POWERGRAMS

PG_July_2019_final2

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HONORS Six Alabama Power employees recently took top honors for their ideas submitted in the companywide Spark competition. "The commitment to innovation among Alabama Power employees is evident in the number and quality of submissions Spark has generated, and we look forward to seeing that continue," said Greg Barker, executive vice president of Customer Services. "Spark is a great way to generate ideas that will help Alabama Power remain on the cutting edge of our industry and set the tone for how businesses operate and succeed in the 21st century." During the third and fourth quarter of 2018, employees shared 146 ideas to help the company improve in safety, revenue growth, cost reductions and operational efficiency. "We were thrilled to participate in the competition and for what we can accomplish in the future – let's strive to double the number of submissions to 300 in our next round," said Casey Shelton, IBEW System Council U-19 business manager. Schillingers Road Crew Headquarters Local Operations Lineman Todd Warr and Montgomery Crew Headquarters Distribution Specialist Josh Cobb took first place honors for their submissions. "These ideas run the gamut of generating revenue, providing operational savings and ensuring the safety of our employees, which is our top priority," said John Smola, director of New Business Growth and Development. Ideas were awarded in covered and noncovered categories. COVERED WINNERS • First place: Warr for "Repair or Replace Customer Meter Sockets." New smart meters have the capability to notify Alabama Power when customer meter sockets are beginning to degrade. This idea gives customers the option to have APC hire an electrician to make repairs and finance the cost at a reasonable percentage with the added convenience of being able to pay it monthly on their power bill. • Second place: Service Building-12th Street Lineman Tyler Pogue for "Glow-in- the-Dark Hard Hats." Glow-in-the-dark hard hats would increase safety by making employees more visible when working at night or in dark areas. This idea would improve operational efficiency by reducing time spent frequently stopping work to locate fellow employees in the dark. • Third place: Varnons Crew Headquarters Lineman Brandon Sinquefield for "Reflective Harness." A reflective harness would enable employees to always have at least the minimum required reflective material. As linemen transition from working on the ground to a lift bucket on a truck, they must remove their reflective vest and put on a harness. Oftentimes the vest is not used again until the employee completes work in the bucket. By having a reflective harness, employees would never be without reflective visibility. NONCOVERED WINNERS • First place: Cobb for "Smart Box." The purpose of this box is to supply fiber and power to the same location and keep the fiber safe from fire and other issues that are common when fiber and power are together. The design prevents vehicle traffic from damaging the box should it be hit or run over. The Smart Box will replace the current process of installing two separate boxes for electricity and fiber. • Second place: TMC Supervisor Kristin Bridges for "Smart Location Information." This idea combines multiple restriction databases and overlaps the information with location services technology to allow the user to receive phone or tablet notifications when the employee comes within a predefined property zone. This will increase operational efficiency, save money and help employees comply with restrictions. • Third place: Power Delivery Team Leader Sherri Morgan for "Catch that Additional Device Revenue." Develop a Rate Rider for use with the Traffic Signal Rate (TS) that would allow the company to bill usage related to cameras and other wireless devices that have over time appeared on traffic signal structures statewide. Ideas submitted to Spark were reviewed and awarded by Marketing & Business Development employees based on strategic fit, net income potential and feasibility. Employees may submit ideas any time at www.Spark.AlabamaPower.com. The number of submissions per employee is unlimited, and groups of employees can submit a combined idea. by Katie Bolton Innovation competition Sparks 146 submissions Barker congratulates Spark winners on their idea submissions. Crew Foreman Eric Sutton (accepting for Sinquefield), Morgan, Cobb, Pogue, Bridges, Warr. Smola 18

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