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Hometown Connections President and CEO Marc Gerken has announced the hiring of Annette DuPont-Ewing to serve as Hometown’s Director of Marketing. Dupont-Ewing will replace Mike Mozingo who will be retiring at the end of January.

“I am extremely grateful to be joining the team of experts at HCI and am looking forward to working with the Partners and Affiliates to enhance the services HCI offers,” Annette said.

“I believe my 16 years of experience serving as executive director for a statewide association representing non-profit municipal utilities in Kentucky and 11 years with the U.S. Department of Energy will allow me to advance Hometown Connections marketing goals as a services organization specializing in the unique challenges of community-owned utilities,” she continued.

“Enhancing energy community communications and marketing is a goal that I’d like to work towards as Marketing Director for HCI as part of the long-term strategy that Marc Gerken’s leadership has established.”

Mozingo joined HCI in June of 2022 after the retirement of Susan Ryba and will assist with the transition. “Annette is uniquely qualified to take on this role and help accelerate the progress our team has made since Covid,” Mike said.

Marc Gerken commented, “HCI has made tremendous strides in achieving its mission, which is to assist APPA’s small members with their need to access products, services and knowledge that would be economic and vetted by HCI.  Mike Mozingo was a very instrumental part of this success over the last two and a half years.  HCI is fortunate to find a Public Power advocate with the experience that Annette brings.”

Annette will begin reaching out to Affiliates and Partners in the days ahead.  Another immediate priority will be planning and organizing the 2025 HCI Annual Gathering scheduled for April 22-23 in Healdsburg, California.

“This annual reunion gives Affiliates and Partners an opportunity to get better acquainted and discuss our industry challenges and solutions,” Annette said.  “I am looking forward to producing an event that is informative, collaborative and a valuable investment of time and resources.”

Hometown Connections and Energy Southeast, A Cooperative District (ESE) have signed a marketing agreement effective January 1, 2025. ESE issues tax-exempt municipal bonds to prepay for future energy that will be sold to utilities, resulting in monetary savings for the utility.

Hometown Connections will assist Energy Southeast with educating municipal utility providers about the advantages of prepaid energy.

Fred Clark, Jr., President and CEO of ESE, states that the goal of ESE is to advance the mission of publicly owned electric systems by providing lowcost, competitively priced wholesale electricity delivered through secure, reliable, long-term projects.

Prepaid Electricity: Prepay Bonds Generate Savings

 Energy Southeast has developed partnerships to save money on existing power supply for municipal utilities. These prepay projects:

• Produce millions of dollars in energy cost savings each year
• Fully utilize the utility’s tax-exempt status
• Do not impact utility operations and require few administrative changes
• Do not impact existing power supply arrangements
• Maintain total flexibility in the utility’s future energy procurement
• Simplify financing by using Energy Southeast as a conduit
• Do not impact the utility’s credit metrics or borrowing limits

With a prepay project, Energy Southeast can save money on existing power supply contracts and future energy needs all without changing the utility’s financial profile.

“We’ll facilitate all administrative aspects of the transaction to ensure the utility’s project runs smoothly from start to completion,” Clark said.  “Utilities can count on Energy Southeast to help provide for the long-term financial stability and security of our public power communities.”

Hometown Connections President and CEO Marc Gerken praised Energy Southeast’s ability to help Public Power.  “Energy prepayments have been used by Public Power since the early 2000’s,” Gerken said.  “Hometown Connections is excited to help Energy Southeast increase its reach and help inform those public power utilities who have limited ability to undertake a prepayment endeavor.”

To learn more, please visit: www.energysoutheast.org

Financial Assessments for Members; Informed Decision Making for Power Agencies and Associations

The effective management of a member organization relies heavily on having a clear understanding of each members’ financial condition.  The financial stability of each member directly impacts the agency’s ability to make informed decisions, allow for fair cost sharing and mitigate potential risks associated with member financial instability.

For the agency to function effectively and maintain financial health, they need to know members capacity to contribute to shared projects and fulfill contractual obligations.  An agency’s credit rating is often tied to the collective financial strength of its members so understanding their financial status is crucial for project planning and securing favorable financing terms.

By understanding members’ financial challenges, an agency can potentially identify areas where additional support may be needed, bolstering the value the agency provides to its members.

Utility Financial Solutions, LLC works with Power Agencies and Associations across the country assessing members financial health using key financial metrics.  Each member is individually assessed; with key financial takeaways and recommendations for individual improvement to strengthen the collective members.  The agency receives a summary of each member, as well as a quick reference on key targets and policies.  For example, which members have a power costs adjustment, what are their debt coverage ratios, days cash on hand and age of their systems.  It is a comprehensive look at members and their financial stability.  This information is crucial for effective management for individual members and the agency as a whole as the industry is seeing unprecedented changes that will most likely cause financial pressure.

Contact:

Utility Financial Solutions, LCC

Dawn Lund, Vice-President

231-218-9664

dlund@ufsweb.com

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