Apr

25-28

Operations Conference (Apr 25-28)

The Operations Conference is WEI’s largest event. The annual in-person conference brings together hundreds energy industry professionals for three days of education and networking. There is also a virtual component which is complimentary with registration for the in-person conference. In addition to general sessions with industry leaders and keynote speakers, the Operations Conference offers fifteen tracks with breakout sessions targeted to specific operations functions. A limited number of vendor displays and sponsorship opportunities are available to WEI member service companies.

Meet

General Details

Program Chair
Joe Karney, Senior Director of Operations, NW Natural

Program Location
Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort
11111 North Seventh Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020

Who Should Attend
Electric and Natural Gas Energy Operations:
• Vice Presidents
• Directors
• Managers
• Supervisors
• Front line employees
• Control professionals
• Engineering professionals
• Planning personnel
• Substation professionals
• Electric transmission professionals
• Asset Management professionals
• Renewable Gas engineering and policy leaders
• Electric personnel responsible for wildfire mitigation, planning, and response

Registration Options
Member: $899 USD
Non-Member: $1,599 USD

Member registration price increases $100 after April 3, 2023. Non-Member registration price will increase $200. Both registration options include full conference access and digital program materials through the app. Guest tickets are available for $99 and allow for a personal guest (a spouse or partner who does not work in the energy industry) to accompany a registered attendee at the event. Guest registration includes all meals and receptions.

For vendor registration information, please see the Vendor Display tab.

Please review our notice regarding third-party solicitations related to this and other events.

General Cancellation Policy
Due to contractual obligations, cancellations received 15 business days prior to the program will receive a full refund. Cancellations received 6 to 14 business days prior to the event will receive a refund, less a $100 administrative fee. No shows and last minute cancellations, 5 business days prior to the event or less, will be responsible for the full registration fee. Substitutions from your organization for the same event are always welcome.

Participation Policy
Western Energy Institute programs and events are open to energy companies (including gas production and electric generation, gas and electric transmission and gas and electric distribution utilities). Select programs and events are open to energy industry product and service suppliers. Programs and events are closed to all media representatives and to the general public.

For more information contact Beverly Woolf, Program Manager at (971) 303-2294.

Agenda

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Optional Networking Activities
Check out the Networking tab for more details about the networking opportunities.

1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Registration Desk Open
WEI staff will be on hand for you to pick up your nametag or get help downloading the conference app.
Sponsored by:

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Program Development Team and First-Time Attendee Meetup
We want you to get the most out of your experience at the Operations Conference. If this is your first time attending you’re invited to join other new attendees, along with members of the Program Development Teams, to network and make new connections.

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by:

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
Breakfast sponsored by:

All day exhibit hall coffee service sponsored by:

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Welcome Remarks

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
The Future Energy Company in an Uncertain World
Speaker: Angie Gildea, National Sector Lead – Energy, Natural Resources & Chemicals, KPMG LLP
With the energy transformation underway, shifting customer demands, and new technologies emerging, companies across the energy sector are looking to optimize their businesses and take advantage of new opportunities. We’ll explore how companies are adapting their business models and shifting their organizational structures to manage risk and keep pace with, or get ahead of, the changes.

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Networking Break
Sponsored by:

10:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Electric Substation
Gas Emergency Management + Response
Grid of the Future
Grid Resilience
Operational Leadership
Role of Gas in a Decarbonized Future
Safety: People + Process + Assets

11:15 AM – 1:15 PM
Networking Lunch
Lunch sponsored by:

1:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Electric Distribution
Electric Substation
Gas Damage Prevention + Integrity Management
Gas Operational Excellence
Methane Emission Reduction
Planning for Decarbonization
Workforce Development

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Networking Break

3:00 PM – 4:15 PM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Electric Distribution
Electric Transmission
Gas Damage Prevention + Integrity Management
Grid of the Future
Methane Emission Reduction
Operational Leadership
Role of Gas in a Decarbonized Future

4:15 PM – 6:30 PM
Reception with Vendor Displays

Thursday, April 27, 2023

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
All-day coffee service in the Exhibit Hall sponsored by:

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Leading Before, During, and After the Crisis
Speaker: Daniel Linksey, Managing Director, Boston Office Head, Investigations and Disputes, Kroll
Chief Linskey takes his audience with him on a journey throughout his career which ended as Boston’s top cop, leading the hunt for the terrorists during the Boston Marathon Bombing Attack. His entire career Chief Linskey had been striving and working towards becoming the best leader he could be while developing his team. Twenty-Seven years after he started his career he arrived at the same street corner where he first wore his blue uniform to see devastation beyond his worst nightmares. Fearing for his life and the hundreds of others around him he wanted to flee but knew that was not an option. He took several deep breaths and forced open his “File Cabinet of Leadership”, he had been accumulating information in his brain his entire life. He opened that cabinet up and led his team as they raced to save lives and find those responsible. His presentation will provide lessons on leading before, during, and, after the crisis. The Chief will share how he and others effectively led team members to prepare and respond to unthinkable challenges. The Chief’s presentation will at moments have the audience laughing, most assuredly learning and thinking, while often times wiping a tear from their eye as he shares what his community, cops and his family went through that week in April. He will provide information for everyone’s “File Cabinet of Leadership”.

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Networking Break

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Electric Distribution
Electric Substation
Gas Emergency Management + Response
Gas Operational Excellence
Planning for Decarbonization
Role of Gas in a Decarbonized Future
Safety: People + Process + Assets

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM
Networking Break
Sponsored by:

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Electric Transmission
Gas Emergency Management + Response
Grid of the Future
Grid Resilience
Methane Emission Reduction
Operational Leadership
Workforce Development

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Networking Lunch
Sponsored by:

1:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Electric Transmission
Gas Damage Prevention + Integrity Management
Gas Operational Excellence
Grid Resilience
Planning for Decarbonization
Safety: People + Process + Assets
Workforce Development

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Networking Break

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Utility Challenges and the Changing Utility Landscape
The utility landscape is changing. Utilities face challenges on multiple fronts from the pressure to decarbonize, update aging infrastructure, and integrate distributed generation to rising commodity costs, increased cyber threats, and additional regulation. How will utilities evolve to address these issues while maintaining reliable service and providing cost effective service? Our panel of executives will share their thoughts, strategies, and insights into the current landscape and what’s on the horizon.

Friday, April 28, 2023

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Networking Breakfast

8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Nerds Unite + Tech Tools to Make Your Life Easier
Speaker: Beth Ziesenis, Author, Speaker, Nerd, Your Nerdy Best Friend
Beth Z, Your Nerdy Best Friend, returns to the Operations Conference to lead this hands-on workshop to cap off the last day of the conference. Attendees will be entertained and leave with tons of tips and takeaways! And thanks to our amazing workshop sponsor, Locusview, the first 200 people who let us know they’ll be staying for the workshop will receive a complimentary copy of Beth Z’s book, “Nerd365: A Year of APP-ortunities to Upgrade Your Life.” See the Workshop Info tab for more information.

11:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Wrap-up and 2024 Planning
Whether you’re interested in joining a Program Development Team for Operations Conference 2024 or would like to share your thoughts on Ops 2022, this informal conversation is the perfect opportunity. Everyone is welcome!

Hotel + Travel

Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort
11111 North Seventh Street
Phoenix, AZ 85020
Phone: (602) 866-7500

Reservation Instructions
Please make your reservation online or contact the hotel directly at (800) 947-9784 to reserve your room. Identify yourself as being with Western Energy Institute (WEI) Operations Conference to receive a special rate of $209 USD/night plus tax. Please note that there is a $19 resort fee per night which covers a range of hotel amenities. See resort website for more information. This rate is guaranteed until April 4, 2023 or until the WEI room block is full.

Vendor Displays

Registration Options
Member Vendor Display + Conference Attendee: $1,699 USD
Member Premium Vendor Display + Conference Attendee: $2,699 USD
Vendor Display Assistant: $599 USD

Vendor Display + Conference Attendee registration prices increase $100 after April 3, 2023. These registrations include full conference access, digital program materials through the app, and includes you as the main vendor display representative with one (1) skirted vendor display table for Wednesday and Thursday display events.

There are 6 Premium Vendor Display Tables. To secure a Premium table, register for a Standard Vendor Display and email Kris Taylor that you are interested in upgrading to a Premium table. She will be arranging that separately.

Vendor Display Assistant registration is for companies who have already purchased a full vendor registration and would like to add an additional vendor representative for their display table. This registration ONLY includes vendor display access and does not include full conference or virtual event access. It does include all meals on Wednesday and Thursday, April 26 and 27. The Vendor Display Assistant pass does not provide access to General Sessions nor breakout sessions.

Arrangements for power, audiovisual equipment, or other supplies may be made by contacting the hotel’s AV contractor Encore. Email brandon.castro@encoreglobal.com to arrange services.

Vendor Display Schedule
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Set-up available

Wednesday, April 26, 2023
7:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Check-in and set-up
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM: Break with Vendor Displays
11:15 AM – 1:15 PM: Lunch with Vendor Displays
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Break with Vendor Displays
4:15 PM – 6:30 PM: Reception with Vendor Displays

Thursday, April 27, 2023
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: Breakfast with Vendor Displays
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Break with Vendor Displays
10:45 AM – 11;15 AM: Break with Vendor Displays
12:30 AM – 1:45 PM: Lunch with Vendor Displays
1:45 PM – 3:00 PM: Tear Down

Shipping Information
Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort
11111 North Seventh Street
Phoenix, AZ 85020
C/O: WEI Ops Conference Display + Your Company Name
*Boxes should arrive no earlier than 3 days prior to the display date.

Workshop Info

We’re doing something a bit different at the Operations Conference this year by holding a “Technology Psychology Workshop” to close the conference on Friday. Participants will leave with tons of tips and takeaways! This workshop is included in your registration fee and will be led by a very popular speaker from Ops 2022, Beth Z., Your Nerdy Best Friend.

Thanks to our workshop sponsor, Locusview, the first 200 people who tell us they’ll be attending the workshop will receive a complimentary copy of Beth’s latest book, “Nerd365: A Year of APP-ortunities to Upgrade Your Life”, at the end of the conference.

Let us know you’ll be at the workshop by clicking the plus sign when you register as illustrated below. Or, if you’ve already registered, just log back into your WEI account, pretend like you’re registering again, click the plus sign in the agenda, and click “continue to payment” and “complete payment.”

Networking

All networking activities will take place on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
SRP’s Roosevelt Dam Tour
Cost: $120
Capacity: 20 – this tour has reached capacity.
Join WEI for a tour of Salt River Project’s historic Roosevelt Dam and hydroelectric power plant. Situated in the desert 90 miles East of Phoenix, the dam enabled water storage, power production, and the prosperous development of the Phoenix Valley. Transportation will be provided to rendez-vous with SRP’s Flight Services for a helicopter flight to the dam. Lunch at the PERA Club is included. Space is limited and some flexibility on departure and arrival times may be required. This tour has reached capacity.

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Tour of Southwest Gas Tempe Operations Center
Cost: $80
Capacity: 34
Join WEI on a private tour hosted by Southwest Gas taking you behind the scenes of their Tempe operations center. The tour will include:
• Emergency Response Training Facility – simulated city where employees, contractors and emergency responders can participate in multiple live-gas scenarios to practice emergency response and ICS techniques
• Natural gas training facilities for Operations and Customer Service
• Emergency response trailer
• Fire pit with natural gas props

Southwest Gas will discuss how it utilizes the Emergency Response Training Facility to expand outreach and training opportunities with emergency responders, opportunities that are being implemented to increase liaison efforts with emergency responders and public officials, and damage prevention initiatives utilized in the division. Transportation and lunch will be provided.

Program Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Conference Services Sponsors

Meet The Speakers

Angie Gildea

KPMG LLP

National Sector Lead – Energy, Natural Resources & Chemicals

Angie Gildea serves as the U.S. National Sector Lead for Energy which includes Oil and Gas, Chemicals, Power and Utilities, Mining, and Natural Resources. In this role, she is responsible for the creation of leading industry services, thought leadership and go-to-market strategies across KPMG’s audit, tax, and advisory functions. She also serves as a Global Lead Client Partner for a Fortune 25 client and is a member of KPMG’s Global Energy leadership team.

Angie has over 20 years of diverse management consulting experience and specializes in transformation programs related to disruptive and emerging technologies facing multinational clients in the Energy sector. She has extensive experience working with the front-office and has led programs in areas related to digital oilfield, corporate strategy, talent management, and emerging technologies. Ms. Gildea also has extensive experience working with global teams in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Alaska North Slope, US Gulf of Mexico, and both conventional and unconventional resource basins in the US.

Angie is a widely recognized leader in the energy sector. She was named as Oil & Gas Journal’s Top 25 Most Influential Women in Energy for 2022 and she also received Houston Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business 2020 award. In addition, she was also selected to serve on the Greater Houston Partnership’s Executive Women’s Program that brings together female senior executives across all industries in the Houston-metro area.

Ms. Gildea is active in the community. Angie has served on the Board of Directors for Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) and on the State of Texas Executive Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters. In addition, Ms. Gildea serves on the Board of Trustees for River Oaks Baptist School. She is also a former member of the Junior League of Houston and a previous Board member for Trees of Hope, and organization serving Houston’s largest homeless shelter.

Ms. Gildea holds a B.S. in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University. She resides in Houston, TX with her family.

Daniel Linksey

Kroll

Managing Director, Boston Office Head, Investigations and Disputes

Daniel Linskey is a Managing Director in Kroll’s Investigations and Disputes practice and is head of the Boston office. As the former Superintendent-in-Chief of the Boston Police Department (BPD) and a 27-year veteran of the force, Dan provided strong leadership through some of the most tragic and contentious events in the city’s history, including the Boston Marathon bombings and the Occupy Movement.

Dan serves clients in diverse industries with uncommon experience in investigations, crisis response, and risk management, as well as personal, physical, and operational security strategies. Widely respected for his knowledge of the complexities inherent in law enforcement and homeland security, Dan has also consulted with numerous national and international government agencies on a broad range of challenges, including large-scale event management, crisis leadership, and preparedness and community engagement strategies.

During his long career in law enforcement, Dan developed a strong commitment to translating the lessons learned from large-scale events, crises, and tragedies throughout the country into training and policies aimed at avoiding the mistakes of the past while also replicating successful strategies. For example, Dan contributed to a report produced by the firm of Edward Davis, LLC that reviewed a large-scale disorder event at the University of Massachusetts and presented a set of recommendations to prevent future occurrences.

Upon retiring from the Boston Police Department prior to joining Kroll, Dan founded the Linskey Group. In this role, he provided clients with security, law enforcement, and emergency management services, including dignitary protection, cyber security, and confidential investigations, as well as incident reviews and training exercises designed to prepare agencies and facilities for crisis.

After joining the BPD in 1986, Dan rose through the ranks before being promoted to Superintendent-in-Chief, the department’s highest sworn member. In this role, he managed the day-to-day operations of a 3,000-person department with a budget of over $300 million while overseeing a 30% reduction in major crimes over seven years.
While serving as Superintendent-in-Chief, Dan was also the Jurisdictional Point of Contact for the City of Boston, working with the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management to develop, implement, and oversee a regional homeland security strategy addressing all hazards.