How are utilities supposed to balance 1) strategic grid planning with 2) strong stewardship of the tree canopy we all rely on?

It requires a new approach to vegetation management—one rooted in global information sharing that transcends competitive bounds. That’s what today’s guests—Dennis Fallon, Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association, and Justin McQuistan, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the Arbor Day Foundation—are building.

And this week, Kim & Lee getting the inside scoop on how they’re doing it.

Because trees and vegetation certainly can work in favor of utilities…it’s just about the right tree in the right place. This episode serves as a roadmap for utility leaders who want to redefine their vegetation management approach to go from reactive to proactive.

PLUS: The Arbor Day Foundation is giving away free trees. They’ll plant one free tree for the first 200 Piloting the Future listeners who go to this link: https://get.arborday.org/innovationforce

Thanks for listening, and go claim your tree now. See you soon.

Why can’t we be friends? A new POV on utility vegetation management

As utilities race to modernize the grid, too often the communication systems needed to communicate with the grid are overlooked. From DER integration and wildfire mitigation to smart meters and real-time situational awareness, none of it functions without robust telecom infrastructure. That reality is why the power utility and telecom nexus is being brought more into the spotlight with each passing year. 

In this episode, we’re joined by Rusty Williams, President & CEO of the Utilities Technology Council (UTC), a global trade association advocating for the telecom needs of critical infrastructure providers. Rusty brings 30+ years of experience in utility telecom and IT—and he’s here to pull back the curtain on why communications infrastructure is no longer a side topic for utility executives, but instead it must be a a central pillar of the energy transition.

From battles over wireless spectrum to debates on pole attachments, this Power Perspectives conversation unpacks the regulatory, policy, and operational issues utilities must navigate to ensure secure, real-time communication across their systems.

Key Links:
Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/this-ceo-wants-you-to-talk-to-the-grid-GBOIxbnT56McnIc

Rusty Williams on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/member/3I8Ryirutc

Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y5L05dJZtGM

Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

This CEO wants you to talk to the grid

“As long as we have the data, the sky is the limit.”

The transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy reality is a massive undertaking—and we all know by now that massive undertakings require a LOT of data.

So today on The GISt, we’re exploring how utilities and energy innovators are leveraging GIS to help integrate renewables into the existing grid to make it more diverse and more reliable.

We want to get the most out of our renewables investments…and GIS could be the key to doing so.

About our guest: Anthony Saylor is GIS Manager for The Ray, a company that aims to transform the transportation infrastructure of the future by building net-zero highways. They’re utilizing solar-powered EV charging, right-of-way solar, climate modeling, a vehicle-to-everything data ecosystem, and more—tons of cool tech powering the future, and much of it brought to life by GIS.

Can GIS reimagine the energy transition?

The biggest threat to grid modernization? It might be hiding in your GIS.

Utilities are racing toward smarter, more dynamic grid systems—layering on DERs, EVs, ADMS, and DERMS. But there’s a hidden bottleneck holding everything back: the massive disconnect between field data and back-office systems.

In this episode of Power Perspectives, Adrian McNulty, Vice President of Utility Solutions at IQGeo, joins to dig into why real-time, mobile-first geospatial systems are the unsung heroes of the modern grid. Adrian draws from more than two decades of experience in utility software to explain why outdated systems and poor field connectivity are dragging down the potential of advanced grid technologies—and how forward-thinking utilities are fixing it.

Tune in to learn why traditional geospatial platforms are falling short in the DER era, what it means to truly unify the field and the office around a single source of truth, and how utilities can streamline tools into one spatial solution.

Key Links:
Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/the-grid-s-secret-weapon-smarter-field-data-vxBI0qelPHARnHf

Adrian McNulty on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/member/Hij9uuGDVf

IQGeo on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/IQGeo

Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Mr-52iczOUc

Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

The Grid’s secret weapon? Smarter field data

How can you build the grid of the future when your field crews are still relying on paper and clipboards? 

For utilities across the country, that question has become urgent—especially as extreme weather events become more frequent and the demand for accurate, real-time data skyrockets. To help podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester dive into that topic on this episode of Power Perspectives, the podcast welcomes Bob Schultz, a veteran utility data expert and Electric Utility Industry Specialist at Locusview. 

Drawing from decades of experience—from the era of 90-day GIS lag times to today's near-instant data capture—Bob shares how utilities can modernize field operations, embrace barcode scanning and mobile apps, and meet the expectations of a new generation of digital-native lineworkers. 

If you’re still managing your assets with manila folders, it’s time to hear what’s next.

Key Links:
Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/field-crews-of-the-future-are-here-PruvhWxaRKcgJuV

Robert Schultz on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/member/CBdPIxdafG

Locusview on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/LocusView

Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1XWnk3w-4gU

Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

Field crews of the future are here

So you’ve got a lot of data…now what do you do with it? How do we turn a patchwork of energy technologies into a single cohesive model—one that’s scalable, reliable, and ready to deploy?

That’s what we’re talking about today: filling in digital gaps with GIS technology. Because doing so doesn’t just mean improving workflows—it can also mean optimizing gains for utilities across the board.

Our guest today is Matt Zimmerman, UDC Vice President of Systems Integration. Matt is giving an expert POV on the current state of digitalization, including an impactful case study showing how one utility is pulling off an end-to-end retirement of their paper asset construction—with UDC’s help.

This episode is packed with intel on how the design fabric of high-tech utility workflows operates in the real world.

This episode is brought to you by UDC.

As a GIS-centric systems integrator, UDC specializes in supporting its clients' projects and programs throughout the entire lifecycle—from conception to implementation. UDC’s services are tailored to utilities and infrastructure companies worldwide, offering geospatial technology solutions designed to maximize the return on enterprise digital investments.

Celebrating 20 years, UDC is proud to have achieved Platinum status in the Esri Partner Network program and has served over 75 utility organizations on projects related to Digital Design and Construction; Data Readiness and Maintenance; Data Acquisition; Enterprise Architecture; GIS Technology Stack Implementation; Utility Network Transformation; Utility Compliance Management; and Grid Modernization, including ADMS planning and implementation.

You can connect with Matt Zimmerman and his UDC team on Energy Central or at udcus.com to explore how to unlock the full potential of your organization’s enterprise digital investments.

Read more about UDC’s work mapping the last frontier of the digital utility right here: https://www.energycentral.com/home/post/last-frontier-digital-utility-r-O6rqeouzuP16R9X

The last frontier of the digital utility

Wildfires, hurricanes, cyberattacks—utilities are under siege from extreme events. But what if there were a better, calmer, and smarter way to handle them?

In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester are joined by Matt Schnugg, Chief Product Officer at Schneider Electric’s Digital Grid business to talk about a transformative new framework called Holistic Event Management. It’s an approach that moves beyond siloed solutions and reactive decision-making—toward unified, proactive digital platforms that support operators in both blue-sky and black-sky conditions.

Drawing from his experience leading the rollout of Schneider Electric’s One Digital Grid Platform, Matt shares how utilities can reduce the **c**ognitive burden on their teams during moments of chaos and build a response strategy that’s not just reactive—but anticipatory. From wildfire preparation to grid restoration, we explore how digital transformation is becoming a lifeline for resilience.

Listen in to learn how today’s utility event management got so fragmented and reactive, and how culture, alignment, and digital integration are key to successfully addressing emergencies moving forward.

Key Links:
Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/the-utility-emergency-playbook-gets-a-makeover-2NtReLZGxsmg5zb

Schneider Electric on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/SchneiderElectric

Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lg_1xxFAai8

Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

The utility emergency playbook gets a makeover

When a tech giant comes knocking, how does a utility say make room for them in a way that ensures the best outcomes for its existing customers?

That’s the question at the heart of Mississippi’s leap into the global spotlight, as Amazon Web Services chose the state for one of its largest-ever data center investments. And for Entergy Mississippi, this wasn’t just about plugging in servers — it was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize the grid, replace retiring generation, invest in community infrastructure, and keep rates affordable for customers, including the 20% living below the poverty line.

In this episode of Power Perspectives, podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester are joined by Haley Fisackerly, President and CEO of Entergy Mississippi. In this conversation, Haley outlines how this deal came together after years of effort, what it means for clean energy and resiliency in the region, and how his team manages to balance the demands of hyperscale data centers with the realities of local communities. 

From navigating regulatory hurdles to ensuring affordability and equity, Haley shares lessons every utility leader should hear before the next big tech partnership lands on their doorstep.

Key Links:
Sign up for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Energy Central Post for this episode: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/how-this-utility-ceo-helped-land-amazon-s-16-billion-power-investment-HPe8T88l2ugWwIg

Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RLEYYpco_ws

Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

How this utility CEO helped land Amazon’s $16 billion power investment

The Esri Utility Network is more than a technology upgrade. It’s a strategic leap forward that helps utilities transform asset modeling, improve data security, and enhance operational decision-making…while enabling real-time visibility and better data sharing across departments to solve problems with less friction and greater interconnection.

Making the jump to the Utility Network isn’t easy, though. That’s where today’s episode comes in—a detailed guide to the why, how, and when of making the leap to this new framework for mapping and planning.

David Miller, Executive Consultant at SSP Innovations, leverages 20 years of expertise to help utilities migrate to the UN—and establish priorities, game plans, ambitions, and systems needs. Today on The GISt, he’s breaking down his process for utilities of all shapes and sizes. 

This episode is brought to you by SSP Innovations.

SSP Innovations is a leading Esri Platinum Partner serving the electric and gas utility industries. Electric and gas utilities across North America trust SSP for strategic consulting, GIS and data managed services, Utility Network migrations, system integration, and long-term support. From the introduction of the Utility Network platform, SSP has led the way with strategic consulting, data preparation, and implementation services. Many of the largest utility companies in North America have chosen SSP for their Utility Network migration projects and celebrated their successful completion.

Want to learn more about SSP Innovations? Right this way: https://www2.sspinnovations.com/utility-network-podcast

The utility leader’s modern playbook for GIS

The conversation around AI in energy often centers on what it consumes. But what about what it can contribute? 

Nowhere is that question more relevant than in nuclear power — a resource that is both critical to decarbonization and too often slow to adopt new tools. In this episode of Power Perspectives, podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester sit down with Trey Lauderdale, Founder & CEO of Atomic Canyon, a startup pioneering the first on-premise AI platform designed for nuclear power plants. 

Trey shares his unconventional journey from healthcare startups to energy innovation, and how his company is already helping modernize operations at Diablo Canyon, one of the country’s most critical nuclear facilities. He highlights the challenges (and surprising wins) of bringing AI to conservative utility environments, while laying out the playbook for how AI can cut reactor engineering timelines by years. 

If you’ve been watching the parallel hype cycles around AI and nuclear and wondering where they truly intersect, then buckle up and enjoy this conversation that cuts through the noise with a vision from inside the control room.

Key Links
Sign up for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Energy Central Post for this episode: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/can-ai-modernize-nuclear-this-ceo-thinks-so-HXAZ6xmDCb3561h

Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yyMuQkEluA8

Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

Atomic Canyon: http://www.atomic-canyon.com/

Can AI modernize nuclear? This CEO thinks so

Welcome to the Energy Central Podcast Network—your ultimate resource for the biggest ideas, boldest perspectives, and best insights from across the electric power industry.

We publish…

Power Perspectives. From CEOs of major utilities to founders of energy tech startups pushing the envelope, Power Perspectives curates the news, thought leaders, and big picture conversations most important to modern power professionals—every week on Tuesdays, hosted by Jason Price and Matt Chester.

Piloting the Future. Hosts Kim Gergen and Lee Krevat go deep with the leaders, innovators, and forward thinkers responsible for not just imagining where our power future is headed…but building it day by day.

The GISt. This action-packed limited series demystifies the rapidly evolving world of Geographic Information Systems through focused, expert-led deep dives into the most future-defining GIS topics.

And there’s even more to come.

Energy Central is a community where 250K electric power professionals share, learn, and connect in a collaborative environment. Want to join in? Visit www.EnergyCentral.com to register for free.

Can AI modernize nuclear? This CEO thinks so

Energy Central

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