‘Disruption’, EV Panels Highlight Marketplace Forum
November 27, 2019

Southwest Airlines clearly believes that, when it comes to hiring and creating a solid workplace culture, one really does get out what one puts in.

“We believe in doing what’s right by our employees, so that they show their best selves at work,” Southwest executive Lacey Jeffrey told her audience at the 2019 Tennessee Valley Marketplace Forum, conducted Nov. 19-21 in Nashville, Tenn.

Jeffrey joined Glenn Allison of Tractor Supply Co. and Bryce Dalley of Facebook in a panel discussion on how to manage disruption and still keep the customer first. Jeffrey said her airline started disrupting its market years ago by relentlessly pursuing customer-first policies, which start with employees.

“It’s about safety, reliability and taking pride in award winning customer service,” she said. “You can hire for skill all day, but when you have 60,000 people representing one brand, you won’t get the service you want if everyone’s not aligned [with those values].”

Jeffrey’s remarks resonated with Seven States Power Corp. Executive Vice President Betsey Kirk McCall, whose company sponsored the Forum in conjunction with TVPPA and TVA.

“Employees and customers are not mutually exclusive groups,” said McCall, who co-emceed the event with TVA’s Dan Pratt. “They’re often one and the same.

“Employees who are also customers have a vested interest in positively reflecting the company brand to the public,” she said. “This has always been the case in the Tennessee Valley, where utility employees also are the customers of [the utility’s] products.”

Forum attendees also took in a panel discussion on electric vehicles (EVs); the participants were Jenny Dileo of Austin (Texas) Energy, Joel Levin of Plug-In America and Ryan Stanton of the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC).

Brad Rains, who serves as Seven States’ manager of DER deployments and runs point on the corporation’s flourishing EV effort, said the panelists spoke with a single voice on the role electric utilities are likely to play in EV growth.

“Sales are going to grow because of the cars themselves,” he said. “Batteries will get cheaper to make. Range will increase. Cars will get less expensive to build and will have options more attractive to more drivers.

“We fit on the charging side – somebody’s going to have to charge all those EVs and, in our footprint, that’s the local power company selling that power. TDEC is looking to Seven States to be a leader and driving force in building and deploying a charging infrastructure,” Rains said.

Among the Forum’s several other highlights were a presentation from Chick-fil-A executive John Shackelford, who talked about how founder Truett Cathy’s “heart for people” was central to that company’s defining of its purpose and culture. TVA CEO Jeff Lyash closed the Forum with a presentation including the declaration that a “convergence of three things – digitalization, decarbonation and electrification” will be TVA’s primary drivers for the next 10 to 30 years.

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Jason Reese

By Jessica Bradshaw • July 17, 2026
Jason Reese, General Manager of Shelbyville Power, Water, and Sewer System, leads his LPC with a focus on the evolving technology that strengthens reliability, improves efficiency, and enhances service for his customers. He took a moment to highlight some of the innovation that is truly making a difference across his community. AMI technology has had the greatest impact on Shelbyville Power, Water, and Sewer Systems and our community. Our system converted to AMI meters nearly 14 years ago, and this technology has enabled us to streamline many manual utility processes and improve operational efficiency in our electric and water systems. AMI electric meters with remote disconnect capabilities have enabled us to remotely disconnect and reconnect customers on the collections list, reducing truck rolls, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing employee safety. AMI water meters allow us to identify water leaks much sooner than was previously possible, benefiting both our customers and our efforts to reduce water loss. Our team is also very proud of our recent pilot distribution automation project installed on three circuits, each served by a different substation, which provide power to Shelbyville's two main corridors. Implementing distribution automation on these circuits helps minimize the number of customers affected during outages or the loss of a power source, improving service reliability for the community. Building on its success, our long-term goal is to expand distribution automation across all eighteen circuits and all three substations to further enhance system reliability, resiliency, and service to our customers. As the Valley continues to evolve and change, Jason knows firsthand that Seven States is a trusted industry resource and a valuable partner in helping LPCs navigate the process of implementing new technology projects. In June 2026, we completed our first EV charger project as part of the TN Fast Charge Network, and I cannot say enough good things about how Seven States and Joe Knox helped guide us through that process. These chargers have already been a hit with our community and have also brought in travelers from out of town to our downtown square. Everything from start to finish went as smoothly as it possibly could, and that is due to Seven States.  While technology continues to transform the utility industry every day, Jason believes some aspects of the system will always depend on the knowledgeable workers who keep everything running behind the scenes. Hands-on infrastructure maintenance is one traditional utility practice that I believe will never completely disappear, regardless of how much technology advances. No matter how sophisticated our systems become, maintaining physical infrastructure will always require skilled workers to perform inspections, repairs, and upgrades in the field. Just as the utility industry is built on connections that span across communities, music has a way of bringing people together, even across generations. When asked which celebrity he would most like to meet for dinner, his choice was a musician who has stood the test of time. It would have to be Elvis Presley. As someone who has a love for all genres of music, to be able to sit down and talk with him about his career and experiences from gospel to rock-n-roll would be an absolute thrill!

David Smart

By Jessica Bradshaw • July 17, 2026
As utilities continue evolving to meet changing member expectations, David Smart, President and CEO of West Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation (WKRECC), has focused on blending convenience with programs that directly improve quality of life. Smart points to both digital modernization and energy efficiency initiatives as areas where WKRECC has made meaningful strides for its members. One modernization effort that’s impacted our community has been the implementation of a mobile app and other digitized forms that make it easier for members to do business with their cooperative, including drive-thru registration and tablet voting at our annual meeting. Another would be Home Uplift initiatives, home energy audits, cold climate heat pump conversions and other programs we have implemented to improve the standard of living, comfort, and efficiency in our members’ homes.  Innovation at WKRECC has also extended into advanced energy management and distributed energy resources. Smart elaborated on one of the cooperative’s proudest accomplishments involving internally managing demand and system performance. Our team is especially proud of our PowerShift Program, which utilizes our members’ whole home generators and batteries for demand response. The precision and application technology used has allowed us to offset our peak demand successfully. We have built our own DER gateway allowing us to meter, control, and interrogate home generators and inverters, and our own DERMS platform that incorporates an operational load forecast. Even as utilities embrace new technologies and digital tools, Smart believes some longstanding member habits will remain an important part of cooperative culture. Despite all of the technological advances in the utility world, I think many cooperative members will continue to pay their bill in person at one of our offices. Personal interaction and in-office service continue to matter for our members. In an industry focused on infrastructure and technology, Smart recognizes the value of strong communicators and trusted voices who help bring people and communities together. When asked a lighter question about who he’d like to have dinner with, he pointed to a well-known Kentucky figure who brings folks together. If I could have dinner with anyone, I would love to have dinner with the legendary voice of the Wildcats, Cawood Ledford. I think the stories he could tell would be enlightening and fascinating.

Energy Express: Advancing Tennessee's Electric Future

By Jessica Bradshaw • July 1, 2026
The second quarter of 2026 has been a productive period for the Seven States team, with much of the spring and early summer dedicated to engaging utility leaders, elected officials, community stakeholders, and the public to share the vision, progress, and benefits of the Energy Express Project. Members of the Seven States team had the privilege of speaking with leaders from BrightRidge, Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW), and the Nashville Electric Service (NES). These publicly held meetings served as important forums to answer questions, share project milestones, and demonstrate how the Energy Express Project will modernize and strengthen the Valley’s electric infrastructure for decades to come. Led by Seven States, the project will deliver 220MW of battery storage capacity across multiple site locations in partnership with BrightRidge (20MW), MLGW (100MW), and NES (100MW). The project is backed by Seven States’ award of a landmark $439 million zero-interest loan and grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (USDA RUS). A primary objective of the project will be creating a stronger, more flexible electric grid capable of meeting increasing energy demands related to the state's industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. The battery assets will charge during off peak hours and discharge during peak hours to help peak shave, reducing costs and grid strain while providing utilities with greater operational flexibility. Originally envisioned as a utility scale solar project, the initiative will now deploy battery storage as a standalone resource on the distribution system and the assets will be owned and operated by Seven States. The project's outreach efforts have been featured by local media outlets (highlighted below), and a dedicated website has been launched to provide project updates while offering the public an opportunity to submit comments and questions. As we continue advancing the project, we remain grateful for the opportunity to engage with partners across Tennessee and share our progress with the Seven States audience. We look forward to continuing these conversations with utilities, local governments, community organizations, and rate payers as the Energy Express Project moves forward. Together, we are building and energizing the grid of the future. POWERING UP: Chattanooga-based Seven States to build grid batteries with $439M in federal funds BrightRidge, Seven State Power Corporation partnership to bring battery storage to the Tennessee Valley MLGW and Seven States Power form partnership for battery storage MLGW, Seven States make deal to deploy battery storage Energy Express Project to Bring Battery Storage to Greater Nashville Nashville's power grid is about to get a boost. Here's how.
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