Tucker Davis considers his career at EnerNOC the perfect fit.When he’s not leveraging EnerNOC’s SupplySMART™ capabilities for his customers, Tucker Davis is fixing up his Maryland beach house. Utilizing the skills he gained from his previous career as a real estate asset manager and his passion for energy management, Tucker considers his career at EnerNOC the perfect fit.
Tucker: I initially came to EnerNOC through the South River Consulting acquisition, and I essentially do the same thing now as I did then, but my role has expanded to include some demand response and energy efficiency work. I advise EnerNOC’s SupplySMART customers on how to manage the energy price risk and contracting for their energy supply. That includes assisting with budgets, assessing their tolerance for risk, and educating them on the various aspects and components of their electric bill that they can proactively manage.
You’ve asked me this question on the heels of our kick off meeting with a very large and prominent technology company, so that’s fresh in my head. They hired EnerNOC to handle their national energy procurement objectives, which is a tremendous load as you can imagine of both electricity and natural gas in multiple regions with multiple ISOs, some of which were new to EnerNOC. We were able to collect all of their information from numerous sources and make good sense out of it. In that manner we got them to start viewing energy procurement in a different way than what they had been doing. It’s a start in a very long and involved engagement because it’s such an enormous organization with literally hundreds of people involved in energy procurement. That took a great deal of effort from a lot of people at EnerNOC and I was proud to be part of the team to put together the analysis and reporting for our initial kickoff meeting with them. We distinguish ourselves by our ability to educate customers on the vagaries of the energy markets, and why it’s important to view energy procurement as commodity risk management and not just try to get the lowest price of the day.
Our supply offering is as much about risk management as it is about saving money, and both are very important. We work very hard to make sure our customers save as much as possible by buying smartly and avoiding paying for things they don’t need, or by avoiding paying risk premiums that they don’t need to pay. At the end of the day the market price for energy is what will determine how much they pay, and it’s important to have someone keep an eye on the markets all the time which is what we do for them, so that they can manage their own business. I think the most important thing that we do is to get them educated, well informed, and into supply contract structures that meet their needs. We give customers the ability to manage the various cost components of either natural gas or electricity to the extent that they can. We keep an eye on the markets on an ongoing basis, and deliver accurate, relevant, and actionable information and reporting that helps our customers run their business and make decisions that are appropriate for their organization.
For most of my career I was a real estate asset manager and managed office buildings. When Maryland deregulated we all had to get re-educated because the rules fundamentally changed on how you procured energy. My interest in energy and financial markets quickly made me the go-to “energy guy” within my organization, and I actually hired South River Consulting to help me do our energy procurement and risk management, and eventually got to know them very well. One thing led to another and I started working for them, and ultimately found my real passion.
The two things I like to do are helping people and working with spreadsheets. My job brings them both together, so it’s been a perfect fit so far. I also truly enjoy getting to know my customers and understanding their business. I have learned much more from them that they have learned from me. Seeing the inside of a steel mill, or a plastics manufacturer, or the central plant of a large university are what makes my days fun.
I would consider myself a handy man. I generally try to have a project all the time, completing two or three projects around the house each year. We have a little house down at the beach which I love to go to and I spend as much time there as possible. I also try to keep in touch with my three children who are all grown and either in college or working now. My wife and I have been known to do some kayaking while we are down at the beach, and we hope to get into the boating world soon as well.
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