Technical & Operations Conference

Date:	December 15-17, 2015
Time:	Day 1: Dec 15, 2015 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm Day 2: Dec 16, 2015 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Day 3: Dec 17, 2015 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Location:	Holiday Inn & Suites, 75 South 37th Avenue, St. Cloud, MN 56301 Get Directions
This event is now closed for online registration

This conference is designed to offer useful information to superintendents, managers, supervisors and crew leaders about the upcoming challenges utilities are going to face with the economy, employee retention, and preserving the craft of the electrical industry. It is also designed to create great leaders within the municipal utility industry. The information below is also available in printed format as well.

Conference Program

Tuesday, December 15
8:30 am-1 pm MMUA Board of Directors Meeting (Twins Room)
noon-5 pm Conference Registration Open (Lobby)
1 pm Welcome & Opening Remarks
1:15 pm Error Management; What Safety Leaders KNOW -- What High-Performing Employees DO!, Lisa Haen, Safety Leader Consulting, LLC
Error management is an essential element in creating a safe workplace. Focused on how leadership principles and organizational core values contribute to desired outcomes, Lisa Haen provides insight to error management from a human performance perspective. Join us as we take a close look at what effective safety leaders know and what high-performing employees do to prevent incidents in the workplace.

2 pm Vendor Setup for Trade Show (Huskies-Heritage Ballroom)
3 pm New Product Showcase (St. Cloud-Johnnies Ballroom)
This session will give you a rapid-fire look at the latest in goods and services for the utility industry. We give each participating vendor a few minutes; they give us their best shot.

4:30-7 pm Trade Show & Reception (Huskies-Heritage Ballroom)
Be sure to join us for our product show. There is always a lot of good information changing hands at the show. This is a great place to see what is new to the industry and also provides an opportunity to make new connections.

Wednesday, December 16
8:30 am Building & Leading Successful Teams, Kit Welchlin, Welchlin Communication Strategies
Having to work with others is a fact of life. Working well together is a necessity. Working together can be a challenging and complicated task. Most people are unaware that how they communicate can affect the dynamics of the team and the team’s effort. Learn how as a new team member to build supportive teams. Learn tools for individually preparing for successful team meetings and the functional roles to play. Learn how to participate effectively on a team and build cohesiveness. Learn the phases of team development and understand the positive role of conflict.

11:30 am Apprentice Lineworker & 2015 Rodeo Recognition, Mike Willetts, MMUA and Don Harbuck, Northwest Lineman College

The afternoon will offer a choice of two tracks.

Manager Track

1 pm Developing & Maintaining Your Rate Structure, Dave Berg, Dave Berg Consulting
Dave Berg will address why it is important to have an electric rate structure that reflects the cost basis and policy goals of the utility. The utility service landscape is changing due to new technologies and customer preferences. He will talk about rate structure related issues such as 1) why cost of service matters; 2) different structures and their applications; 3) how rates impact distributed generation; 4) policy issues impacting rate design and other pertinent items.

1:45 pm APPA Mutual Aid Plan Framework--Update, Mike Willetts, MMUA
Mike will explain in detail how the Minnesota public power utilities fit within APPA’s National Mutual Aid Program. Utilities’ commitment to helping each other on a national level was most evident in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy caused widespread damage to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

The American Public Power Association (APPA) works with its utility, state association, and joint action agency members, as well as other industry associations and federal agencies to enhance communication during preparation for and recovery from disasters. APPA formed the Mutual Aid Working Group (MAWG) to establish a mutual aid network. MAWG developed the Public Power Mutual Aid Playbook to outline the step-by-step plan to refer to before and during a disaster.

3 pm A Collaborative Approach to Emergency Preparedness, Graham Nelson, Veracity Asset Management Group
With aging infrastructure, physical vandalism, and extreme weather events, utilities just be prepared for emergencies and critical equipment failure. Industry collaboration and enhanced mutual aid programs are necessary to promote local, regional and national readiness. Veracity Asset Management Group will provide a presentation on how MMUA members can work collaboratively to plan for, prepare for and improve the response to both localized and widespread outages, by adopting a Collaborative Approach to Mutual Aid and Critical Spares Management.

3:45 pm MPCA Clean Power Plan, Bob Jagusch, MMUA
The final Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources, and the Proposed Federal Plan and Model Trading Rules have been released by the EPA. What does it all mean for Minnesota's utilities and customers? We will discuss the changes from the proposed rule and look at several scenarios that could play out as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency develops the state plan.

Crew Leader/Foreman Track

1 pm Using Energy Storage to Improve Reliability and the Effectiveness of Photo-Voltaic, Troy Miller, S&C Electric
In this presentation, S&C Electric will cover a number of case studies drawn from their more than 10 years’ experience in energy storage. The case studies will focus on using storage to improve reliability and increase the effectiveness of PV by both shifting and smoothing the PV output. S&C Electric installed the first grid scale energy storage installation in the state of Minnesota—a 1MW, 6MWH Sodium Sulfur battery in Luverne.

1:45 pm Transformer & Power Cable Specifications, Chad Rasmussen, DGR Engineers
Review of important considerations when developing specifications for distribution system transformers and power cable. The presentation will include discussion on life cycle costs, equipment sizing, and various product options.

3 pm AMI, Going Beyond the Readings, Kirk Peterson & Bob Meyer, HD Supply
So you’ve chosen an AMI system. Now what? We’ll take an in-depth look at what a two-way AMI system can offer to a utility beyond just getting meter readings.

3:45 pm PCB Spills & Containment, Joe Steffel, Buffalo Municipal Utilities
It’s your responsibility to know. Now is good time to audit your organization’s PCB management program including your compliance with state and federal guidelines before receiving the notice of an audit. This brief overview will assist in the development of an effective approach to identifying, using, and managing PCBs.

Thursday, December 17
8:30 am Safety Lessons from the North Pole, John Huston, Polar Explorer
Drawing on stories from his unsupported expedition to the North Pole, John discusses methods that you can use to create a culture of safety within your team. He describes how he manages life-threatening situations on the ice and how he constructs safety routines to handle extreme and unpredictable environments. John also describes his expedition mentality, an absolute commitment to safety and work quality, which he and his teams bring to big challenges. This presentation includes stunning imagery and emotional accounts of safety successes, mishaps, and near misses.

10 am APPA Lineworker Rodeo, "We Are Public Power", Mike Willetts & Leadership Team
10:30 am MMUA Update, MMUA Staff

Events for Associate Members

Associate members can have a booth at the trade show to be held on December 15. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE. This one fills up fast so don't delay!

We also have an opportunity for Associate members to sponsor events at the T & O Conference. We will post a sign at the event site with your company's logo and have you listed in the official conference program. To become a sponsor, click HERE and scroll down to the list of T & O Conference events.

How about hosting a hospitality suite? Call Holiday Inn's Conference Services at 320.656.3491 or email conferences@histcloud.com for more information. Holiday Inn does not allow you to bring in food items from outside the resort.

Hotel Information

Holiday Inn & Suites, 75 South 37th Avenue, St. Cloud, MN 56301

Call hotel directly at 320.253.9000 or 1.800.HOLIDAY (465.4329) for reservations. Ask for MMUA's room block to obtain special pricing: Standard room for $82.95 per night, standard pool side for $89.95 per night or suites for $99.95 per night (plus tax).

Cut-off date is November 14, 2015. After that date, reservations accepted on a space available basis at prevailing rates.

Conference Brochures

For a printed copy of the conference brochure, click HERE. Associate members can click HERE to print a copy of the brochure for the trade show, reception, sponsoring and hosting hospitality suites.