POWERGRAMS

8 Pearl Street, once the public experienced the comfort and reliability provided by a centralized station, the push toward the modern electric utility industry was set in motion. From 1882 to 1886, a half-dozen Edison Illuminating companies were formed throughout the Northeast, with the goal of developing and promoting central station electricity. To guide the growth of the companies, Edison and associates founded the AEIC. The association provided a practical means of connection and collaboration between illuminating companies and manufacturers. At the first meeting, one speaker announced that the association should seek to "make the knowledge of one, the knowledge of all, to the advantage of their common interests." For the first decade, the AEIC operated mainly as an Edison company organization. However, by 1896, representatives of 18 illuminating companies traveled to New York for the annual meeting. While most were from the Northeast, some came from Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Georgia. It became evident that AEIC had national reach and importance. AEIC historian and author A. Michael McMahon said these leaders "were shaping an industry, taking it from a crude technical system covering a city block to a complex network of regional and interregional, high-voltage systems spanning the continent." "Our association has a rich and colorful history," said Terry Waters, AEIC executive director/ secretary/treasurer. "There were some very difficult and contentious times back in the early history when, for example, debates were raging about what types of (electric) companies there should be, or whether systems should use alternating versus direct current." As system load and capacity were being built, the country's electrical landscape transformed. The primary focus of the association was technical communication. Committees and subcommittees were formed to tackle the pressing issues of the time, from the development of control apparatus to the decision of whether to meter, or contract, electricity usage. "When you are working in an industry going through enormous change at a very rapid pace, there is a need to reach out," said Waters. "To have a network of associates to draw on, and a team of resident experts to assist you, is important." Currently, the AEIC has 165 member companies throughout North America and the Caribbean, which includes investor-owned companies, public- owned utilities, municipalities and co-ops. "Even though there are a number of member companies that have different opinions and points of view related to policy and regulation, they still At top, New York's Pearl Street Station; above, Henry Ford, Edison and Harvey Firestone met in Fort Myers, Florida, on Feb. 11, 1929. From the Herbert Hoover Library

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