District Energy - 2005 Third Quarter

Iwas honored to be elected chair of IDEA at our annual conference in June. It is a privilege to serve our industry and our association at an even higher level. The opening panel of distinguished district energy leaders provided tremendous global insight and illustrated the many opportunities available to invest in our industry. This message reinforced my predecessor Anders Rydaker’s theme, “Think Globally, Invest Locally: Recycle Energy.”

On behalf of IDEA, I sincerely thank Anders for his exceptional leadership, vision, hard work and enthusiasm. Under his guidance, the board of directors successfully completed a strategic plan and made significant strides in advancing district energy on a global scale.

In the upcoming year, I want to continue to expand IDEA’s outreach to all countries in our membership and tap the many opportunities for economic and environmental investment in district energy. I have chosen my theme as:

Partnering for Success

In her keynote address at the June conference, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman said that district energy’s efficiency makes it a key strategy for responding to the increasing world energy demand in an environmentally responsible way. (See cover story p. 16.) She also said there is a lot of work to do to bring the concept of district energy to the attention of decision makers because many do not know about the industry and its benefits. As such, we need to work together to advocate for our industry. Partnering provides an opportunity for us to individually benefit from the collective strength of all.

Chair’s
Message

How do we benefit? IDEA is the ‘ go-to resource’ for district energy. It is where manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, district energy system managers and operators, and governmental agencies learn from each other and grow stronger together. There are many venues where we can benefit from our association:

Partnering is essential to education and the growth of industry knowledge. The June conference exemplified the significant body of knowledge that resides in our association. The educational outreach in the presentations, panels and exhibit hall provided an opportunity to pick the brains of the district energy leaders and operators as well as the technical experts who develop, produce, or provide the products, services and technology essential to the growth of our industry.

Partnering is essential to forging relationships that are key to our professional success. Through IDEA, we foster multiple networking links that help us in our decision making. From each other we learn what works, what doesn’t, and how we can enhance our businesses, systems and operations. A positive side benefit of many of these professional relationships is that they evolve into wonderful long-standing friendships.

Partnering is essential to ensuring we have a voice in the development of key energy and environmental policies. Gov. Whitman stated that we need to “be at the table” with our governmental leaders – from local municipalities to national policymakers – ensuring that we advocate the benefits of district energy and have a say in crafting policies.

IDEA exists solely for its members. It depends on a small, dedicated staff and many individuals who volunteer countless hours. Particular recognition goes to this year’s top award winners: Joel Greene, Jennings, Strouss & Salmon PLC, the Norman R. Taylor Award; Everett Wolverton and Joe Harrell on behalf of the University of Cincinnati, the System of the Year Award; Ken Linwick, formerly with NRG Energy Center Minneapolis, the Life Member award; and Bob Smith, RMF Engineering, the Unsung Hero Award. While space here does not allow for a

complete listing of all awards, they are recognized in the wrapup of the annual conference on p. 22. Congratulations to all!

I extend my deepest gratitude to board member Peter Cooper of MIT and past chair Joel Greene of as their board terms come to a close. Peter has brought us campus insight, and Joel has been an energetic and forceful agent for positive change during his six years of board service.

As others leave us, new members join us. I extend a warm welcome to those newly elected: Kenneth Clark of Burns and McDonnell Engineers, Johnathan Coleman of Solar Turbines, and William Verge of the University of Michigan. We have our work cut out for us this year as we ( 1) build on Anders’ legacy as chair to expand the global reach of our industry, advance local investment and foster the recycling of energy; ( 2) implement the strategic plan; and (3) advance our common goal of Partnering for Success.

I also thank the IDEA staff: Rob Thornton, president; Tanya Kozel, director of marketing; Dina Gadon, director for member services; Melissa Benowitz, conference planning; Laxmi Rao, research and development; Monica Westerlund, executive editor of District Energy magazine; and Mark Spurr, legislative director, for their tireless efforts on behalf of our association and our industry.

It will be my pleasure to work with President Rob Thornton, Vice Chair Gary Rugel, the IDEA board and every IDEA member in the coming year. To get us started in Partnering for Success, I ask everyone to take one small and one big step. The small one? Help us grow stronger together by committing to bringing in at least one new member within the next two months. The big one? If you are new to IDEA, get involved. If you are already a member, stay involved; or better yet, get more involved. Partnering for Success is all of us coming together for the collective benefit of our industry and each other. Partnering for Success – together, we are better, smarter and stronger.