Personal Profile: John is new to the Energy Advantage team, joining last year. Outside of work John is a true environmental enthusiast, taking advantage of the outdoors whenever he can. In the winter, John enjoys recreational snowboarding and volunteers with the Canadian Ski Patrol leading a critical incident response team. In the warmer seasons he indulges his affinity for canoe tripping. John has been married for 34 years and has three children, two of which are married. His youngest will be married in June and his first grandson was born in March. John’s family shares in his love for the outdoors, and continue to do summer and winter activities together.

[Newsletter] John, you have spent much of your working life heavily engaged in the financial sector. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to be involved in Energy Advantage?

[John] Actually, the financial services sector was a second career; my first—and intended—career path had been in academics. I attended Trent University, as a number of EA members have. I graduated with honours in Canadian History and went on to do a Masters in this field at the University of Western Ontario. I was set on doing a history PhD and becoming a professor, but realized, at that point in time, it would be nearly impossible to secure a permanent position. There just wasn’t space available with the way things were for academics at that time.

I had to make the move to something different. By chance I ended up in financial services. I stayed away from many of the core areas and discovered there was latitude to do things and space for creativity in some of the industry sub groups. As well, I worked in many of the key management disciplines, such as operations, marketing, IT, joint ventures and turn-arounds. This also included some time working in the US. All in all, this gave my career both breadth and depth.

I left the financial services industry in 2001 and started my own consulting business for small and mid-size companies. I began working with EAI in 2006 when I started consulting work for the company and last year I officially joined the team as President and C.O.O.

[Newsletter] How have you found moving from a big corporation in the financial sector to a smaller scale business in the energy and environment field?

[John] In 2001, when I left the financial sector, I made the transition from big institutions to working with smaller clients and managing my own small business. Through this process and the consulting work, I became intimately familiar with the dynamics that take place in a smaller company. This made the transfer to EAI very positive; it wasn’t the same as going from a huge institution to a small company.

In terms of shifting into the environmental and energy field, it’s been an exciting move. There are so many things happening in this field and it’s always been an interest. I spent most of my summers in wilderness areas since I was 3 years old—canoe tripping, canoe trip guiding, with family and through a summer camp. I have a very strong affinity with the outdoors and certainly the environmental aspect is a good fit.

This was a new industry for me and presented a steep and enjoyable learning curve. At the same time public awareness about energy and environmental issues has really taken off, generating a great deal of excitement in the industry, and a push for real action. Internally, at EAI, there is a real vitality. It creates an atmosphere where you can make a significant impact (for both people who work for EAI and on a broader scale) and that is the sort of atmosphere I find very attractive.

[Newsletter] What experiences and skill sets of yours are most applicable in your new role?

[John] I see part of my role as helping the company transition from a successful mid-size enterprise to a large company by setting the platform for much more aggressive growth. I believe the skills I developed working in senior management roles, building my business, and consulting to small to mid-size companies is serving me well in this challenging position.

[Newsletter] Describe some of major challenges?

[John] The challenge EAI faces right now is satisfying growing demand for our services and ensuring that we continue to deliver a quality product. Beyond that, it is essential during this transition that we stay in tune with our clients and look for opportunities to enhance the current services, while simultaneously continuing to look at new value added services to deliver. These are all critical elements of our growth process.

[Newsletter] What have you learned since joining the EA team?

[John] I have learned a massive amount regarding the energy industry. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and get to know an incredible group of people who are extremely talented and great to work with. This experience just reaffirms my belief that if you look for it, there is always creative, fun work and there are always new challenges. That’s one of the things I am enjoying here.

[Newsletter] What do you see as the big issues affecting Energy Advantage's clients?

[John] I would say the largest issues are around uncertainty, regarding the cost and availability of energy, and new regulations. Our clients know energy and environmental regulations are increasing and changing, but it is difficult to get a grasp of what it could potentially mean for different companies, industries and institutions.

And, the scope of regulation is changing. Securities exchanges (i.e. TSE, NYSE) are getting tighter and tighter about legal ramifications of making environmental related statements or related risk is being reported; likewise government regulations are becoming more of a reality, but details remain sketchy in many cases. Furthermore, there is risk around investor relations and demands for information and action, and consumer groups’ expectations surrounding corporate responsibility and environmental issues. These pressures will also affect their supply chain arrangements as the focus on total carbon footprints increases.

From the perspective of a Senior Executive, such as a CEO or CFO, energy and the environment have become substantial issues. However, at this point in time many organizations are not equipped to address them. I think this is where EAI brings a huge amount of value to the table.

[Newsletter] What should Energy Advantage clients be looking forward to in the future?

[John] EA clients should be looking forward to services that are increasingly focused on helping them migrate through the rapid challenges and decisions they are facing. As the regulatory environment changes, getting good information and advice becomes increasingly difficult. We provide this information and advice now and will continue to. A key example is our Total Energy and Environment Management (TEEM) process. Among other things it ensures that our clients can systematically refresh their opportunities and risks on an ongoing basis. Over the next 12 to 18 months there will be a heavy focus on carbon markets and trading, as the evolution of these could provide potential opportunities or risks for clients. New opportunities also exist in ‘green technologies’, which are IT related verses more traditional efficiency technologies. Likewise, areas related to water will increasingly take on a major focus.

[Newsletter] One last thing John: can you share your best camping/canoeing story with us?

[John] When I was 16, I was on a long canoe trip in Quetico Provincial Park, which is just west of Lake Superior. About three weeks into the trip, the group decided to do a long stretch at night. This was the first time that I had tripped at night. It’s an amazing experience—being out on the water under the stars, and portaging just by moonlight. It’s just an incredibly spiritual experience.

But it also had a rather tense moment.

I was portaging a canoe, in the dark, and going up a slight hill. It turned out that a bear was trotting up the other side and we met at the top. I looked at him, and he at me. I tossed the canoe, and we both ran in opposite directions.