POWERGRAMS

9 Edison in his early generating station. come together," Waters said. "I won't say that makes us completely unique, but there aren't many industries I can think of where competitors, in some cases, are sitting around the table sharing views and opinions in critical operational areas." As central systems began to flourish, production doubled every decade, except during a short period in the Great Depression. During that time, domestic electrical products hit the market. McMahon said "between the mid-1930s and 1970s, domestic (residential) consumption was equal to industrial sales for the first time in the industry's history." Campaigns such as "Live Better Electrically" and APC's own Reddy Kilowatt spokesman became slogans and fixtures in American homes. As the industry changed, so did the AEIC, focusing its efforts on a network of committees in various operational disciplines. "One of the most important roles we have here is serving as advocates and supporters of our committees," said Len Holland, manager of AEIC Services. "We listen to our committees and our board members, and when there is a need to expand into a new area, or begin addressing a new operational challenge or opportunity, we will form special groups and work teams," Waters said. Over time, the main areas of focus for the association's program included power generation, power delivery, electric power apparatus, metering and service, and load research and analytics. Today, these committees remain, and have been augmented by committees for cable engineering and customer service. In addition, there are four subcommittees within power delivery: distributed energy resources, human resources, project management and storm team. "Every person, of the over 455 people serving on the committees and subcommittees, is volunteering their time," Holland said. "Executives and managers understand that if they don't keep an ear to the ground about what's going on and how to improve, they're going to fall behind." Through AEIC, highly valued industry literature is published, including white papers on various topics, load research manuals and publications, and underground cable specifications and guidelines. Alabama Power and Southern Company play a large role in the association, with 14 Alabama Power and 27 Southern Company employees serving on committees and subcommittees. "I've heard it many times from AEIC committee members, that the involvement they have on AEIC committees is the most valuable professional engagement they have outside of their own company," Holland said. As today's patchwork quilt of the electric energy landscape continues to shift and evolve, Waters senses that there will always be value in a trade association that can bring people together to share views, experiences and best practices, for the common good. "Not having to reinvent the wheel or start with a blank sheet of paper, members are able to tap dozens and dozens of resident experts in the industry in all different disciplines," Waters said. "They develop a network of contacts among member companies. "Therein lies the value that AEIC can bring to the table for member companies: We provide the power to convene," Waters said.

• Cover