April 2024: Katie Hall
Katie, one of the goals of Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum (FWELF), is to describe the many opportunities and segments of the energy industry. To further help with this education effort, describe the role of Florida Gas Utility (FGU) in the energy marketplace.
Florida Gas Utility (FGU) is a non-profit municipal joint action agency that provides a variety of natural gas related services to both municipal-owned local distribution companies (LDCs) and electric generation units across Florida. We specialize in muni’s. We specialize in natural gas. And maybe most importantly, we specialize in joint action. We aggregate our resources and share the costs, so everyone benefits. The sum of the whole is greater than its individual parts. Our services include gas supply, capacity management, gas storage, hedging, public awareness, sales and marketing, project management, operational assistance, rate studies, grant writing and management, legislative monitoring, regulatory representation, and more.
As the General Manager & CEO of FGU, what priorities have you outlined for your organization?
Our main priority is to provide value to our 25 Members. That said, there are thousands of ways to achieve that. Sometimes it’s creating all new services, sometimes it’s building a better mousetrap, and sometimes it’s investing in our staff. I encourage employees to think creatively and bring new ideas to the table. We want to build depth, so all levels of the organization are often included in brainstorming sessions and urged to contribute to the conversations. I also prioritize relationships – within the company, our Members, and others in the industry. Relationships are as important as knowledge, so staff is encouraged to attend conferences, training opportunities, and learn about other departments and services provided.
At FWELF, we say we “inform, inspire, motivate” the next generation of workforce talent by sharing personal stories of career growth. Would you share a little about your path to FGU and how purposeful you might have been to get there.
Originally, my plan was to be a large animal veterinarian. Shortly before my senior year of college, however, I did an internship at a vet school and quickly realized the flaw in my plan – if I became a vet, my career, hobby, and passion would all blend together and I would own too many lame horses, three-legged dogs, and one-eyed cats. Scratched that plan. I decided to graduate with an animal science degree anyway and then figure out plan B.
I was working as a vet tech when a fortuitous woman came into my life that encouraged me to apply for an entry level job at FGU. I knew NOTHING about natural gas. She said it didn’t matter, no one knows gas until they work in the industry. She was previously a job recruiter and said that my work ethic, outgoing personality, and ambition would help me succeed in anything I pursued. I wanted an MBA and FGU offered educational assistance, so I took a leap of faith. It changed the whole trajectory of my career. I fell in love with the industry, the people, the work. I had ambition, but I needed the know-how. I learned everything I could and branched out into different areas of the company. I was very fortunate to be surrounded by people that loved to pass on their knowledge, and I made sure to absorb as much of it as I could. I put myself in positions that allowed me to learn from people much more knowledgeable than me. Starting out as the Member Services Specialist, I became the Member Services Manager, then Operations Director, and now General Manager & CEO. I’ve worked hard for my success, but it wouldn’t have happened without some luck along the way.
One tenet of FWELF is to promote a diverse workforce and highlight female leaders in the energy industry. How pertinent is the ongoing need to foster diversity within today’s energy market?
Lila and I have had quite the discussion on this one. Diversity is always important – I am continually encouraging my team to challenge me and not be afraid to take an opposing position. I purposely created a team with different personalities, different approaches to problems, different work styles. However, I never want to artificially create diversity by setting an arbitrary quota based on gender, race, age, or any other qualitative characteristic. Diverse perspectives will push the energy industry forward, but only if the people are truly bringing value to the table and not just checking a box for the company. I think diversity has organically improved with every generation, and I think now is the time to shift our focus towards the accomplishments themselves. In other words, rather than saying someone is the first “____” to be appointed or to achieve certain recognition, let’s refocus on the accomplishment itself and not put a caveat on it. . It’s my opinion that a standard doesn’t change based on someone’s qualitative traits. I think we should recognize great leaders in the energy industry, and hire the best person for a job, without any qualitative caveat.
Reflecting upon your own lessons learned, what advice would you give to the college student looking for a career in energy?
I’d say – smart choice! There will ALWAYS be a need for energy. And there are SO MANY avenues you can choose within the energy sector (engineering, accounting, project management, customer service, energy trading, field/plant operations… and on and on). I always look for people with certain behavioral traits – I want people with initiative, good judgement, the desire to learn, emotional intelligence, etc. I can teach you gas or other performance factors, but it’s hard to teach work ethic. So, my first advice is to develop and hone your behavioral skills. I’ve noticed these skills in an accountant in healthcare, a woodworker, and someone who worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Like me, none of them knew gas, but I recruited them to the gas industry and they are amazing assets to our team.
My second piece of advice is APPLY FOR THE JOB! I hear so many stories where people don’t think they are qualified because they don’t know how to do one requirement on the job description. A lot of companies like to train their employees from a clean slate. Be honest in the interview (don’t oversell your abilities), describe your willingness and enthusiasm to learn, and you might be surprised!
Thirdly, it’s not always what you know, but who you know. Take internships, go to career fairs, go to conferences, anything you can do to network. Even if it isn’t your dream job, get your foot in the door. It’s usually easier to get new jobs when you already have one.
And finally, set goals and then develop a plan to achieve those goals. Opportunities won’t always fall at your feet. Think about what you can do to give yourself a leg up. And it’s okay if your goals or your path to get there changes. Sometimes, that’s the fun part!