the aging workforce – learning – capture &...

documenting practices and procedures. Examine the corporate policies, support methods, technological applications, and tools used to perform important work in the organization.

• Conduct a job task analysis. Engage subject matter experts in identifying and documenting the important and tacit job tasks performed in each job.

• Use skill surveys. Skill surveys identify the location of tacit and important knowledge. The survey lists job tasks related to the desired skill level and current job requirements.

• Identify knowledge gaps. A skill gap analysis can be performed by comparing the job skill needs identified during the job task analysis to the skill survey results.

• Creating the Plan – Having completed your analysis, you can now determine how to transfer important and tacit knowledge to other employees. Many organizations are creating structured mentoring/cross-training plans. Individual skill gap reports become the road map for any customized training initiatives. These reports allow us to create customized training plans and measure their effectiveness.

Once you decide on methods, creating a knowledge management plan is just like creating a plan for any project, with action items, deadlines, deliverables, and clearly assigned responsibilities. Be prepared to adjust the plan as the needs change and the methods are perfected.

A well-thought-out and implemented knowledge management program will result in a culture of learning that benefits both the employees and the organization.

For the complete article, visit www.aga.org

As we travel around the country, we see more and more HR managers caught off guard as some of their longest-tenured employees announce their retirements. As the economy has recovered over the past five years, many employees are approaching the point where they feel they have enough financial security to walk away from their jobs.

Many American utilities are starting to utilize workforce analytics to get a better sense of which individuals are going to retire and when. But they still need to answer the questions, How do we distill and bottle 30-plus years of institutional knowledge and share it with future employees?

Knowledge management is about using the current and future brain power of an organization to achieve the organization’s goals in a systematic and organized manner. It has two critical components: • Knowing what knowledge is important

to manage. • Knowing what type of knowledge needs

to be managed. Explicit knowledge has been documented, typically as reports, processes, or policy manuals. Tacit knowledge, or know-how, is mostly undocumented. Not all tacit knowledge is important, but it is likely that most of the important knowledge is tacit. Effective knowledge management converts critical tacit knowledge known by a few (or just one) into explicit knowledge to be transferred to many.

Not all knowledge management plans are alike. But here are some basic steps all organizations should consider in defining knowledge management priorities and creating a plan to meet current and future needs:

• Perform an organizational analysis. Identify current practices in

The Aging Workforce – Learning – Capture & Transfer Your KnowledgeBy Ken Mall, American Gas, August/September 2014

OCTOBER 2014

Board Nominations Being AcceptedThe Nominating Committee of the board is currently accepting the names of members interested in being considered for board positions opening January 2015, please contact Diane at [email protected] or 763-424-1841. The deadline is November 15th, 2014.

Ballots Coming Soon! Watch your e-mail in late November for your ballot to vote for three board members to fill the three positions expiring in January 2015. More details to come with the ballot.

Mark Your 2015 Calendars: Tuesday, June 2Blue Flame Fishing Event – Mille Lacs Lake

Thursday, June 18Blue Flame Golf Event – Cannon Falls Golf Club

Thursday, Aug. 27-Monday, Sept. 7Minnesota State Fair.

Tuesday, September 22Commercial/Industrial Fall Energy Conference (tentative date)

Final attendance for the 2014 Minnesota State Fair was 1,824,830. Up from last year’s attendance of 1,731,162.

The Blue Flame Lodge is the association’s primary vehicle to interact with consumers and to promote natural gas, natural gas products, educational materials, and provides visibility for the association and its members. Located in Carousel Park across from the Giant Slide.

Natural gas equipment featured in the lodge included: fireplaces, grills, patio campfires, water heaters-tank and tankless, furnaces, boilers, garage heaters, natural gas vehicles and more.

New at the Lodge this year! A natural gas generator was installed in the front landscaping to provide an operational display so fairgoers could learn more about them. One of the common questions about generators is how loud are they? So interested consumers could hear it run and ask questions.

Minnesota State Fair-Blue Flame Lodge “Generates” Interest in Natural Gas!

An additional benefit of this natural gas generator is that in the event of a power outage, the Blue Flame would continue to have basic power to keep the Lodge up and running. This will be especially beneficial in the winter to provide backup power for the Lodge’s heat tapes installed to prevent roof drains and pipes from freezing and cracking.

The natural gas generator was provided and installed by Midwest Generator, Inc. Thank you!

Xcel Energy helped the Blue Flame to maximize its energy savings by donating LED light bulbs to replace all the old inefficient bulbs used at the Lodge! Thank you Xcel Energy!! The Blue Flame Lodge is a great place to showcase these energy saving bulbs and it will help the Blue Flame reduce expenses associated with the lighting in the building.

In addition to the NGV display the Blue Flame created last year, this year we expanded it to include a display that gave

fairgoers the opportunity to actually take the fuel dispensing hose and connect it to a cutout car with the NGV adapter on it. The goal was to help people become familiar and comfortable with NGV fueling.

Furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces and grills continued to have strong interest from fairgoers. We had thirteen members displaying at the Lodge this year. Thank you for your great displays!

In addition to natural gas product displays, the Blue Flame Lodge also had safety, rebate and assistance information. Gopher State One Call had their new spinning wheel for the colored yardsticks and it was a real hit! The Salvation Army had a HeatShare display to increase awareness that energy assistance is available. Utility rebate program information was also displayed in the Lodge.

If you are interested in displaying in the lodge in 2015, please contact Diane to get more information.

S A V E T H E D A T E !T H U R S D A Y , A U G U S T 2 7 – L A B O R D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 5

T H E 2 0 1 5 M I N N E S O T A S T A T E F A I R !

On September 23, the Commercial/Industrial Committee held its annual Fall Conservation Conference at the beautiful Hillcrest Golf Club in St. Paul. Xcel Energy was a major sponsor of this event along with supporting utility sponsors CenterPoint Energy and Minnesota Energy Resources.

The conference drew approximately 90 attendees from all over the state to attend presentations and visit vendors displaying their natural gas products and services at the tabletops.

The lunch keynote speaker was Claudio Martino, Regional Sales Director for Caterpillar Energy Solutions. He presented on Natural Gas Power Generation/Co-Generation applications including the recently commissioned Fairmont, MN-SMMPA Power Plant.

A Natural Gas Price & Supply Update was presented by Jen Stokes of CenterPoint Energy to give attendees information on the projected outlook for natural gas this heating season.

Two sessions, each with two tracks, presented the following seminars: Condensing Boilers in Traditionally Designed Buildings, Natural Gas Vehicles-Kwik Trip’s Success Story, Demand Control Ventilation, and the ROI of Energy Investments.

Special thanks to all the speakers and vendor tabletops for helping to make this event a huge success – Thank you!

Commercial/Industrial Fall Natural Gas Conservation Conference

S A V E T H E D A T E !S E P T E M B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

Snow PeaksNatural gas met the challenge of a record-breaking 2013-14 winter. But has the “polar vortex” changed the equation for gas-supply planners? - The natural gas industry was put to the test this past winter-and it passed with flying colors. Sustained, freezing temperatures covered much of the nation, with little time for recovery between cold spells. This put unprecedented pressure on peak-day demand for natural gas, leading to numerous record-setting demand days. In spite of all this, the gas delivery system performed reliably, demonstrating that natural gas is a dependable source of fuel for American households, businesses, and power plants, as well as industrial and transportation markets.

N A T U R A L G A S I N F O R M A T I O NJanuary 2014 – A record-setting month: Highest natural gas consumption – 3.2 TcfHighest consumption day (Jan. 7) – 139 BcfLargest net withdrawal of working gas - > 950 BcfPrevious record (January 2003) – 857 Bcf(American Gas, June 2014) For the complete article, visit www.aga.org

Looking to 2016 As new EPA Mercury and Air Toxic Standards go into effect by 2016, a growing number of coal-fired power plants will be shuttered. In fact, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 60 GW of coal generation will come offline by 2020 – 90 percent of it in 2016. (American Gas, May 2014) For the complete article, visit www.aga.org

Decades of PotentialMarcellus Shale will be the biggest driver of U.S. natural gas production over the next few years, accounting for nearly a quarter of all U.S. volume by 2015, investment analyst Morningstar forecasts in its latest Energy Observer report. Supporting the outlook for robust growth is the significant backlog of wells awaiting completion and tie-in in Marcellus. In addition, the pace of infrastructure build-out in the northeastern U.S. will also spark growth, with wet gas processing and takeaway pipeline capacity in the region projected to rise more than 200 percent and 40 percent respectively, through 2015, according to Morningstar. If demand keeps pace with supply over the next few years, as Morningstar analysts expect, prices should normalize between $5 and $6 per thousand cubic feet of natural gas. The Marcellus Shale has 30 to 75 years of resource potential at current production rates, Morningstar says. While growth is likely to slow, the deposit is so large that even slight growth will be significant. (American Gas, May 2014) For the complete article, visit www.aga.org

Claudio Martino, Caterpillar Energy Solutions with Loren Bahls, Chairman of the Blue Flame IC Committee

Todd Gray introducing speaker Michael Day, HumeraTech.

Residential Science Resources,LLC (RSR) specializes in the implementation of utility, municipal, and government energy programs. RSR works with the home builder, home owner, energy rater, and utility to create energy efficient home environments. Since 2004, RSR has designed, launched, and implemented energy efficiency programs for utilities, municipalities, and others in four different states. In Minnesota alone, RSR performs over 95% of all energy ratings and has helped grow energy rated homes from 5% of the new home market in 2004 to over 30% of the new home market in 2013. RSR also provides home energy audits for existing homes and has been delivering a utility-sponsored program in MN for the past several years. By the end of 2014, RSR will have consulted on and made an impact upon over 50,000 homes across all of its programs.

RSR is an advocate for an energy efficient market transformation and a leader that strives to bridge the gap between

scientific building theory and practical construction techniques. To this end, RSR proactively educates area professionals and homeowners on building for Health, Safety, Comfort, Durability, and Energy Efficiency. RSR has also been instrumental in the development of a proprietary software, HouseRater, that seamlessly collects home energy rating data allowing utilities to efficiently track and manage energy savings programs while also providing detailed easy to read reports for both builders and homeowners.

RSR can assist utilities, municipalities, and others develop, design, and manage residential energy efficiency programs using a turnkey approach. RSR can also guide builders, real estate professionals, and homeowners toward energy efficient building outcomes through proactive consultation and education. For more information please visit us at www.residentialscience.com

MEMBER PROFILE:R E S I D E N T I A L S C I E N C E R E S O U R C E S , L L C

A new ‘Clean Energy Partnership’ designed to help the city of Minneapolis with greenhouse gases reduction goals- in conjunction with CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy natural gas and electric franchise agreement renewals -were unanimously approved (13-0) by the Minneapolis City Council on Oct. 17. The agreements came after nearly two years of conversations and negotiations with city staff, elected officials and interested environmental advocacy groups, which had previously encouraged the city to seriously consider municipalizing both the natural gas and electric utilities in Minneapolis.

The Clean Energy Partnership has been referred to as a “first-of-its-kind” agreement, which calls for a board to be created that includes the mayor, two council members, the city coordinator and two senior officials from CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy. An Energy Vision Advisory Committee will also be established to provide feedback on the board’s work plans and gather feedback from Minneapolis communities. The board’s work plan will be shaped by Minneapolis’ adopted Climate Action Plan and will include new ideas to support development of renewable energy, increase residential and business use of new and existing energy-efficiency

Minneapolis Unanimously Approves Centerpoint Energy Natural Gas Franchise & Clean Energy Partnership

programs and exploring new ways for the city to reduce its own energy use with the goal of controlling energy costs and reducing greenhouse gases.

During the city council proceedings, council members and others spoke highly about CenterPoint Energy’s service to the city and its willingness to work in partnership with them to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions as outlined in the Minneapolis Climate Action Plan.

Contact Information:Residential Science Resources, LLC1345 Corporate Center CurveEagan, MN 55121www.residentialscience.com

Todd Berreman, VP of Sales & Client Relations651-200-3424; [email protected]

Mat Gates, [email protected]

MEMBER NE WS:

W E L C O M E N E W M E M B E RMidwest Generator, Inc. www.midwestgenerators.comJohn Anderson, President(612) [email protected]

Natural Gas rebatesUpgrade and save

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Lakefield, MN 56150-0577

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Natural Gas – Energy for a Better Tomorrow

Rebates available for installing energy-efficient furnaces, water heaters and appliances.

www.minnesotaenergyresources.com 800-889-9508










[email protected] (763) 450-9226CELL (763) 286-2999

865 Xenium Lane NorthPlymouth, MN 55441FAX (763) 971-2920TOLL FREE (800) 969-2792

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Mike DanielsVice President

of Sales and Marketing










I N T E R E S T E D I N J O I N I N G T H E A S S O C I A T I O N ?

Contact Diane at [email protected] or visit our website at www.blueflame.org

Associate memberships are $200 per year. Join the team now!

Benefits to joining: Networking Opportunities, Industry Contacts, Advertising

Opportunities, Member rates (reduced rates) for Association events, seminars, etc., Increased Company Visibility (via a website hotlink to your company from our site, in our Member Directory, etc.), Possible opportunity to display in the Blue Flame Lodge at the Mn. State Fair,

Blue Flame events provide a venue for members to take customers to, Companies can leverage their time and financial resources, and you

receive the Association Newsletter, to name a few.



















Q U O T E O F T H E Q U A R T E R

“An optimist is a person who looks forward to enjoying the scenery on a detour.” Author: Unknown

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the aging workforce – learning – capture &...

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