NULL
Empty 1
NULL
Empty 2

News

Gathering in the western Rockies with some of the most influential leaders in the commercial nuclear power industry, nearly 350 professionals representing members and guests of the Utilities Service Alliance (USA) Fleet and more than 110 supplier companies – a majority of the world’s leading nuclear vendors and suppliers – met last week at Utah’s Snowbird Resort for the Annual Nuclear Generator & Supplier Executive Summit.

This year marked the 22nd annual conference hosted by USA which welcomed leadership and membership alike to this idyllic setting for several specific reasons. On Monday and Tuesday, the USA board members reviewed the organization’s accelerating performance over the past year, set fresh goals and objectives 2016-2017 and elected board leadership for the next two year cycle.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the USA Board of Directors re-elected Talen Energy Corporation’s Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer, Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC, Timothy Rausch as Chairman of USA’s Board of Directors – his second consecutive term in that role.

“During his first term, Tim was instrumental in leading a fundamental change in focus for the USA membership. Performance accountability and mutual assistance for stations requiring additional support are now central to the fleet’s efforts,” said USA’s Carl Parry. “Recently, Tim is also providing leadership in the development and implementation of the “Delivering the Nuclear Promise” industry initiative intended to help make safe, clean, reliable nuclear power a competitive part of our nation’s energy mix.

On Tuesday evening, the Big White Tent housing the 2016 Supplier Solutions Showcase opened with a gala celebration welcoming hundreds of guests to a selection of refreshments and hors d’oeuvres – and remained open for the remainder of the conference. The tent held space and tremendous networking possibilities in a showroom like environment which encouraged discussions about the latest products, services and solutions in the nuclear industry market today.

“In 2015 the Board directed USA to develop a new organization aligned and focused on performance monitoring, timely intervention, and recovery assistance. The organization and processes are in place and we are already seeing the benefits and value from this decision,” said USA’s John Christensen. “Increasing value to deliver “Cost-Effective Excellence” will continue to be our focus going into the future.”

During Wednesday and Thursday’s business meeting, led by USA President and CEO Carl Parry and VP Operational Performance John Christensen, membership was treated to an agenda packed with a dozen well-known nuclear thought-leaders. Some of the more notable presentations during the two day business meeting included:

· Hank Drumhiller, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations’ (INPO) Performance Recovery Leader, shared with the gathering how to sustain improved performance after recovery

· Tony Pietrangelo, Senior VP and CNO of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), expanded the understanding around NEI’s industry initiative, ‘Delivering the Nuclear Promise.’ Tony also provided and insider’s view around the importance of this year’s presidential elections to the nuclear industry, and a

· USA Update, facilitated by John Christensen and led by USA Director of Performance Sustainability Jeff Helsel; Columbia Site VP and Team Executive Sponsor Grover Hettel; Engineering Corporate Functional Area Manager (CFAM) Mark Mjaatvedt and ER Project Manager Dave Garcia who brought the team up to speed on USA initiatives in place across the fleet

Spouses and significant others who attended the conference also were treated to activities on the mountain. On Wednesday evening, the Chairman’s Charity Casino Night benefitted the St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School and helped to raise funds and awareness around the lack of sufficient drinking water on the reservation. On Thursday, more than 100 spouses and guests toured Salt Lake City and visited Temple Square, the Tabernacle and the Utah State Capitol. Lunch was served at the Lion House – which was built in 1856 and was the family home of Brigham Young – the second president of the Church of Latter-day Saints and the first governor of the state of Utah.

“The support from our supplier community was outstanding at all levels. More than 110 supplier companies and several hundred individual representatives supported the Summit with booth exhibits, event/activity sponsorships and conference attendance and we are grateful to each one for the very significant part they play in making this Conference possible,” said USA’s Jim Kitchens. “We depend on our suppliers for the innovative solutions and excellent performance that enable our members to continue to improve in a very challenging environment, and they have not disappointed us. It’s a team effort and we’re all in this together.”