July 12, 2017

Agenda, keynote speakers announced for SED Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum

Among the first 42 executives with renewable energy sourcing responsibility from 35 companies confirmed to attend the Smart Energy Decisions Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum this fall are keynote speakers from Amazon Web Services, General Motors Co., Lockheed Martin, Intel Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are now on deck to discuss their respective renewable energy purchasing strategies and insights.

The agenda for the first-ever Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum will offer an opportunity for energy management professionals — from those who have just started looking at renewable energy to those with experienced, industry-leading programs — to advance their approach to successfully incorporate renewable energy into their plans. 

The forum will kick off with a keynote from Reid Spolek, manager of renewable energy for Amazon Web Services, about what could arguably be the single most important question corporations need to answer before developing an effective renewable energy strategy: Why? Throughout the two-and-a-half day forum, attendees will also hear from Rowena Striff, aeronautics energy manager at Lockheed Martin, about taking ownership of your renewable energy strategy; Rob Threlkeld, global manager for renewable energy at General Motors, on how to work with your finance team to meet your renewable energy goals; Marty Sedler, director of global utilities and infrastructure at Intel Corp., on the company's unique, all-of-the-above approach to clean energy; and Joby Carlson, global director of sustainable energy and operations for Wal-Mart, about the company's long-running journey to 100% renewables. 

In addition to the agenda for the Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum, to be held Nov. 8 through Nov. 10 at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Smart Energy Decisions has also announced a list of 14 confirmed supplier sponsors, including presenting sponsor Altenex, an Edison Energy company.  Platinum sponsors are NextEra Energy Resources; Schneider Electric's Energy & Sustainability Services division; Current powered by GE; and Constellation. Gold sponsor is Enel Green Power. EDF Renewable Energy,  3Degrees, American Powernet, 7X Energy, Avangrid Renewables, Open Road Renewables, Cube Hydro and BayWa R.E Wind are silver sponsors. 

"We're thrilled with the response to our inaugural Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum, and at this rate, we expect the event will be oversubscribed. We've received enormously positive responses to the Forum's intimate design and our commitment to create a highly productive event experience for our readers," Smart Energy Decisions founder and editorial director John Failla said. "While other events are motivated by selling as many tickets as possible, the SED Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum is focused on creating an environment where corporate buyers can truly advance their renewable energy strategies and programs."  

Amid the unraveling of federal regulations and initiatives aimed at addressing climate change, industry observers expect corporations, institutions, cities and other community aggregators to become the primary drivers of demand for renewable energy in the U.S., eventually replacing state mandates for greener power portfolios. The Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum aims to help those players create, execute or accelerate their respective strategies and programs for increasing profitability and decreasing carbon emissions through the use of clean energy.

Through an engaging blend of keynote presentations, energy executive-only sessions, panel discussions, private boardroom briefings and one-on-one meetings with suppliers, topics on deck at the event will include new and emerging renewable energy product options; international opportunities; strategies for effective onsite projects and more. Additionally, two uniquely crafted preconference workshops will provide corporate energy buyer attendees with unbiased, up-to-date and actionable information. 

To ensure that the Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum caters to the specific needs of large end users, Smart Energy Decisions is developing its format and content alongside a steering committee of corporate energy executives whose members include Rob Threlkeld, global manager of renewable energy for General Motors Co., as committee chair; Adam Kramer, executive vice president of strategy at Switch; Dave Reid, global energy and productivity leader at Celanese; Michael Barry, head of sustainable business operations at Bloomberg LP; Jeff Myrdek, global energy leader for CBRE Group Inc./Cisco Systems Inc.; Art Justice, vice president of energy and sustainability at Cinemark Theatres and David Templeman, director of environmental, health and safety at CBS Corp. Additional input is being provided by Smart Energy Decisions advisory board members including executives from Becton Dickinson, HP, Merck, Procter & Gamble and Whole Foods.

"We're blessed with active engagement and thoughtful input from our steering committee and advisory board," Failla said. "Their counsel has helped shape an agenda and event that is perfectly aligned with our mission to advance adoption of corporate renewable energy sourcing." 

Energy management executives and suppliers interested in more information can visit the Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum website to request an invitation.

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