same issues, and if they found a solution," he said. Engineer Bob Jordan has his fingers in several industry pies. • National Electric Code – The country's standards for installing electrical wiring and equipment for residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Jordan is on the Code-Making Panel that sets the standards. "I'm actively involved with updating the NEC, which is revised every three years," Jordan said, which means Alabama Power has a seat at the table when standards are established. • Edison Electrical Institute – EEI represents the nation's investor- owned utilities. Jordan is on the Electric Power and Light Task Force, working to maintain consistency in standards and codes between the NEC and the National Electric Safety Code (NESC) governing utilities. • International Association of Electrical Inspectors – Jordan is on the task force enforcing the IAEI code. He also is on the board of directors for the Central Alabama Division of IAEI. "I'm very involved with IAEI meetings across the state and provide expertise on issues that have utility interests," he said. "My involvement with the IAEI creates another level of communication with electrical inspectors, and helps when addressing concerns that arise between Alabama Power and the inspectors." Ma Cotney, Distribution Control Center supervisor in the Eastern Division, and Eric Boykin, Mobile Division Distribution Control Center manager, are active in the Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE). SEE is an 84-year-old trade association for investor-owned electric utility companies that pools the brightest minds to set industry standards and best practices in distribution, transmission, supply chain, fleet management, accounting and right-of-way acquisition. SEE is the mutual assistance hub for coordination of storm restorations. Boykin and Cotney are members of SEE's Distribution Operations Control Center task force. It puts Alabama Power square in the center of the latest discussions. "I've brought back best practices from other companies and implemented them during storm events," Cotney said. "For example, the task force we're in manages the estimated restoration times our customers hear during large storm events. Keeping these times up to date and accurate gives our customers the information they need to make informed decisions during extended outage events." Hawthorne said that's what participation with the governing groups is all about. "Serving our customers in the best way possible is the reason for our involvement with these organizations," Hawthorne said. "It takes time away from work for our people to participate. But at the end of the day, if it makes geing electricity to customers more reliable and efficient, then it's time well-spent." by Gilbert Nicholson TABLE APC ENGINEERS PROMINENT IN NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• Cover