For nearly 30 years Joel Hoiland has had a distinguished career positioning and growing industry organizations at the international, national and regional levels. He joined Utilimetrics on a part-time, retained basis in July 2008 with a broad background in retail, wholesale/distribution, supply chain logistics, outsourcing and technology industries. He had worked previously with trade associations, equity firms, association management companies and private businesses before taking over managing the evolution of an organization that much like the industry it serves, was and is, very much in transition. When I met Joel a little over a year ago, he was already very much aware of the challenges of leading an industry association in the midst of change. I found him to be not only willing, but eager to take on those challenges – and most importantly – confident in his ability to overcome them, whatever they might turn out to be. –Ed.
EET&D: You and I met for the first time at the 2008 Autovation Conference, just after you came on board with Utilimetrics. At the time, you were still getting acclimated to the industry environment and very much in a learning mode. Now, a year later, you are clearly up to speed and moving forward on several fronts to bring the organization much more into the industry mainstream. But before we get into some of the more recent initiatives that are underway, I think it would be beneficial to start off with some of the basics for the benefit of those who might not be completely familiar with the Utilimetrics organization.
HOILAND: Let me give you a quick history of how we have arrived at this point since our formation 22 years ago…
The first industry forum on automatic meter reading was held in Denver in 1986, followed by an Automatic Meter Reading Steering Committee meeting held later that year in Atlantic City, NJ. Formation of the Automatic Meter Reading Association – most people quickly came to know it as “AMRA” – was announced in Philadelphia and was incorporated in New Jersey that very next year with Don Schlenger, Ph.D., named as the Association’s first president. Don would eventually become the Association’s first Executive Director just two years later, in 1990.
EET&D: Not long after that is when I first became aware of AMRA myself. I attended my first conference a few years later and remember listening to a presentation Don Schlenger gave, explaining that AMR wasn’t really about replacing meter readers. It was quite an enlightening experience for me – one that got me personally interested in the metering industry.
HOILAND: And we’ve certainly seen a lot of changes since then. In fact, 1988 turned out to be another
year of “firsts” with the first National Automatic Meter Reading Symposium held in Traverse City, Michigan and the first Automatic Meter Reading Association Annual Meeting held in Dallas. The first AMRA newsletter also was published that year. Things were ramping up pretty fast for such a young organization.
EET&D: Things didn’t exactly slow down after that very much either, did they?
HOILAND: No, they didn’t. By 1999 we had put our first Products and Services Directory online, and at our annual symposium in Tampa in 2000, we included specific programming for International delegates for the first time – giving real substance to the “international” part of our identity.
EET&D: When did the transition from AMRA to Utilimetrics get started?
HOILAND: The latest chapter in our evolution started in 2004 when our annual conference was renamed Autovation® to underline the fact that we were changing along with rapidly escalating changes to the industry itself. And when AMRA celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007, the Association name changed to Utilimetrics. That change eventually led to putting Utilimetrics on a completely independent footing recently when we left an association management company and became a stand-alone trade association. In March of 2009, I joined as the first full-time Chief Executive Officer of Utilimetrics – a newly created position – as part of that transition.
EET&D: So that brings us to today, just over a year since you assumed that position, albeit on a part-time basis initially. Can you tell us something about the organization today and perhaps also share your vision for its future?
HOILAND: First and foremost, Utilimetrics is an international trade association for smart metering and innovative technologies. Our mission is to bring utilities and consumers together through technology. As the world’s premier utility technology association, we provide a voice for utilities, and we are the go-to resource on innovative and emerging technologies. And on a broader scale, we are a cutting edge resource for corporations, utility departments or authorities, associations, public interest groups, consumers and others who are vested in the development and application of smart energy and resource technologies.
EET&D: Now that you’ve had a chance to get settled in, I’m sure that our readers would like to know a little bit about how Utilimetrics is moving forward. Can you share some of that with us?
HOILAND: As you might expect with all of the changes going on across the utility industry, the surge in smart metering, and the Stimulus Bill – there’s quite a lot going on. When I came on board a year ago we had to start with the basics, since we had not previously been a standalone organization. But after working through a logistical process that I’m sure anyone who has ever set up a business can appreciate, we now have a new office and a new full-time management team of very capable professionals.
We have staff members who are experts in transnational instructional design, event management, utility communication, strategic positioning, public policy and membership-sector marketing. Our new team is dedicated to the mission of education, collaboration and advocacy for utility technology solutions.
EET&D: Now that Utilimetrics is into its third decade of service and you are at the helm, what kind of objectives have you laid out for the future?
HOILAND: Our objectives for Utilimetrics focus on organizational growth through expanded services – particularly in the areas of education, on-line resources, advocacy and transnational professional programming. We will also have an emphasis on organizational effectiveness through improved board alignment, enhanced staff capability and a three-year business planning process. Finally, we will continue to pursue strategic alliances.
EET&D: What are some of your priorities for Utilimetrics over the next year or so?
HOILAND: My top priority is to keep adding value by addressing the critical needs of our members as they wrestle with new technology and business transformation that is besieging the utility industry. That is an ongoing multi-faceted objective, which includes – among other things – new capabilities such as a new and improved Website with greater functionality; the launch of weekly e-Newsletters; continuation of weekly Public Policy Reports; timely webinars; and the creation of an Education Research Foundation.
EET&D: It sounds like you have enough on your plate to keep you busy for quite awhile and that Utilimetrics will have considerably broadened its scope and elevated its stature in the process.
HOILAND: Our plan is to position Utilimetrics as the primary source for information about smart metering and innovative technologies including advanced metering, communications, utility automation and data management solutions, as well as being the
voice of the industry. With everything that’s taking place in the industry right now, our Utilimetrics management team believes we can serve a higher purpose while also adding value for our members – and that’s exactly what we intend to do.
