LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, CHILDREN OF ALL AGES

It was such a delight to see so many of you in person at our 2021 Annual Meeting of Members in Baraboo, WI! Held at the Baraboo Arts, Banquet, and Convention Center, a historic Circus World building located across the street from the Circus World Museums, this year’s attendees traveled in time from the history which surrounded them to the future which is being aggressively pursued by Wisconsin utilities.

WUI Executive Director, James Buchen, and Chairman of the Board, Roger Cole, opened the Annual meeting with a look back at this past year and a look forward to the work and issues in the coming year. The Treasurer’s report, presented by director Charles Clarke, confirmed that though the past year was a challenge as the pandemic pushed our outreach to membership through virtual meetings and mailed literature, financially we stayed within our budget and, in some areas, cut costs.

Vice Chairman, Jeffrey West, presented this year’s nomination report and made motions to both re-elect the members of the board whose terms were ending (namely Charles Clarke, Thomas Fehring, Kenyon Kies, Dale Landgren, and Donald Reck), and to nominate two new board members: Thomas Hansen and William Finke. Both motions were approved unanimously by the attending Wisconsin Utility Investor members.

A plug-in hybrid supercar, the SF90 Spider Ferrari, awoke the kindred childhood hearts of many of the members during a presentation by J.P. Brummond, VP of Customer and Community Engagement at Alliant Energy. Brummond highlighted the impressive growth in environmentally friendly technology which is driving the energy industry, making solar and wind both economically affordable, sustainable, and reliable.

Following Mr. Brummond, a panel discussion led by Matthew Pagel, Director of Regional Gov. Affairs from Xcel Energy; Matthew Spencer, Legislative Affairs Director from MGE Energy; and Joel Haubrich, Manager of Wisconsin Gov. Affairs from WEC Energy Group, completed the picture of the strong growth of new technologies in pursuit of a “Carbon Neutral” goals.

Following lunch, members were introduced to Kristin Gilkes, Executive Director of the Customers First Coalition, who educated members about Senate Bill 490. Gilkes explained that the bill would authorize community solar programs that could be developed outside of the normal scheme of utility regulation. This would disadvantage the non-participating utility customers who would see their utility bills increase to subsidize those who participate in this unregulated program. She noted that “our neighbors in Minnesota are currently experiencing this preventable disparity.” To learn more about Senate Bill 490, please follow the link from the WUI website: www.wuiinc.org. Click on “Who is my Legislator” and enter your address in the search field to let your legislator know we are NOT in support of this bill.

“Keep your sense of wonder and awe as you look at the world around you,” Scott O'Donnell, Director of Circus World Museums, inspirited our members. “Look with amazement at the accomplishments of incredible men and women throughout our history and into the future.” The rich history of Circus World Museums was highlighted, including an incredible legacy of circus performers, animal trainers, skilled technicians of every sort. As an organization, Ringling Bros Circus was studied by the Army Corps of Engineers for its amazing skill at packing up and moving an entire city’s worth of people, animals, and buildings. Mr. O’Donnell then sent the WUI Membership forth to explore the history of Circus World for themselves. Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages, we live in an amazing time of discovery. Don’t ever lose your sense of wonder.

2021 Annual WUI Membership Meeting