Session Moderator: Teresa Hansen, Editor in Chief, POWERGRID International and  Electric Light & Power

Panel Moderator:     Kyle Jones, Principal, Greentech Capital Advisors

The Evolving Smart Grid Vendor Landscape:
Key Trends and Implications for Utilities

The smart grid sector is experiencing unprecedented momentum both in the U.S. and internationally. Smart grid projects are being deployed at increasing rates and projects are becoming more complex and using new, breakthrough technologies.

To maximize opportunity from this growth, many T&D and smart grid vendors are looking for ways to quickly gain scale and expand their product offerings in smart grid. New companies with breakthrough technologies are also appearing in the market. Many vendors are exploring mergers or acquisitions, bringing in additional private capital, and / or contemplating an IPO. As the vendor landscape evolves, utilities are faced with changing options when selecting products for their smart grid projects.

At this special breakfast keynote session, a panel of financial professionals and industry leaders will address how the vendor market is evolving and what the implications are for utilities.

Questions to be addressed include: When does it make sense to pursue a merger or acquisition to gain scale? How can I build a company that will attract private capital? What are the pros and cons of pursuing an IPO? How do I maximize the value of my company? As the vendor landscape changes and vendor financing needs  volve, what are the implications for utilities?

Utilities attending this breakfast keynote will walk away with a better understanding of how the vendor landscape is changing and how this impacts smart grid projects going forward. Vendors attending this breakfast will gain insights on how to smartly grow their companies in order to maximize opportunities and value.

Panelists:

• Craig Wellen – Partner, Greentech Capital Advisors
• Ben Kortlang - Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
• Carter B. Shoop, CFA - Equity Research, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
• Todd W. Gurela, Vice President, Transmission and Distribution, Siemens Energy, Inc.
• Nancy Floyd, Founder and Managing Director, Nth Power

Kyle Jones has been an investment banker to the cleantech sector for several years, first at Morgan Stanley in their London office and now at Greentech Capital Advisors in New York. Kyle has worked across cleantech sectors, but is now focused heavily on smart grid and other power infrastructure companies. Kyle holds a Master of Business Administration from the Yale School of Management and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Prior to graduate school, Kyle was an Analyst at ICF Consulting, an energy and environmental consulting group based in Washington, DC. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS degree in Biology and a Minor in Natural Resource Economics.

Craig Wellen has over a decade of experience as a senior banker covering the power and utility sector. Craig joined Greentech Capital Advisors from Citi’s Power Group in their Investment Banking Division. While at Citi, Craig was responsible for originating and executing strategic M&A transactions and capital raisings for numerous North American utilities, infrastructure funds and multinational energy companies. Prior to Citi, Craig worked at SG Barr Devlin, a leading M&A boutique focused on the power and utility sector. During his tenure, Craig worked on a variety of strategic transactions including mergers of equals, corporate and asset acquisitions and divestitures, board-level strategic alternatives reviews and regulatory advisory assignments for a number of Fortune 500 energy utilities. Craig began his investment banking career at Salomon Brothers where he worked as an analyst in the Financial Institutions Group. Craig graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Arts from the School of Arts & Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of Business.

Ben Kortlang is a Partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers where he co-manages Kleiner’s $1bn green growth fund. Ben serves on several boards including Silver Spring Networks. Prior to KPCB, Ben worked at Goldman Sachs for 8 years, most recently co-heading Goldman’s Alternative Energy Investing business. In this capacity Ben managed Goldman’s multi-billion dollar portfolio of alternative energy investments including Horizon Wind Energy, SunEdison, First Solar and Suntech. Prior to this, Ben led the private equity investing business within Goldman’s Special Situations Group, before which he was a Vice President in Goldman’s investment banking group focusing on Industrials and Natural Resources. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Ben was an Associate with A.T. Kearney where he focused on strategic and operations consulting in the energy, manufacturing, packaging, transportation and communications industries. Before A.T. Kearney, Ben was a Business Analyst at National Australia Bank in strategic planning and macroeconomic forecasting. Ben holds a Bachelor of Business (Economics & Finance) from RMIT University, a Bachelor of Commerce and an Honors degree in Econometrics from University of Melbourne and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Carter B. Shoop is a senior equity research analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities covering the Greentech industry. Carter initiated coverage of the smart grid sector in 2007 and covers a host of Greentech companies including Itron, Echelon, ESCO Technologies, Badger, Quanta Services, MYR Group, American Superconductor, Zoltek, Fuel Tech, Cree, etc. Previously at Deutsche Bank, Carter covered companies in the technology supply chain and communications infrastructure software industries. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in 2000, Mr. Shoop worked at Bank of America Securities as a Portfolio Analyst. Carter graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Denison University and is a CFA charterholder.

Todd Gurela is Vice President Transmission and Distribution for Siemens Energy, Inc. He has responsibility for sales and business development for Siemens Energy’s Transmission and Distribution businesses in the US and Canada. Prior to joining Siemens in 2006 Todd was GM global sales for GE’s transmission and distribution business. Todd started with GE in 2000 as an account manager, in 2001 became Canada region general manager, and in 2003 he moved into the global executive role, GM global sales – Network Reliability. Todd also worked for 6 years in sales and project management for a division of Schlumberger that provided Electric, Water, and Gas metering and automated meter reading solutions. Todd has more than 15 years experience delivering solutions to utilities in Transmission, Distribution and Power Generation fields. Todd is currently on the board of directors for the Technology Association of Georgia(TAG) Smart Grid Society. Todd is an active member of IEEE and regular participant/contributor to EEI T&D and AEIC EPAC conferences. In 2009 he had an article published in EnergyBiz magazine titled “Deploying the Smart Grid…Beyond Demonstration”.  He is seen as a smart grid thought leader in the utility industry speaking at various conferences and events on behalf of Siemens.  Todd holds as Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering Degree from Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario.

Nancy Floyd has led Nth Power’s investments in Silicon Energy (Nasdaq: ITRI), Northern Power (Nasdaq: DESC), Smartsynch, Serveron, SpectraSensors and Propel Biofuels. In addition to these Boards, Nancy sits on the boards of ACORE (American Council on Renewable Energy) and the Center for Resource Solutions. She has been an advisor to the National Renewable Energy Lab, was a board member of Sustainable Asset Management in Zurich, Switzerland and is an active member of E2. She also helped organize the Northwest Business Leaders for Clean Energy campaign and was also appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski to serve on the Oregon Economic and Community Development Commission.  Prior to founding Nth Power, Nancy built, managed and negotiated the sale of two high-growth energy and telecommunications companies. In 1982, she founded NFC Energy Corporation, one of the country's first wind development firms utilizing advanced technology developed by NASA and Sandia Labs. She developed over $30 million in projects and sold the company, generating a 25-fold return on the original capital invested in three years. In 1985, she helped found PacTel Spectrum Services, a network management company for private voice and data networks and a subsidiary of Pacific Telesis. Nancy was responsible for the nationwide launch of Spectrum Services, which was ultimately sold to IBM in 1987.  In 1977-1980, Nancy worked for the Chairman of the Vermont Public Utilities Commission where she worked on energy and telecommunications issues as well as served as the Commission’s chief legislative liaison. She sat on the New England Regional Facility Siting Council and founded one of the first non-profit companies in the U.S. to fund home energy audits.  Nancy holds a masters degree in political science from Rutgers University (1977), where she was an Eagleton Fellow. She received a bachelor's degree in political science from Franklin and Marshall College (1976), where she currently serves as a Trustee.

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