Archive for April, 2008

I was talking with John Estey (President S&C and Past PES President) about the new IEEE PES award honoring Doug Staszesky. S&C is sponsoring the award. John provided this poster for the blog. He was very close to Doug and told me they find out how much they miss him every day. He was such a driving force and touched so many lives.

I had to go back to the folks at Delta-Star to get the story about the Harley. Delta-Star is celebrating their 100 anniversary. They decided to give away this beautiful Harley at the PES Expo. It fits me perfectly hope I win. Pam rolled her eyes at me when I got on it, but agreed to take the photo. She has been a great help with all this blogging and going around to the exhibits with me.

Yesterday at the PES press conference, Wanda Reder, PES President, announced a new award has been approved by PES. It will be called the Douglas M. Staszesky Distribution Automation Award. It is to be given yearly to a person in the industry who has demonstrated the enthusiasm for promoting and implementing Distribution Automation Projects. Doug recently passed away, but was told of the honor a few months ago. He said, “This is truly a high honor and just the sort of legacy I’d like to leave the industry.” It includes a scholarship to the school of the recipient’s choice and a travel stipend to the awards banquet. Doug was a good friend to all of us and we will miss him. He helped me with a lot of articles I have written. He could really get you excited when he explained a concept. Stop by the S&C exhibit and talk to them about the award. They have supported this award from the start.

I have been talking with the exhibitors over the past couple of days and they are saying this is the best Expo they have attended. They love the crowds. Their exhibit floors have had steady traffic. The people visiting have been their customers. The one thing that worries them is the amount of future work this represents. They say the customers are talking real projects and about buying equipment.

The shear size of some of the equipment is impressive. Look at the EHV breaker I found at Mitsubishi’s exhibit. I watch it being set up and was impressed. The attendees are too. Go by and ask them questions about it.

What a week! I have been planning for this conference for months now. Sunday finally came and we were in Chicago. Monday I was on the floor dodging fork lifts and trying to stay out of everyone’s way, while still taking photos of what was going on for the blog. Tuesday was the big opening and now it is Thursday morning – where did the time go? The last figures I heard were over 12,000 for the attendees. Tommy is going to make an announcement this morning as to the exact numbers. His eyes were sparkling when we talked. I think he is happy.

After the press conference I was talking to Cheryl Warren (PES Secretary) about the camera I have been using for all the photos on the blog. She is a super photographer and uses a Canon. I prefer the Nikon – it gives us a point to bicker about at times. Noel Schulz (PES Treasurer) came over to see what we were having so much fun with and we took a photo for the blog. Paula Traynor (PES VP of Technical Activities) saw what we up to something and wanted to be part of the fun, which attracted Wanda Reder (PES President). Here is our photo –enjoy.

Have you been riding the shuttle buses as I have? If so, I’ll bet there is a volunteer at your hotel and at the convention center everyday. That volunteer is making sure everything works, as it should. Tom is the first volunteer I see every morning outside the Chicago Hilton. He is also the last volunteer I see at the convention center. He was even at the reception getting us all on the correct buses after festivities. He always has a smile and kind word. Tonight I told him thanks. I took his photo and told him I was going to put him in the blog. Tom told me he was just doing his job the real hero was over there and pointed to another gentlemen. In my book all the volunteers are the invisible hands supporting us everyday.

Have you ever considered the commitment the PES president makes to PES. I ran into Al Rotz today. He is our President-Elect. As we talked about what was going on with PES, I got to thinking about our officers commitment to the office and to PES. The President-Elect takes part in most if not all of the meetings with the President. Not only that, but the Immediate Past President is also available to help answer any questions about what took place on their watch. This system gives the President a storehouse of data and information. At the committee level there is the same type of commitment. There is a Vice Chair, a Chair, and an Immediate past Chair all working to keep the committees functioning smoothly.

Someone told me there were Harleys on the exhibit floor. I saw a lot of different types of equipment, but Harleys? Well it is true. I had to do some hunting to find it, but there it was at the Delta-Star booth. It was surrounded by a crowd of guys. No wonder it was hard to find – I should have looked for the crowd. Come by Delta-Star and find out how to win it.