Each year I’ve published this blog, the last issue of the year has been an opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward to the year ahead.
Reflecting on 2020
A year ago, I don’t think any of us could have imagined the year 2020 turned out to be. With COVID-19, most of us quickly found ourselves scrambling to figure out working from home without much advance preparation. Many of us continue to work from home, or in offices closed to the public. It has been a difficult year for many and I commend you for doing all you can to keep your office functioning and continuing to provide much-needed services to your customers.
If you lost a loved one or someone close to you to due the virus, please accept my heartfelt condolences.
Milestones ahead
The first newsletter in January will mark the tenth year of this blog! A conversation with a co-worker about a popular sales email newsletter, and wondering if a similar concept would be valuable for utility business offices, led to the first issue being published on January 4, 2011. In addition to the tenth-anniversary issue, sometime this spring will mark the 250th post. Ten years ago, I could never have imagined writing 250 of these newsletters! Thank you for reading them all these years!
2021 Utility Fee Survey
This coming year will mark the fifth Utility Fee Survey, which is conducted every other year. Be on the lookout for the invitation to participate in this year’s survey in a few weeks.
Speaking engagements
In 2020, I presented to five utility or finance conferences, of which all but one were virtual. Hopefully, 2021 will allow more of us to meet in person for conferences. I’ll keep you posted about my upcoming speaking engagements and I hope to see many of you face-to-face at a conference in 2021.
Edmunds GovTalk presentations
Something new the company introduced in 2020 is the Edmunds GovTalk series. These will continue in 2021, and I will be participating in one targeted to utility districts on February 10. Keep an eye out for more details as the date draws closer
Happy New Year 2021!
