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 Turn On Your Career Potential

Anne Baye Ericksen
 
 
Turn On Your Career Potential
 
THE ENERGY SECTOR SHINES A BRIGHT LIGHT ON CAREER OPTIONS
 
Alabama Power Counts on Expertise
 
Energy powers the modern world, and while the general public isn’t apt to think how integral power companies are to their lives, at least not on a daily basis, all it takes is a “power outage” for that point to hit home. The gas, utilities, and energy sector is also critical to local economies and job markets. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that more than 630,000 people are employed by utilities nationwide, the majority of which works in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power. However, not everyone is an engineer or technician. These organizations require an extensive network of nontechnical personnel, too.
 
Read on to see how professionals in accounting, communications, environmental health and safety, and human resources use their “corporate” skills in the day-to-day operations of an energy generating business.
 
The utility industry is encountering some substantial growing pains as it further commits to renewable resources and upgrading aging infrastructure, neither of which is a small endeavor. They require impressive investments in expert knowledge, manpower, and finances. Before any significant project at Alabama Power gets the go-ahead, Daniela B. Willcox, CPA, and her accounting research team review all the pertinent details to make sure the transaction is properly accounted for.
 
“My responsibilities center around insuring all the significant financial transactions, such as high dollar contracts, non-routine purchases, mergers, acquisitions, or anything that is significant in dollar amounts, are researched as to how to account for that transaction and translate it into the financial statements,” explains the accounting research manager. “These are special accounting issues. We’re often asked questions that have never been asked before or to research transactions we haven’t seen before. Instead of coming in afterwards and auditing someone else’s business decision, I get to be a part of developing the strategies or solutions before they are implemented.”
 
Contributing key information before making major transactions has given Willcox a different perspective on accounting practices. She began her career in public accounting auditing electric, gas, and water utilities as well as other industries using generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP). For the most part, it was a typical first position, except for the fact that she was assigned to various utility companies, including Gulf Power Company, based in Pensacola, Florida. The more Willcox discovered about the energy sector and the utility company, the more she found it intriguing. When she decided it was time to make a professional move, Willcox knew exactly where she wanted to go next.
 
“It was a no-brainer,” she recalls. “As a public ac- countant, I had worked with the [Gulf Power] management team. From that, I could tell the company’s No.1 focus was on the customer, followed by the people in the company. I could see there was value placed on the people.”
 
That professional relationship also convinced Gulf Power’s management that Willcox was well versed in both the industry and company, and she was officially welcomed to the team in 2008.
 
As part of the utility, Willcox had to assume a more diverse approach to her accounting duties.
 
“GAAP is only one accounting standard, but there were other layers I had to broaden my experience,” she explains. “For example, I deal with the Security Exchange Commission issues because the Southern Company (Alabama Power’s parent company) is publicly traded. I also deal with accounting issues related to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and local public service commissions. I find that aspect of the job challenging.”
 
Indeed, involvement with regulatory issues is an area in which she’d like to become more involved.
 
“I have worked in internal auditing, internal controls, property accounting, financial reporting, revenue reporting, and now in accounting research. Next, I would like to continue developing my leadership skills and broaden my technical knowledge on the finance, treasury and regulatory side,” says Willcox.
 
Looking back over her career, she isn’t exactly where she thought she’d be by this stage. Rather, Willcox has surpassed her initial goals of staying in public accounting. In fact, she’s redefined many of those goals, and she recommends other accountants to be open to redefining their own expectations.
 
“Most of the time students are encouraged to go into public accounting like I did, but I tried to get exposure to clients that were regulated, like utilities. If you are only exposed to unregulated companies, then you will not develop the regulatory technical experience. You can’t move up in your career until you perform technically; that’s when you’re recognized by peers as having knowledge in an area of expertise.”
 
The AES Corporation is a Global Power
 
When the World Cup rolled around this summer, Adriana Roccaro Giamporcaro had several teams for which she could cheer. Her family is originally from Italy, but she’s lived and worked in Venezuela, Panama, and now, the United States. Although her heart ultimately belonged with the Italian team, the international competition reminded Giamporcaro of her passion for global experiences.
 
“My personal goal was to have an international experience, and that is one of the reasons why I am happy to be in a company with a global presence,” she says. “The AES Corporation has a presence in 20 countries and there are more than 10 languages spoken within the company.”
 
Giamporcaro joined the Fortune 500 energy corporation more than ten years ago; however, it initially took a little convincing to get her onboard. She studied journalism in college with the intent on becoming a sports reporter, but ended up working in government and investor relations for IBM. She was still working for the computer giant when a former professor approached her about a position at a utility in Caracas, Venezuela run by AES. He had left the university to lead the company’s communications department and invited Giamporcaro to join him. Admittedly, she didn’t know much about either the organization or the energy industry, so Giamporcaro did what she had been instructed in her journalism classes; she researched the business.
 
“I found out that the company offered opportunities to grow professionally, and of course, it had a global presence,” she recalls. “Once I knew more about the company, I embraced the opportunity.”
 
Giamporcaro has spent the past decade holding various positions within communications, concentrating on the Latin American and African regions where AES operates. While her focus has remained constant, Giamporcaro has changed locales several times. After Caracas, she spent five years at regional headquarters in Panama before moving to corporate headquarters in Arlington, VA three years ago. Currently, she works in stakeholder relations.
 
“As a company, we have many stakeholders, including the communities we serve, governments, unions, employees, media, and investors. In communications, you need to really understand how the company works and what areas are interconnected. I focus mainly on governments and communities,” says Giamporcaro. “My responsibilities include three main areas: sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and stakeholder relations.
 
“The social responsibility is key in what I do,” she continues. “We have partnerships to create social responsibility programs at the local levels.”
 
And occasionally, Giamporcaro travels to the different areas to check on those programs and the impact they’re having on residents. “I get to see what it’s like for people to have power for the first time. There’s no way to define what that’s like. It’s so rewarding that I work in a field that makes an impact on people’s quality of life,” she says.
 
Giamporcaro finds her international experiences and multilingual abilities—she speaks English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese—extremely beneficial when interacting with AES staff, media, customers, and government representatives around the world. “I interact with people from different cultures, so being able to speak another language is a competitive advantage,” she states.
 
Although Giamporcaro still has goals she’d like to accomplish in her current position, she’s not opposed to making another move. “These days, you have to have a global mindset in business. Be open to working with different cultures and countries,” she advises.
 
Community Matters to Spectra Energy Corporation
 
Whenever Spectra Energy Corporation staff has to go into the field to attend to pipeline sites or check on transmission systems, there’s a potential risk for human injury or to a leave negative impact on the immediate environment. As the manager for Environmental Health and Safety, Veronica Sweeney must account for those possibilities and construct policies and procedures that will empower staff to carry out their duties in an effective manner while maintaining their own safety and environmental integrity.
 
“We always want our employees to come to work safe and go home safe. My group and I make sure we establish the best programs across the company that support the safety and health of our employees,” she explains. “Also, we support the safety of our communities and environments in which we operate.”
 
Although Sweeney works out of the company’s headquarters in Houston, her decisions affect every Spectra Energy location throughout the U.S. and Canada. Each local community, state, or province has its own regulations regarding how energy companies conduct business, treat the environment, and handle employee safety and injuries. Of course, each country has its own federal regulations, too.
 
“We have to make sure we’re in compliance with all the federal and local regulations. Also, it’s about recognizing that regulations are constantly changing, so when you’re talking strategy, you’re not only looking at what you are tactically doing today, but what safety will look like years from now,” Sweeney explains. “We have to think about how can we get ahead of the game.”
 
It’s definitely a challenging task, but her 14 years in the industry have prepared Sweeney well. Now, she’s helping others overcome challenges in their careers. As a manager, Sweeney mentors her team and ensures they have all the necessary tools, especially considering their work ultimately affects the health and safety for the entire Spectra Energy workforce. However, Sweeney is extending her influence outside of the company, too.
 
“Within my career, I want to add value to society. In particular, I want to encourage Hispanic women to succeed in their careers and build the self-confidence needed to go forward,” she says.
 
To that end, Sweeney joined the Houston chapter of Hispanic Alliance Career Enhancement (HACE), and with the support of Spectra Energy leadership, hosts weekly meetings at the company’s offices. “We talk about how to negotiate or develop leadership skills,” she says. “I have seen growth in these men and women as they build that self-confidence by knowing there are others like them who have struggled through some of the same challenges they have, but they see we have been able to move forward. That’s been very rewarding for me and I thank Spectra; the company is always seeking out community partnerships.”
 
Of course, this relationship also gives Sweeney a chance to identify potential job candidates and refer them for possible positions at Spectra Energy.
 
“I think we do an amazing job in recruiting not only diverse people, but talented people,” she comments. “We’ve been increasingly hiring more women and I think that’s going to continue as we move forward. But these partnerships not only bring talent to the company, they help build the community overall.”
 
PPL Corporation Goes Back to School
 
Did you dream about a certain career while in high school? How does your current career circumstance align with that teenage idealization? Perhaps you’ve faced a few forks along the way that have led you in a different direction. There are very few people who stick with the choices they made as high school students, especially once they become exposed to the numerous possibilities in the professional world. Sarath Trujillo is one of those people. She joined PPL Corporation in Allentown, PA, while still in high school and has forged a full-time career with the energy company.
 
“The director of staffing had come to our school for mock interviews, and shortly afterwards, I was recruited, and here I still am,” she says.
 
Trujillo was first assigned to general office administration duties, but over the years, she has held several positions, mostly within human resources, to include staffing, labor relations, and currently, educational rela- tions. More specifically, she serves as the talent management consultant for high school and college students.
 
“This position is a little more personal to me than the others because it’s giving students similar opportunities like I had in high school,” she states.
 
When speaking with younger students, Trujillo focuses on the diverse opportunities within the energy industry. “One misconception is that we only hire engineers. The students aren’t even aware of the different careers you can have in the energy industry,” she says.
 
Trujillo also recognizes that many times young people need to see things with their own eyes to believe it, so she created a program to give teenagers a first-hand glimpse at how PPL Corp. functions—not only as an energy provider, but also as a business.
 
“Students come into the corporate environment and job-shadow professionals. They’re learning about PPL, different careers, and have the opportunity to ask questions. They get to network and meet people, which is not something most high school students have access to so readily,” says Trujillo. “That’s top on the list of what I’m most proud of in my career so far.”
 
She also leads the summer internship program for college students. Although these have always been invaluable learning opportunities for students, the recruiting aspect of internships has become more valuable in recent years.
 
“Our demographics at PPL are such that we have a lot of baby boomers who are going to be retiring. That translates into opportunities for younger people to fill those jobs,” she explains. “Indeed, there is a growing demand for careers in energy.”
 
Trujillo advises anyone interested in seeking new challenges or new career paths to constantly fine-tune his or her communications skills. “That is the No. 1 skill to have a good handle on,” she states. “I also would say to learn as much as you can, and ask as many questions as you can.”
 
Another skill Trujillo looks for in jobseekers is initiative, especially when it comes to knowing about the company for which you’d like to work. Even as a high schooler with a unique career prospect, she did her due diligence.
 
“I knew PPL was a landmark in the community, and if you were able to secure at job at PPL it would become a career,” she says. “Some people ask me if I regret staying with one company for my entire career, and without a doubt, my answer is ‘no.’ I’ve been blessed working with a good company and I’m glad to have been given the opportunity.”
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