Podcasts about utilities

In this episode of Durable Value, we explore the concept of real estate—especially multifamily and industrial properties—as essential infrastructure. We discuss how these asset types function as a public good, their role in the economic grid, and why secondary and tertiary markets are becoming increasingly important. Tune in for insights on market dynamics, institutionalization, and the future of real estate investment.Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction00:51 – Real estate as a public good: Housing and industrial as community essentials01:15 – The “capillaries” of commerce: Small businesses and last-mile industry01:36 – Real estate as a quasi-utility; the Western US grid analogy02:30 – Institutionalization of secondary and tertiary markets02:57 – Infrastructure as an investible asset class03:22 – Needs-based assets: Comparing real estate to bridges and utilities04:08 – Asset desirability vs. discretionary assets04:31 – Monopoly vs. competition: Utilities and real estate supply04:55 – The economics of new construction vs. existing apartments06:34 – Demographic shifts: Millennials, Gen Z, and housing demand07:21 – Post-COVID trends: Remote work and changing lifestyles08:23 – Owning the grid: The I-5, I-15, and I-25 corridors09:02 – The network lens: How properties reinforce each other09:21 – Data-driven conviction and deal flow09:42 – Building alpha through authentic data and off-market deals

Welcome back, friend!   Today's episode is one so many families need right now because almost everyone is feeling the squeeze. Groceries are higher. Utilities creep up. Kids' activities cost more. Life just feels expensive. But here's the good news Most families have hidden pockets of savings they don't even realize are there.And once you shine a light on them, you start seeing how much freedom is possible Food is the biggest leak in the average family's budget, especially for busy moms who feel like they're just trying to survive dinner. But imagine cooking for just a couple of hours one day and eating homemade meals all week. The grocery bill drops. Takeout stops & the stress around dinner disappears. This is one of the easiest places to save hundreds every month without clipping coupons or living on noodles. Most people don't realize a quick stop at the store is actually one of the biggest budget drains. You go in for milk…You come out with snacks, a candle, and a seasonal display you didn't need. Those tiny $25–$40 trips add up fast. When you simplify and stick to one grocery trip with a pickup order? Your spending drops without you even trying. You would be shocked how many families are paying for things they don't even remember signing up for. Streaming services, apps, memberships, & free trials that weren't so free. A quick audit usually saves $50–$150 a month instantly. This isn't deprivation, this is stewardship. It's choosing what actually serves your home and letting go of the rest. Convenience is the silent budget killer. But when you create a few simple systems like having meals prepped or keeping a stocked pantry, convenience stops being something you buy…and starts being something you build. A cluttered home makes you forget what you already have. So you buy duplicates. You lose items. You repurchase things that were sitting in a cabinet the whole time. When you simplify your home, even a little, you automatically spend less. Because you know exactly what you have and what you don't. Less chaos equals less cash slipping through your fingers. Most moms think saving money means sacrificing everything fun. But the real heart behind saving is this: It's about living more intentionally so you can enjoy more of your life. When you spend with purpose & not panic, you stop feeling guilty… and start feeling free. And that's exactly what I want for you as we head into a brand-new year. Friend, if you're listening to this and thinking, I want to get ahead, but I don't even know where to start…You're not alone. That's why I created my FREE No Spend January Challenge we have been doing for 4 years In this challenge, you'll learn how to: stop impulse spending, use what you already have, simplify meals so you're not running to the store, cut hidden expenses without feeling deprived, create financial peace in your home & start the year with purpose instead of pressure You're not doing this alone. I'll walk with you every single step. If you want to join us, here is the link. https://stan.store/ClaimingSimplicity Blessings ~ Monica

Our Thematic and Equity Strategist Michelle Weaver and Power, Utilities, and Clean Tech Analyst David Arcaro discuss how investments in AI data centers are affecting electricity bills for U.S. consumers.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Michelle Weaver: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Michelle Weaver, Morgan Stanley's U.S. Thematic and Equity Strategist.David Arcaro: And I'm Dave Arcaro, U.S. Power, Utilities, and Clean Tech Analyst.Michelle Weaver: Today, a hot topic. Are data centers' raising your electricity bills?It's Tuesday, December 23rd at 10am in New York.Most of us have probably noticed our electricity bills have been creeping up. And it's putting pressure on U.S. consumers, especially with higher prices and paychecks not keeping pace. More and more people are pointing to data centers as the reason behind these rising costs, but the story isn't that simple.Regional differences, shifting policies and local utility responses are all at play here. Dave, there's no doubt that data centers are becoming a much bigger part of the story when it comes to U.S. electricity demand. For listeners who might not follow these numbers every day, could you break down how data centers' share of overall electricity use is expected to grow over the next 10 years? And what does that mean for the grid and for the average consumer?David Arcaro: Definitely they're becoming much bigger, much more important and more impactful across the industry in a big way. Data centers were 6 percent of total electricity consumption in the U.S. last year. We're actually forecasting that to triple to 18 percent by 2030, and then hit 20 percent in the early 2030s. So very strong growth, and increasing proportion of the overall utility, electricity use.In aggregate, this is reflecting about 150 gigawatts of new data centers by 2030. Just a very large amount. And this is going to cause a major strain on the electric grid and is going to require substantial build out and upgrading of the transmission system along with construction of new power generation – like gas plants and large-scale renewables, wind, solar, and battery storage across the entire U.S.And generally, when we see utilities investing in additional infrastructure, they need to get that cost recovered. We would typically expect that to lead to higher electric rates for consumers. That's the overall pressure that we're facing right now on the system, from all these data centers coming in.We've got these substantial infrastructure needs. That means utilities will need to charge higher prices to consumers to cover the cost of those investments.Michelle Weaver: What are the main challenges utilities companies face in meeting this rising demand from data centers?David Arcaro: There are a number of challenges. If I were to pick a few of the biggest ones that I see, I think managing affordability is one of the biggest challenges the industry faces right now, because this overall data center growth is absolutely a shock to their business, and it needs to be managed carefully given the political and regulatory challenges that can arise when customer bills are getting are escalating faster than expected. The utility industry faces scrutiny and constant attention from a political and regulatory standpoint, so it's a balance that has to be very carefully managed. There are also reliability challenges that are important.Utilities have to keep the lights on, you know, that's priority number one. The demand for electricity is growing much faster than the supply of new generation that we're seeing; new power plants just aren't being built fast enough. New transmission assets are not being built, as quickly as the data centers are coming on. So, in many areas we're seeing that leads to essentially less of a buffer, and more risk of outages during periods of extreme weather.Michelle Weaver: And you mentioned, companies are thinking about how can they insulate consumers. Can you take us through some of the specifics of what these utility companies are doing? And what regulators are doing to respond, to protect existing customers from rate increases driven by data centers?David Arcaro: Definitely. The industry is getting creative and trying to be proactive in addressing this issue. Many utilities, we're seeing them isolate data centers and charge them higher electric rates, specifically for those data center customers to try to cover all of the grid costs that are attributable to the data center's needs.A couple examples. In Indiana, we're seeing that there's a utility there who's building new power plants, specifically for a very large data center that's coming into the state and they're ring fencing it. They're only charging the data center itself for those costs of the power plants. In Georgia, a utility there is charging a higher rate for the data centers that are coming in to the Atlanta area – such that it actually more than covers the costs and compensates other consumers in the form of bill credits or even bill reductions as those data centers come on.Similarly, then, in Pennsylvania, there's a utility that has excess transmission infrastructure than the state's [infrastructure]. They're better able to absorb data center activity. They're able to lower customer bills as the data centers come on, as they spread their costs over a larger customer base in that case. So, this isn't universal though. There are some areas around the country where there are costs related to data center growth that get socialized across all consumers.One approach I also wanted to mention that we're seeing data centers pursue more and more actively is to power themselves. Essentially bring their own power, and they're using gas turbines, engines, and fuel cells that they're deploying right on site. This is actually in many cases faster than connecting to the grid, but it also avoids any consumer impact. Companies like Solaris Energy and Bloom Energy are two providers of that type of solution. And we're also seeing at a broader industry level. Another approach is the idea of data centers being flexible or turning off and not consuming power from the grid at certain times when the grid is facing stress, in an extreme weather scenario in the winter or summer. And that idea is gaining traction as well. So, we think the industry is looking for approaches that could ease the pressure on the system and on reliability, manage the affordability issues while continuing to enable and build data centers.Michelle Weaver: You mentioned what a few different states are doing on this front. But data centers are not evenly distributed through states or evenly distributed across regions. Are there regional differences in how data center growth is impacting electricity prices?David Arcaro: There are a couple of key differences that we're seeing around the country. Some areas just aren't getting that many data centers, you know, so I'd point out the northeast – in New England, in New York, we're just not seeing that much data center growth. So, it's less of an issue, the impact of data center power demand impacting customer bills in those areas. And then in some regions around the country, the utility structure is important to be aware of. There are some regions where the price of electricity fluctuates based on the supply and demand of power, rather than being directly set and controlled by a regulator. In those markets, data centers can actually more directly impact the price of electricity and there just isn't an easy way in that case to ring fence them and protect consumers from the impact of price increases.So that's where we think unique challenges can arise. And over time, we would expect to see the most meaningful rate impacts to consumers in those areas specifically. And examples would be New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio. Those are a couple of the states where we're seeing those more volatile and directly impacted prices.So, as we look at utilities, we think the state exposure is going to be more and more important. And so, a few companies like NextEra, Sempra and AEP are a few utilities that are in states that have less affordability concerns and less direct exposure to rate impacts from data centers. And then several power companies like Vistra and Talen have more of their power plants that are in states that have excess infrastructure; and as a result, potentially less affordability concerns.So, clearly the energy sector is facing real challenges and changes. So, Michelle, how are rising electricity bills actually affecting U.S. households?Michelle Weaver: It's putting even more pressure on a consumer that's already being stretched thin by multiple years of inflation and elevated price levels, and electricity is a really different type of good. It's very different from gasoline or other consumer goods or staples – in that it's an essential good. You need to have it. And it's a network service that households are structurally locked into. Unlike gas where you could adjust your trip frequency or take a different type of transport, there really aren't good substitutes for electricity.And so this dynamic weighs on consumers. They have to continue paying these bills, and it weighs particularly heavily on lower income consumers where utility bills make up a much larger portion of their household budget.So, it crowds out some of that other potential spending.David Arcaro: That makes a lot of sense. It's an important expense to consider in terms of the impact on consumers. And, you know, as a result, are consumers blaming data center electricity demand for this rise that we're seeing in bills or are they pushing back?Michelle Weaver: Yeah. Data center development is quickly becoming a NIMBY or “not in my backyard” issue with communities pushing back and even getting projects canceled. Companies really need to find ways to address local concerns about environmental and water related externalities. And message that they're able to insulate consumers, or do something to mitigate these potentially higher electricity bills.A recent poll of around 2200 voters found that just over half of respondents attribute overall electricity price increases to AI data centers, at least somewhat. While around another third, consider them very responsible. And these responses are consistent across all regions and across political affiliations. And I think this consistency across regions is really interesting. As we're talking about before, data centers are not impacting bills in every region. But consumers are still blaming them and still attributing bill increases there.It's clear that both the energy sector and U.S. consumers are navigating a complex landscape with data center growth at the center of the conversation. As policy responses evolve and the U.S. midterm elections approach, this issue is only going to gain more attention. And we'll be sure to bring you the latest. Dave, thanks for taking the time to talk.David Arcaro: Great speaking with you, Michelle.Michelle Weaver: And thanks for listening. If you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share the podcast with a friend or colleague today.

The big things you need to know:First, we are upgrading S&P 500 Health Care to overweight from market weight.Second, we are upgrading S&P 500 Communication Services to overweight from market weight.Third, our other S&P 500 recommendations are unchanged. We remain overweight Financials and Materials, underweight Consumer Discretionary, and market weight all other sectors. Among our market weights, we have a preference for sectors that look attractively valued on our quant analysis (Consumer Staples, Energy, REITs) over those that look expensive (Utilities, Tech, and Industrials) which have been the early beneficiaries of the AI trade.We also close with a quick thought on the biggest macro takeaways from our 4Q25 global analyst outlook survey.

Ce lundi 22 décembre, Christian Saint-Étienne, économiste, Ludovic Desautez, directeur délégué de la rédaction de La Tribune, et Victor Lequillerier, économiste et vice-président du Think Tank "BSI Economics", ont fait une rétrospective de l'année 2025 dans l'émission Les Experts, présentée par Raphaël Legendre sur BFM Business. Retrouvez l'émission du lundi au vendredi et réécoutez la en podcast.

(December 19, 2025) They get wheeled on flights and miraculously walk off… praise ‘Jetway Jesus.’ A lesson in false limits: Are athletes retiring too soon? The show closes with ‘Ask Handel Anything.’See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crews are making progress in restoring power to customers affected by Wednesday's storm-related outages. Utility companies say they've restored power to tens of thousands of customers. Thousands remain without power.

On Thursday's show: When an elected official leaves office, what happens to their campaign funds? Well, it turns out many Texas politicians are using those funds on everything from luxury hotels, to steakhouse dinners, to salaries for political operatives. Taylor Goldenstein of the Houston Chronicle tells us what her reporting uncovered.Also this hour: We get a better understanding of municipal utility districts, or MUDs, which are entities formed for handling water services and other utilities in unincorporated areas across the state. People are often lured to buy homes in them for affordable prices but then are surprised by high costs for property taxes or for basic services, like trash collection.Then, we discuss what makes a good workplace these days.And we visit an annual gingerbread house building contest.Watch

New data published by LinkedIn has revealed that labour markets across EMEA slackened in October, highlighting the growing competition professionals face to secure a new job. Job seekers are instead countering this trend by reducing their search intensity in favour of "job hugging" - the trend of staying put. In Ireland, job search intensity - the ratio of applications to applicants - fell by -3.9% year-on-year in October, over double the rate of decline in several EMEA-LATAM countries during the month, averaging at -1.5% YoY. Only the United Kingdom (down -9.4% YoY), France (-5.6%), and Germany (-4.4%) recorded higher falls than Ireland. Ireland continues to lead the way on flexible work Hybrid work remains the most popular flexible working option offered by companies in Ireland, with 37.3% of all job postings in October offered as hybrid. Ireland ties with the United Kingdom for the highest availability of hybrid across EMEA, above the average of 30.8% of job postings advertised as hybrid across the region during the same period. Ireland also ranks highly for pure remote positions, placing second in EMEA with 8.2% of all job postings offering the opportunity to work exclusively from home. Ireland ranks second only to the UK (8.6%) and also surpasses the European average (5.3%.) Remote roles remain some of the most in demand jobs, making up 14.7% of job applications in EMEA. Demand in Ireland was higher, with applications for remote jobs making up almost one in five (18.4%) job applications. Green talent more likely to land jobs LinkedIn's Green Skills Report 2025 has also revealed green talent is far more likely to secure a job, getting hired at a global rate of 46.6% above the global hiring rate. Across the world, Energy Management is the fastest-growing green skill category. The proportion of LinkedIn members that added this skill was 17.4% higher in 2025 than in 2024. A spike in AI-driven demand for energy and continued growth in renewable energy supply has led to these skills growing particularly quickly in the Technology, Information and Media and Utilities sectors. Commenting on the data, LinkedIn Ireland Country Manager Cara O'Leary said: "Internationally and in Ireland, we are seeing a trend where more workers are opting to stay in their current roles rather than actively seeking new opportunities. This is down to a more competitive jobs market as companies advertise fewer roles. This is coming through in our data where we have observed a decline in job search intensity, which fell by nearly 4% year-on-year in October. "At the same time, Ireland continues to stand out as a leader in flexible work, with hybrid roles now accounting for more than one-third of all job postings. Remote opportunities also remain highly sought after, with Irish workers applying to them at even higher rates than the European average. Flexibility continues to be a key differentiator for companies seeking to attract and retain the best talent. "Internationally and in Ireland, we're also seeing real momentum around green skills, with talent in this space being hired at rates well above the global average. As demand for sustainability and energy-related expertise accelerates, Irish professionals who invest in these skills will be exceptionally well positioned for the future." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook,...

Greetings, and welcome back to the podcast. This episode we are joined by Mr. Vern Yu - CEO of AltaGas - a TSX listed midstream & utilities company with a market cap of ~$13 billion. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Vern Yu leads the development and execution of AltaGas' strategy, oversees operations and manages the business and affairs of AltaGas.Vern is an experienced executive with a proven track record of success across the energy infrastructure value chain including within North American Midstream and Utilities markets being AltaGas' core focus areas. Vern joins AltaGas after a successful three-decade career at Enbridge Inc., most recently serving as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Chief Financial Officer and President, New Energy Technologies. Prior to that, Vern held various commercial, operational, and financial roles including serving as Executive Vice President, President Liquids Pipelines and as Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, where he played a leading role in securing more than $30 billion in new growth projects, completion of major pipe replacement projects, leading entry into new markets, and various acquisitions.Vern holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Toronto, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Science from Queen's University. He previously served as the Vice Chair of the Alberta Cancer Foundation's Board of Trustees and served on the Boards of DCP Midstream, Énergir Inc. and Calgary Economic Development.Among other things we learned about Gas Utilities, LPG Markets & Asian Export Opportunities.Enjoy.Thank you to our sponsors.Without their support this episode would not be possible:Connate Water SolutionsATB Capital MarketsEPACAstro Oilfield Rentals AmbyintBunch ProjectsSupport the show

Key Takeaways: Digital utilities act as bridges: They help turn Bitcoin's big price swings into more stable financial products. Smart financial tools can use Bitcoin: Products built with Treasuries and options can convert Bitcoin's energy into investments that earn steady returns. Market emotions create opportunities: The ups and downs in the options market can be used to build new financial products and collect extra yield. Built-in protection matters: Digital currency products are designed with strategies that help limit losses during downturns. A major shift is happening: Bitcoin-backed bonds and digital utilities are reshaping global finance and could grow into a multi-trillion-dollar industry.   Chapters: Timestamp Summary 0:00 Understanding Digital Utilities and Bitcoin's Role in Investing 4:33 Generating Yield from Bitcoin Through Structured Products 8:45 Earning Higher Interest Through Strategic Preferred Stock Investments 10:02 Harnessing Bitcoin Volatility for Financial Gains 17:05 Digital Utilities and the Future of Structured Financial Products 22:31 Digital Era Commerce Beyond Religion and Government Barriers 24:27 The Rise of Digital Energy and Bitcoin's Global Impact   Powered by Stone Hill Wealth Management   Social Media Handles    Follow Phillip Washington, Jr. on Instagram (@askphillip)   Subscribe to Wealth Building Made Simple newsletter https://www.wealthbuildingmadesimple.us/   Ready to turn your investing dreams into reality? Our "Wealth Building Made Simple" premium newsletter is your secret weapon. We break down investing in a way that's easy to understand, even if you're just starting out. Learn the tricks the wealthy use, discover exciting opportunities, and start building the future YOU want. Sign up now, and let's make those dreams happen!   WBMS Premium Subscription   Phillip Washington, Jr. is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

Commissioner Fergal Mulligan, member of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, on the plans to upgrade the national electricity grid and the cost in customers' bills.

We cut the streaming cord the Linux way with free, legal internet TV you can curate, DVR, and self-host via Jellyfin or Plex. Then, we talk COSMIC stable with System76's CEO.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from Defined Networking. A decentralized VPN built on the open-source Nebula platform that we love. 1Password Extended Access Management: 1Password Extended Access Management is a device trust solution for companies with Okta, and they ensure that if a device isn't trusted and secure, it can't log into your cloud apps. CrowdHealth: Discover a Better Way to Pay for Healthcare with Crowdfunded Memberships. Join CrowdHealth to get started today for $99 for your first three months using UNPLUGGED.Unraid: A powerful, easy operating system for servers and storage. Maximize your hardware with unmatched flexibility. Support LINUX UnpluggedLinks:

Efforts to keep the heat on in Kentucky households this winter, Kentucky Youth Advocates releases its report on the wellbeing of children in Kentucky, small dairy farms turning to holiday agritourism to stay profitable, and Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day gets his own space at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

A inteligência artificial está assumindo um papel central em setores como energia, mineração e indústria pesada, onde cada decisão afeta produtividade, segurança e continuidade operacional.No segundo episódio da série Futuro Inteligente com Deloitte e a AWS, a MIT Technology Review Brasil discute como a IA está sendo utilizada para otimizar manutenção, reduzir custos e preservar conhecimento técnico especializado.A conversa aborda modelos que analisam milhares de relatos para prever riscos, simulações avançadas que testam cenários extremos e os efeitos da digitalização em setores que dependem de dados confiáveis para ganhar escala, velocidade e precisão.Participam Patrícia Muricy, sócia-líder para Energy, Resources & Industrials na Deloitte, Tim Wiesel, sócio para Artificial Intelligence and Data na Deloitte, e Rafael Soares, diretor para Power and Utilities na AWS.

Our Head of Research Product in Europe Paul Walsh and Chief European Equity Strategist Marina Zavolock break down the key drivers, risks, and sector shifts shaping European equities in 2026. Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Paul Walsh: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Paul Walsh, Morgan Stanley's Head of Research Product in Europe.Marina Zavolock: And I'm Marina Zavolock, Chief European Equity Strategist.Paul Walsh: And today – our views on what 2026 holds for the European stock market.It's Tuesday, December 9th at 10am in London.As we look ahead to 2026, there's a lot going on in Europe stock markets. From shifting economic wins to new policies coming out of Brussels and Washington, the investment landscape is evolving quite rapidly. Interest rates, profit forecasts, and global market connections are all in play.And Marina, the first question I wanted to ask you really relates to the year 2025. Why don't you synthesize your, kind of, review of the year that we've just had?Marina Zavolock: Yeah, I'll keep it brief so we can focus ahead. But the year 2025, I would say is a year of two halves. So, we began the year with a lot of, kind of, under performance at the end of 2024 after U.S. elections, for Europe and a decline in the euro. The start of 2025 saw really strong performance for Europe, which surprised a lot of investors. And we had kind of catalyst after catalyst, for that upside, which was Germany's ‘whatever it takes' fiscal moment happened early this year, in the first quarter.We had a lot of headlines and kind of anticipation on Russia-Ukraine and discussions, negotiations around peace, which led to various themes emerging within the European equities market as well, which drove upside. And then alongside that, heading into Liberation Day, in the months, kind of, preceding that as investors were worried about tariffs, there was a lot of interest in diversifying out of U.S. equities. And Europe was one of the key beneficiaries of that diversification theme.That was a first half kind of dynamic. And then in the second half, Europe has kept broadly performing, but not as strongly as the U.S. We made the call, in March that European optimism had peaked. And the second half was more, kind of, focused on the execution on Germany's fiscal. And post the big headlines, the pace of execution, which has been a little bit slower than investors were anticipating. And also, Europe just generally has had weak earnings growth. So, we started the year at 8 percent consensus earnings growth for 2025. At this point, we're at -1, for this year.Paul Walsh: So, as you've said there, Marina, it's been a year of two halves. And so that's 2025 in review. But we're here to really talk about the outlook for 2026, and there are kind of three buckets that we're going to dive into. And the first of those is really around this notion of slipstream, and the extent to which Europe can get caught up in the slipstream that the U.S., is going to create – given Mike Wilson's view on the outlook for U.S. equity markets. What's the thesis there?Marina Zavolock: Yeah, and thank you for the title suggestion, by the way, Paul of ‘Slipstream.' so basically our view is that, well, our U.S. equity strategist is very bullish, as I think most know. At this stage he has 15 percent upside to his S&P target to the end of next year; and very, very strong earnings growth in the U.S. And the thesis is that you're getting a broadening in the strength of the U.S. economic recovery.For Europe, what that means is that it's very, very hard for European equities to go down – if the U.S. market is up 15 percent. But our upside is more driven by multiple expansion than it is by earnings growth. Because what we continue to see in Europe and what we anticipate for next year is that consensus is too high for next year. Consensus is anticipating almost 13 percent earnings growth. We're anticipating just below 4 percent earnings growth. So, we do expect downgrades.But at the same time, if the U.S. recovery is broadening, the hopes will be that that will mean that broadening comes to Europe and Europe trades at such a big discount, about 26 percent relative to the U.S. at the moment – sector neutral – that investors will play that anticipation of broadening eventually to Europe through the multiple.Paul Walsh: So, the first point you are making is that the direction of travel in the U.S. really matters for European stock markets. The second bucket I wanted to talk about, and we're in a thematically driven market. So, what are the themes that are going to be really resonating for Europe as we move into 2026?Marina Zavolock: Yeah, so let me pick up on the earnings point that I just made. So, we have 3.6 percent earnings growth for next year. That's our forecast. And consensus – bottom-up consensus – is 12.7 percent. It's a very high bar. Europe typically comes in and sees high numbers at the beginning of the year and then downgrades through the course of the year. And thematically, why do we see these downgrades? And I think it's something that investors probably don't focus on enough. It's structurally rising China competition and also Europe's old economy exposure, especially in regards to the China exposure where demand isn't really picking up.Every year, for the last few years, we've seen this kind of China exposure and China competition piece drive between 60 and 90 percent of European earnings downgrades. And looking at especially the areas of consensus that are too high, which tend to be highly China exposed, that have had negative growth this year, in prior years. And we don't see kind of the trigger for that to mean revert. That is where we expect thematically the most disappointment. So, sectors like chemicals, like autos, those are some of the sectors towards the bottom of our model. Luxury as well. It's a bit more debated these days, but that's still an underweight for us in our model.Then German fiscal, this is a multi-year story. German fiscal, I mentioned that there's a lot of excitement on it in the first half of the year. The focus for next year will be the pace of execution, and we think there's two parts of this story. There's an infrastructure fund, a 500-billion-euro infrastructure fund in Germany where we're seeing, according to our economists, a very likely reallocation to more kind of social-related spend, which is not as great for our companies in the German index or earnings. And execution there hasn't been very fast.And then there's the Defense side of the story where we're a lot more optimistic, where we're seeing execution start to pick up now, where the need is immense. And we're seeing also upgrades from corporates on the back of that kind of execution pickup and the need. And we're very bullish on Defense. We're overweight the issue for taking that defense optimism and projecting out for all of Europe is that defense makes up less than 2 percent of the European index. And we do think that broadens to other sectors, but that will take years to start to impact other sectors.And then, couple other things. We have pockets of AI exposure in the enabler category. So, we're seeing a lot of strength in those pockets. A lot of catch up in some of those pockets right now. Utilities is a great example, which I can talk about. So, we think that will continue.But one thing I'm really watching, and I think a lot of strategists, across regions are watching is AI adoption. And this is the real bull case for me in Europe. If AI adoption, ROI starts to become material enough that it's hard to ignore, which could start, in my opinion, from the second half of next year. Then Europe could be seen as much more of a play on AI adoption because the majority of our index is exposed to adoption. We have a lot of low hanging fruit, in terms of productivity challenges, demographics, you know, the level of returns. And if you track our early adopters, which is something we do, they are showing ROI. So, we think that will broaden up to more of the European index.Paul Walsh: Now, Marina, you mentioned, a number of sectors there, as it relates to the thematic focus. So, it brings us onto our third and final bucket in terms of what your model is suggesting in terms of your sector preferences…Marina Zavolock: Yeah. So, we have, data driven model, just to take a step back for a moment. And our model incorporates; it's quantum-mental. It incorporates themes. It incorporates our view on the cycle, which is in our view, we're late cycle now, which can be very bullish for returns. And it includes quant factors; things like price target, revisions breadth, earnings revisions breadth, management sentiment.We use a Large Language Model to measure for the first time since inception. We have reviewed the performance of our model over the last just under two years. And our top versus bottom stocks in our model have delivered 47 percent in returns, the top versus bottom performance. So now on the basis of the latest refresh of our model, banks are screening by far at the top.And if you look – whether it's at our sector model or you look at our top 50 preferred stocks in Europe, the list is full of Banks. And I didn't mention this in the thematic portion, but one of the themes in Europe outside of Germany is fiscal constraints. And actually, Banks are positively exposed to that because they're exposed to the steepness – positively to the steepness – of the yield curve.And I think investors – specialists are definitely optimistic on the sector, but I think you're getting more and more generalists noticing that Banks is the sector that consistently delivers the highest positive earnings upgrades of any sector in Europe. And is still not expensive at all. It's one of the cheapest sectors in Europe, trading at about nine times PE – also giving high single digit buyback and dividend yield. So that sector we think continues to have momentum.We also like Defense. We recently upgraded Utilities. We think utilities in Europe is at this interesting moment where in the last six months or so, it broke out of a five-year downtrend relative to the European index. It's also, if you look at European Utilities relative to U.S. Utilities – I mentioned those wide valuation discounts. Utilities have broken out of their downtrend in terms of valuation versus their U.S. peers. But still trade at very wide discounts. And this is a sector where it has the highest CapEx of any sector in Europe – highest CapEx growth on the energy transition. The market has been hesitant to kind of benefit the sector for that because of questions around returns, around renewables earlier on. And now that there's just this endless demand for power on the back of powering AI, investors are more willing to benefit the sector for those returns.So, the sector's been a great performer already year to date, but we think there's multiple years to go.Paul Walsh: Marina, a very comprehensive overview on the outlook for European equities for 2026. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk.Marina Zavolock: Thank you, Paul.Paul Walsh: And thanks for listening. If you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share the podcast with a friend or colleague today.

Emera is advancing energy leadership through strategic investment, operational excellence, and a long-term commitment to customers and communities. CEO Scott Balfour joins Inside the ICE House to discuss how the company's NYSE listing expands access to global capital and strengthens its ability to deliver reliable, affordable power.

Recorded live at the 2025 Data Center Frontier Trends Summit in Reston, VA, this panel brings together leading voices from the utility, IPP, and data center worlds to tackle one of the defining issues of the AI era: power. Moderated by Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of Economic Development for Loudoun County, the session features: Jeff Barber, VP Global Data Centers, Bloom Energy Bob Kinscherf, VP National Accounts, Constellation Stan Blackwell, Director, Data Center Practice, Dominion Energy Joel Jansen, SVP Regulated Commercial Operations, American Electric Power David McCall, VP of Innovation, QTS Data Centers Together they explore how hyperscale and AI workloads are stressing today's grid, why transmission has become the critical bottleneck, and how on-site and behind-the-meter solutions are evolving from “bridge power” into strategic infrastructure. The panel dives into the role of gas-fired generation and fuel cells, emerging options like SMRs and geothermal, the realities of demand response and curtailment, and what it will take to recruit the next generation of engineers into this rapidly changing ecosystem. If you want a grounded, candid look at how energy providers and data center operators are working together to unlock new capacity for AI campuses, this conversation is a must-listen.

Blended finance is making hard deals in emerging markets investable. It drives real infrastructure development where capital markets are thin.And when the work involves emergency aid and building businesses, you need someone who's seen how money really works in emerging markets.Few people know how to make those pieces fit together better than my guest today. Talmage Payne has spent three decades proving that mission-first investing can deliver both measurable social impact and competitive returns.Talmage is the founder of multiple social ventures across Southeast Asia and West Africa. He now serves as chairperson of TapEffect, a piped water utility delivering clean water to rural communities. There, households pay for the service, and the company delivers an 8-9% IRR.Today, we talk about how to blend grants, equity, and debt to scale essential services and how smart impact measurement keeps both investors and operators accountable.Join us to learn:What actually drives infrastructure investing success in low-income areasWhy good intentions aren't enough for viable social venturesHow to structure capital to crowd in commercial investorsThis is a conversation about what actually works backed by real numbers. Tune in.—Intro (00:00)Growing up in Nigeria during conflict (03:32)Moving to the U.S. and exploring big world problems (09:14)Cambodia becomes ground zero for real impact (11:37)Running aid programs to rebuild the country (15:52)Vision Fund turns charity into financial empowerment (17:34)Rethinking aid by making impact self-sustaining (20:49)Transition to Hagar International's trauma recovery mission (22:44)Launching blended finance model to employ survivors (24:28)Struggles balancing nonprofit values and business demands (31:36)First Finance founded to enable housing access (35:28)Formalizing land ownership through micro-mortgages (38:14)Patient capital explained (48:35)TapEffect launched to solve rural water infrastructure gaps (49:21)AI helps detect leaks and manage water losses (52:43)Blended capital enables project scalability and affordability (59:34)“Two wallets” expose flaws in giving vs. investing (01:03:14)Rapid-fire questions (01:12:01)Contact info (01:19:47)— Discover More from SRI360°:Explore all episodes of the SRI360° Podcast Sign up for the free weekly email update —Additional Resources:Talmage Payne LinkedIn TapEffect website

The La Plata Electric Association announced that it will not increase rates for members in 2026 despite rising utility costs. The Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado opened applications for the Meaningful Opportunity through Learning and Advancement Scholarship. And Fort Lewis College Community Concert Hall's holiday lineup includes performances by Santa Barbara's State Street Ballet and the Bar-D Wranglers. Watch to learn more! By Rachel Hughes.  Watch this story at www.durangolocal.news/newsstories/lpea-maintains-rates-despite-rising-costs  This story is sponsored by Serious Texas Bar-B-Q and Happy Pappy's Pizza & Wings. Support the show

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Kyle Treibs, Superintendent of Electric Department for the City of Fredericksburg, Texas, and Kris Kneese, Director of Public Works & Utilities, for the city, detail how Fredericksburg and the city Electric Department have achieved almost 40 years without a lost time work injury.

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Timothy Comerford of Biggins Lacey & Shapiro about the rapidly shifting reality of power availability in site selection. Tim explains how explosive demand from data centers and industrial users is overwhelming electric utilities, reshaping incentive policy, and lengthening timelines for securing capacity. He breaks down the biggest misconceptions around power lead times, why transmission is often the bottleneck, how utilities are adapting with costly engineering studies and take-or-pay requirements, and what steps EDOs must take to credibly position their sites. This is a masterclass on the new electricity-driven geography of economic development. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Build strong, direct relationships with utility contacts who will actually talk to prospects. Understand that real timelines for securing large loads run in years, not months. Work with utilities to pre-identify transmission routes and right-of-way feasibility. Gather realistic load estimates from prospects instead of just taking their engineer's peak numbers. Know whether your sites already sit near substations with real remaining capacity. Incorporate redundancy needs early, since 100 percent backup can double infrastructure requirements. Prepare for developers who request huge speculative loads and learn how to differentiate serious projects. Recognize that incentives tied to data centers may face political pressure due to ratepayer impacts. Push utilities and state partners to invest in long-range planning that anticipates industrial and data center growth. Educate local stakeholders that modern site readiness now includes power readiness as a top priority. Special Guest: Timothy Comeford.

There's an enormous buildout of data centers underway across the country to fuel the AI boom. Hundreds of billions of dollars have already been spent on data centers, with talk of spending trillions more. And these data centers use a lot of power: According to the Times Picuayune, Meta's new data center under construction in Louisiana will require nearly three times the power that New Orleans uses in a year. Residents across the country have taken note, and rising utility rates have become an issue in some recent elections.Casey Crownhart, senior climate reporter at MIT Technology Review, has been studying the costs and impacts of the data center boom. She joins Host Ira Flatow for an update on the latest.Guest: Casey Crownhart is a senior climate reporter at MIT Technology Review, based in New York, NY.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

Live from the iconic Venetian in Las Vegas, we're rolling out an exclusive mini-series dedicated to AWS re:Invent 2025!Tune in as we sit down with AWS visionaries and take the pulse of the industry on everything shaping the future, Cloud innovation, GenAI, Agents, and the hottest trends making waves.And because what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas, we'll spill the latest news, insider buzz, and a little Strip-side gossip to keep things spicy.Dave, Esmee, and Rob bring a double-feature conversation on industry innovation—first with Rob Boetticher, Global Technology Leader for Automotive and Manufacturing, followed by Howard Gefen, GM of the Energy and Utilities Industry Business Unit at AWS. TLDR00:42 – Rob Boetticher & Howard Gefen introduced02:00 – Rob's keynote highlights07:52 –  The future of automotive innovation with Rob23:32 – Tech fiction examples25:59 – Howard Gefen introduced28:00 – Howard's keynote highlights31:04 – Howard on the future of Energy and Utilities50:14 – Tech fiction examples GuestRob Boetticher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-boetticher/Howard Gefen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hgefen/ HostsDave Chapman:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Esmee van de Giessen:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/Rob Kernahan:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/ ProductionMarcel van der Burg:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/ SoundBen Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/ 'Cloud Realities' is an original podcast from Capgemini

People are so spoiled and have mindsets conditioned to spend, spend, spend. No matter what, people will spend money on things they don't need. They spend money they don't have. They will spend on what they don't need before getting what they need. Many people will spend money but they won't budget or save! It is the American people's fault the shambles the USA is in. We have allowed billionare and millionare companies to use and abuse us! We're taxed beyond reality on every single thing! Everything single thing is sky high and almost unaffordable these days. We have to work until we're dead! It's insane!! The crazy part is people won't stop spending! It's like people are too far gone to stop. People have become addicted to spending! Most people are easily bamboolzled into buying, dangle the carrot and people will fall for it! Wake up!!!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/relationships-and-relatable-life-chronicles--4126439/support.

Joseph Blackman introduced Lucia Diaz, the Manager of Facilities and Water System Programs for Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA), who provided an overview of IEUA's wholesale water services, wastewater treatment, and her extensive role overseeing facilities management, conveyance systems, and physical security. Lucia detailed her career progression from a construction background to being the first female construction coordinator at IEUA, where she successfully managed major projects despite initial challenges, crediting her advancement to continuous learning, mentorship from advocates like Chander Letulle, and a focus on essential skill sets such as adaptability, people leadership, and strategic thinking. Throughout the discussion, Lucia emphasized the importance of listening, remaining consistent, and focusing on professional conduct, while also sharing her advice to the community to "Protect your pipes" by only flushing the "three P's." Give the episode a listen and remember to thank your local Public Works Professionals.

Joseph Blackman welcomed Danielle Blacet, Executive Director at the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA), who explained that CMUA is a nonprofit trade association representing 86 water, wastewater, and publicly owned electric and gas utilities in California, primarily focusing on advocacy in legislative and regulatory arenas. Danielle highlighted CMUA's advocacy win, securing $3 billion from the state for Californians to pay overdue water and energy utility bills, and discussed the high level of innovation among CMUA members, including advanced water recycling, AI-integrated operations, and wildfire mitigation projects. Discussions also covered the ongoing efforts by members to educate the public on essential utility operations, Danielles transition into the Executive Director role, and strategies for addressing the "silver tsunami" in the workforce through early education, internships, and highlighting the benefits of utility careers.Find more at https://www.cmua.org/

Today on The Construction Corner Podcast, I'm joined by Ryan Easterling, PE, who is the Electrical Engineering manager at Burns and McDonnell for their power division out of their Chicago Office.I selfishly get to nerd out a little this week about power systems and the huge rise in demand that AI and data centers are creating.What is probably the most interesting and going to cause some of the biggest engineering challenges is the availability of equipment. As Ryan talks about in this clip - Utilities are already taking manufacturing slots in 2030!! How crazy is that?We cover a lot more in the utility world and some items that large users should be looking at. Flywheels anyone?Try Surfboard & Autocircuit for free. Unlock $10,000 in credits. Put $500 down today. Hit activation in 7 days—your $500 is waived—no risk. After 14 days, if you don't save at least 10 hours, we'll give you an additional $5,000 in credits. Start Today at https://www.kowabungastudios.com/kowabunga-account-creationComment your thoughts below and don't forget to like, SHARE, and subscribe!Want to speed up your Revit production and take your time back?https://www.kowabungastudios.comNeed an Electrical Engineer to help you with your design-build projects?Visit https://verticaldesignservices.com/ #Revit #BIM #Automation #KowabungaStudios #MEP #MEPAutomation

City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri v. FERC

Everyone loves a "we closed" post… but nobody talks about what actually happens next. Year one of operations is the most chaotic, most demanding, and least "passive" part of multifamily real estate — and most people have no idea what they're stepping into. In this episode, I break down the real work behind owning and operating apartments. Year one is where the property starts talking to you. Tenants, lenders, partners, vendors — everyone needs something. Problems you never saw in due diligence suddenly show up. Bills spike. Delinquency hits. Contractors ghost you. Utilities jump. And every weakness in your business plan gets exposed instantly. This is the part Instagram never shows. In this episode, we cover: – Why year one feels like a constant fire drill – The truth about older buildings and hidden issues – Delinquency, turnover, and the residents you "inherit" – The vendor and contractor chaos nobody warns you about – Cash flow pressure, tax deadlines, and insurance headaches – Weekly operator habits that keep a deal alive – Why year one determines the success of the entire hold period – What real operators do when the pain hits If you're in year one right now, you're not crazy — you're becoming an operator. If you're thinking about becoming a GP, listen with both ears open. And if you're an LP, this is why operators get paid what they get paid. Want tools, templates, or coaching to learn this game for real?

The Trump administration is pushing for a major nuclear revival as part of its energy dominance agenda and as a way to help the United States win the AI race with China. But U.S. utility companies aren't on board, hesitating to build new plants despite projections that electricity demand is expected to rapidly rise in the coming years. AJ Camacho from POLITICO's E&E News explains why utilities are resisting Trump's nuclear push. Francisco "A.J." Camacho is a reporter for POLITICO's E&E News. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and producer of POLITICO Energy.  Alex Keeney is a senior audio producer at POLITICO.  Ben Lefebvre is the deputy energy editor at POLITICO.  Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join me for a one-on-one conversation with Mayor-Elect Jayden Williams, recently elected as the youngest mayor in Stockbridge's history and a rising voice in next-generation leadership.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes Justin Huhn to the show. Justin Huhn is Founder & Publisher of Uranium Insider Pro. In this comprehensive discussion, Huhn provides an in-depth analysis of the current uranium market, highlighting its unique supply and demand dynamics. The uranium market is currently experiencing a significant bull run, with demand projections showing substantial growth. The World Nuclear Association’s 2025 reference scenario indicates uranium demand could be 50% higher by 2040 compared to 2019. Key demand drivers include electricity growth, clean energy mandates, and energy security concerns, with nuclear energy capacity projected to grow at approximately 4% annually. On the supply side, the market faces critical challenges. Major producers like Kazatomprom are struggling to maintain production levels, with most existing mines experiencing declining output. Huhn emphasizes that the industry needs substantially higher prices – potentially over $100 per pound in the term market – to incentivize new project development. The market’s structure is characterized by limited supply and rising prices, with trading volumes declining. Utilities remain cautious, often underestimating future price trajectories. Potential secondary demand drivers include financialization, strategic sovereign stockpiling, and utility inventory restocking. Huhn is bullish on uranium’s long-term prospects, suggesting the market is still in early to mid-stages of its bull cycle. He recommends investors diversify their approach, potentially holding physical uranium through vehicles like Yellow Cake or Sprott Physical Uranium Trust, and maintaining a diversified portfolio of mining stocks. Regarding potential disruptors, Huhn is optimistic about thorium’s long-term potential but doesn’t see it impacting the current uranium cycle. He’s also measured about small modular reactors, believing the focus should remain on building large, proven nuclear reactor designs. For investors interested in the sector, Huhn suggests carefully selecting companies with responsible management, strong capital positioning, and potential for future cash flow generation. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:01:00 – Uranium Bull Cycle Position 00:02:15 – Nuclear Demand Growth Drivers 00:04:21 – Supply Demand Modeling 00:06:23 – Market Uniqueness Factors 00:07:27 – Bull Market Innings Outlook 00:10:18 – Key Uranium Producers 00:17:48 – Supply Bottlenecks Challenges 00:22:36 – Incentive Price Discussion 00:25:29 – Spot vs Term Market 00:28:48 – Future Demand Projections 00:36:35 – Geopolitical Market Bifurcation 00:39:28 – Thorium and SMR Disruptors 00:45:19 – Portfolio Construction Advice 00:51:00 – Concluding Thoughts Guest Links: Website: https://www.uraniuminsider.com Newsletter: https://www.uraniuminsider.com/newsletter X: https://x.com/UraniumInsider Justin is the Founder and Publisher of the Uranium Insider Pro Newsletter. Through the combination of rigorous fundamental analysis and Justin’s thorough understanding of technical analysis, determinations are made for select companies to be included on Uranium Insider Pro’s “Focus List,” as well as the most opportune times for entry or exit. Justin is frequently asked to offer his commentary on various media forums, including Crux Investor, Smith Weekly, Palisades Gold Radio, Mining Stock Education, and Mining Stock Daily. He also regularly participates in the post-earnings commentary that is broadcast immediately after industry majors release quarterly earnings. Justin is devoted to bringing value to those that are taking their first look at the uranium sector. Until July 2020, he distributed a complimentary newsletter as an educational tool to those investors seeking to familiarize themselves with the complexities and opportunities offered by the uranium sector and the uranium shares. Regrettably, the Uranium Insider Pro subscription letter’s subscriber growth and breadth no longer allow him to provide this tool. The success of Uranium Insider has been gratifying, and the emerging bull market in uranium continues to offer an unusually attractive risk:reward proposition for fellow contrarian investors.

Kirk & Lacy on shifting research funding away from federal grants: what happens to community partnerships when the money—and the rules—change? Summary Three Audiences, One Report Lacy Fabian and Kirk Knestis untangle a fundamental confusion in community health research: there are three distinct audiences with competing needs—funders want accountability, researchers want generalizable knowledge, and communities want immediate benefit. Current practice optimizes for the funder, producing deliverables that don’t help the people being served. The alternative isn’t “no strings attached” anarchy but rather honest negotiation about who benefits and who bears the burden of proof. Kirk’s revelation about resource allocation is stark: if one-third of evaluation budgets goes to Click here to view the printable newsletter with images. More readable than a transcript. Contents Table of Contents Toggle EpisodeProem1. Introductions & Career Transitions2. The Catalyst: Why This Conversation Matters3. The Ideal State: Restoring Human Connection4. The Localization Opportunity5. Evidence + Story = Impact6. The Funder Issue: Who Is This Truly Benefiting?7. Dissemination, Implementation & Vested Interest8. Data Parties – The Concrete Solution9. No Strings Attached: Reimagining Funder Relationships10. Balancing Accountability and Flexibility11. Where the Money Actually Goes12. The Pendulum Swings13. The Three Relationships: Funder, Researcher, Community14. Maintaining Agency15. Listen and LearnReflectionRelated episodes from Health Hats Please comment and ask questions: at the comment section at the bottom of the show notes on LinkedIn  via email YouTube channel  DM on Instagram, TikTok to @healthhats Substack Patreon Production Team Kayla Nelson: Web and Social Media Coach, Dissemination, Help Desk  Leon van Leeuwen: editing and site management Oscar van Leeuwen: video editing Julia Higgins: Digit marketing therapy Steve Heatherington: Help Desk and podcast production counseling Joey van Leeuwen, Drummer, Composer, and Arranger, provided the music for the intro, outro, proem, and reflection Claude, Perplexity, Auphonic, Descript, Grammarly, DaVinci Podcast episode on YouTube Inspired by and Grateful to: Ronda Alexander, Eric Kettering, Robert Motley, Liz Salmi, Russell Bennett Photo Credits for Videos Data Party image by Erik Mclean on Unsplash Pendulum image by Frames For Your Heart on Unsplash Links and references Lacy Fabian, PhD, is the founder of Make It Matter Program Consulting and Resources (makeitmatterprograms.com). She is a research psychologist with 20+ years of experience in the non-profit and local, state, and federal sectors who uses evidence and story to demonstrate impact that matters. She focuses on helping non-profits thrive by supporting them when they need it—whether through a strategy or funding pivot, streamlining processes, etc. She also works with foundations and donors to ensure their giving matters, while still allowing the recipient non-profits to maintain focus on their mission. When she isn't making programs matter, she enjoys all things nature —from birdwatching to running —and is an avid reader. Lacy Fabian’s Newsletter: Musings That Matter: Expansive Thinking About Humanity’s Problems Kirk Knestis is an expert in data use planning, design, and capacity building, with experience helping industry, government, and education partners leverage data to solve difficult questions. Kirk is the Executive Director of a startup community nonprofit that offers affordable, responsive maintenance and repairs for wheelchairs and other personal mobility devices to northern Virginia residents. He was the founding principal of Evaluand LLC, a research and evaluation consulting firm providing customized data collection, analysis, and reporting solutions, primarily serving clients in industry, government, and education. The company specializes in external evaluation of grant-funded projects, study design reviews, advisory services, and capacity-building support to assist organizations in using data to answer complex questions.  Referenced in episode Zanakis, S.H., Mandakovic, T., Gupta, S.K., Sahay, S., & Hong, S. (1995). “A review of program evaluation and fund allocation methods within the service and government sectors.” Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Vol. 29, No. 1, March 1995, pp. 59-79. This paywalled article presents a detailed analysis of 306 articles from 93 journals that review project/program evaluation, selection, and funding allocation methods in the service and government sectors. Episode Proem When I examine the relationships between health communities and researchers, I become curious about the power dynamics involved. Strong, equitable relationships depend on a balance of power. But what exactly are communities, and what does a power balance look like? The communities I picture are intentional, voluntary groups of people working together to achieve common goals—such as seeking, fixing, networking, championing, lobbying, or communicating for best health for each other. These groups can meet in person or virtually, and can be local or dispersed. A healthy power balance involves mutual respect, participatory decision-making, active listening, and a willingness to adapt and grow. I always listen closely for connections between communities and health researchers. Connections that foster a learning culture, regardless of their perceived success. Please meet Lacy Fabian and Kirk Knestis, who have firsthand experience in building and maintaining equitable relationships, with whom I spoke in mid-September. This transcript has been edited for clarity with help from Grammarly. Lacy Fabian, PhD, is the founder of Make It Matter Program Consulting and Resources. She partners with non-profit, government, and federal organizations using evidence and storytelling to demonstrate impact and improve program results. Kirk Knestis is an expert in data use planning, design, and capacity building. As Executive Director of a startup community nonprofit and founding principal of Evaluand LLC. He specializes in research, evaluation, and organizational data analysis for complex questions. 1. Introductions & Career Transitions Kirk Knestis: My name’s Kirk Knestis. Until just a few weeks ago, I ran a research and evaluation consulting firm, Evaluand LLC, outside Washington, DC. I’m in the process of transitioning to a new gig. I’ve started a non-profit here in Northern Virginia to provide mobile wheelchair and scooter service. Probably my last project, I suspect. Health Hats: Your last thing, meaning you’re retiring. Kirk Knestis: Yeah, it’s most of my work in the consulting gig was funded by federal programs, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Ed, the National Institutes of Health, and funding for most of the programs that I was working on through grantees has been pretty substantially curtailed in the last few months. Rather than looking for a new research and evaluation gig, we’ve decided this is going to be something I can taper off and give back to the community a bit. Try something new and different, and keep me out of trouble. Health Hats: Yeah, good luck with the latter. Lacy, introduce yourself, please. Lacy Fabian: Hi, Lacy Fabian. Not very dissimilar from Kirk, I’ve made a change in the last few months. I worked at a large nonprofit for nearly 11 years, serving the Department of Health and Human Services. But now I am solo, working to consult with nonprofits and donors. The idea is that I would be their extra brain power when they need it. It’s hard to find funding, grow, and do all the things nonprofits do without a bit of help now and then. I’m looking to provide that in a new chapter, a new career focus. Health Hats: Why is this conversation happening now? Both Kirk and Lacy are going through significant changes as they move away from traditional grant-funded research and nonprofit hierarchies. They’re learning firsthand what doesn’t work and considering what might work instead—this isn't just theory—it’s lived experience. 2. The Catalyst: Why This Conversation Matters Health Hats: Lacy, we caught up after several years of working together on several projects. I’m really interested in community research partnerships. I’m interested in it because I think the research questions come from the communities rather than the researchers. It’s a fraught relationship between communities and researchers, often driven by power dynamics. I’m very interested in how to balance those dynamics. And I see some of this: a time of changing priorities and people looking at their gigs differently —what are the opportunities in this time of kind of chaos, and what are the significant social changes that often happen in times like this? 3. The Ideal State: Restoring Human Connection Health Hats: In your experience, especially given all the recent transitions, what do you see as the ideal relationship between communities and researchers? What would an ideal state look like? Lacy Fabian: One thing I was thinking about during my walk or run today, as I prepared for this conversation about equitable relationships and the power dynamics in this unique situation we’re in, is that I feel like we often romanticize the past instead of learning from it. I believe learning from the past is very important. When I think about an ideal scenario, I feel like we’re moving further away from human solidarity and genuine connection. So, when considering those equitable relationships, it seems to me that it’s become harder to build genuine connections and stay true to our humanness. From a learning perspective, without romanticizing the past, one example I thought of is that, at least in the last 50 years, we’ve seen exponential growth in the amount of information available. That's a concrete example we can point to. And I think that we, as a society, have many points where we could potentially connect. But recent research shows that’s not actually the case. Instead, we’re becoming more disconnected and finding it harder to connect. I believe that for our communities, even knowing how to engage with programs like what Kirk is working on is difficult. Or even in my position, trying to identify programs that truly want to do right, take that pause, and make sure they aim to be equitable—particularly on the funder side—and not just engage in transactions or give less generously than they intend if they’re supporting programs. But there are strings attached. I think all of this happens because we stop seeing each other as human beings; we lose those touchpoints. So, when I think about an ideal situation, I believe it involves restoring those connections, while more clearly and openly acknowledging the power dynamics we introduce and the different roles we assume in the ecosystem. We can’t expect those dynamics to be the same, or to neutralize their impact. However, we can discuss these issues more openly and consistently and acknowledge that they might influence outcomes. So, in an ideal scenario, these are the kinds of things we should be working toward. 4. The Localization Opportunity Health Hats: So Kirk, it strikes me listening to Lacy talk that there’s, in a way, the increased localization of this kind of work could lead to more relationships in the dynamic, whereas before, maybe it was. Things were too global. It was at an academic medical center and of national rather than local interest. What are your thoughts about any of that? Kirk Knestis: Yeah, that’s an excellent question. First, I want to make sure I acknowledge Lacy’s description philosophically, from a value standpoint. I couldn’t put it any better myself. Certainly, that’s got to be at the core of this. Lacy and I know each other because we both served on the board of the Professional Evaluation Society on the East Coast of the United States, and practice of evaluation, evaluating policies and programs, and use of resources, and all the other things that we can look at with evidence, the root of that word is value, right? And by making the values that drive whatever we’re doing explicit, we’re much more likely to connect. At levels in, way, in ways that are actually valuable, a human being level, not a technician level. But to your question, Danny, a couple of things immediately leap out at me. One is that there was always. I was primarily federally funded, indirectly; there’s always been a real drive for highly rigorous, high-quality evaluation. And what that oftentimes gets interpreted to mean is generalizable evaluation research. And so that tends to drive us toward quasi-experimental kinds of studies that require lots and lots of participants, validated instrumentation, and quantitative data. All of those things compromise our ability to really understand what’s going on for the people, right? For the real-life human stakeholders. One thing that strikes me is that we could be as funding gets picked up. I’m being optimistic here that funding will be picked up by other sources, but let’s say the nonprofits get more involved programs that in the past and in the purview of the feds, we’re going to be freed of some of that, I hope, and be able to be more subjective, more mixed methods, more on the ground and kind of maturein the, dirt down and dirty out on the streets, learning what’s going on for real humans. As opposed to saying, “Nope, sorry, we can’t even ask whether this program works or how it works until we’ve got thousands and thousands of participants and we can do math about the outcomes.” So that’s one way I think that things might be changing. 5. Evidence + Story = Impact One of the big elements I like to focus on is the evidence—the kind of, so what the program is doing—but also the story. Making sure both of those things are combined to share the impact. And one of the things that I think we aren’t great about, which kind of circles back to the whole topic about equitable relationships. I don’t often think we’re really great at acknowledging. Who our report outs are for 6. The Funder Issue: Who Is This Truly Benefiting? Health Hats: Yes, who’s the audience? Lacy Fabian: Describing the kind of traditional format, I’m going to have thousands of participants, and then I’m going to be able to start to do really fancy math. That audience is a particular player who’s our funder. And they have different needs and different goals. So so many times, but that’s not the same as the people we’re actually trying to help. I think part of actually having equity in practice is pushing our funders to acknowledge that those reports are really just for them. And what else are we doing for our other audiences, and how can we better uphold that with our limited resources? Do we really need that super fancy report that’s going to go on a shelf? And we talk about it a lot, but I think that’s the point. We’re still talking about it. And maybe now that our funding is shifting, it’s an excellent catalyst to start being smarter about who our audience is, what they need, and what’s best to share with them. 7. Dissemination, Implementation & Vested Interest Health Hats: So, in a way, that’s not only do we need to think about who the work is for. How do we get it to those people? So how do we disseminate to those people? And then, what are the motivations for implementation? And it seems to me that if I have a vested interest in the answer to the question, I am more likely to share it and to try to figure out what the habits are—the changing habits that the research guides. What are some examples of this that you’ve, in your experience, that either you feel like you hit it like this, worked, or where you felt like we didn’t quite get there? So, what are your thoughts about some practical examples of that? Kirk Knestis: I was laughing because I don’t have so many examples of the former. I’ve got lots of examples of the latter. Health Hats: So start there. 8. Data Parties – The Concrete Solution Kirk Knestis: A good example of how I’ve done that in the past is when clients are willing to tolerate it. We call them different things over the years, like a data party. What we do is convene folks. We used to do it in person, face-to-face, but now that we’re dealing with people spread out across the country and connected virtually, these meetings can be done online. Instead of creating a report that just sits on a shelf or a thumb drive, I prefer to spend that time gathering and organizing the information we collect into a usable form for our audiences. This acts as a formative feedback process rather than just a summative benchmark. Here’s what we’ve learned. You share the information with those who contributed to it and benefit from it, and you ask for their thoughts. We’re observing that this line follows a certain path. Let’s discuss what that means or review all the feedback we received from this stakeholder group. It’s quite different from what we’ve heard from other stakeholders. What do you think is happening there? And let them help add value to the information as it moves from evidence to results. Health Hats: This is the solution to the funder problem. Instead of writing reports for funders, Kirk brings together the actual stakeholders—the people who provided data and benefit from the program. They assist in interpreting the findings in real-time. It’s formative, not summative. It’s immediate, not shelved. 9. No Strings Attached: Reimagining Funder Relationships Health Hats: I think it’s interesting that a thread through this is the role of the funder and the initiative’s governance. I remember that we worked on a couple of projects. I felt like the funder’s expectations were paramount, and the lessons we learned in the process were less important, which aligns with what we didn’t show. Publication bias or something. Sometimes in these initiatives, what’s most interesting is what didn’t work —and that’s not so, anyway. So how? So now that you’re looking forward to working with organizations that are trying to have questions answered, how is that shaping how you’re coaching about governance of these initiatives? Like, where does that come in? Lacy Fabian: Yeah. I think, if we’re talking about an ideal state, there are models, and it will be interesting to see how many organizations really want to consider it, but the idea of no-strings-attached funding. Doesn’t that sound nice, Kirk? The idea being that if you are the funding organization and you have the money, you have the power, you’re going to call the shots. In that way, is it really fair for you to come into an organization like something that Kirk has and start dictating the terms of that money? So, Kirk has to start jumping through the hoops of the final report and put together specific monthly send-ins for that funder. And he has to start doing these things well for that funder. What if we considered a situation where the funder even paid for support to do that for themselves? Maybe they have somebody who comes in, meets with Kirk, or just follows around, shadows the organization for a day or so, collects some information, and then reports it back. But the idea is that the burden and the onus aren’t on Kirk and his staff. Because they’re trying to repair wheelchairs and imagining the types of models we’ve shifted. We’ve also left the power with Kirk and his organization, so they know how to serve their community best. Again, we’ve put the onus back on the funder to answer their own questions that are their needs. I think that’s the part that we’re trying to tease out in the equity: who is this really serving? And if I’m giving to you, but I’m saying you have to provide me with this in return. Again, who’s that for, and is that really helping? Who needs their wheelchair service? And I think that’s the part we need to work harder at unpacking and asking ourselves. When we have these meetings, put out these funding notices, or consider donating to programs, those are the things we have to ask ourselves about and feel are part of our expectations. 10. Balancing Accountability and Flexibility Health Hats: Wow. What’s going through my mind is, I’m thinking, okay, I’m with PCORI. What do we do? We want valuable results. We do have expectations and parameters. Is there an ideal state? Those tensions are real and not going away. But there’s the question of how to structure it to maximize the value of the tension. Oh, man, I’m talking abstractly. I need help thinking about the people who are listening to this. How does somebody use this? So let’s start with: for the researcher? What’s the mindset that’s a change for the researcher? What’s the mindset shift for the people, and for the funder? Let’s start with the researcher. Either of you pick that up. What do you think a researcher needs to do differently? Kirk Knestis: I don’t mind having opinions about this. That’s a fascinating question, and I want to sort of preface what I’m getting ready to say. With this, I don’t think it’s necessary to assume that, to achieve the valuable things Lacy just described, we must completely abrogate all responsibility. I think it would be possible for someone to say, money, no strings attached. We’re never going to get the board/taxpayer/or whoever, for that. Importantly, too, is to clarify a couple of functions. I found that there are a couple of primary roles that are served by the evaluation or research of social services or health programs, for example. The first and simplest is the accountability layer. Did you do what you said you were going to do? That’s operational. That doesn’t take much time or energy, and it doesn’t place a heavy burden on program stakeholders. Put the burden on the program’s managers to track what’s happening and be accountable for what got done. Health Hats: So like milestones along the way? Kirk Knestis: Yes. But there are other ways, other dimensions to consider when we think about implementation. It’s not just the number of deliveries but also getting qualitative feedback from the folks receiving the services. So, you can say, yeah, we were on time, we had well-staffed facilities, and we provided the resources they needed. So that’s the second tier. The set of questions we have a lot more flexibility with at the next level. The so-what kind of questions, in turn, where we go from looking at this term bugs me, but I’ll use it anyway. We’re looking at outputs—delivery measures of quantities and qualities—and we start talking about outcomes: persistent changes for the stakeholders of whatever is being delivered. Attitudes, understandings. Now, for health outcomes—whatever the measures are—we have much more latitude. Focus on answering questions about how we can improve delivery quality and quantity so that folks get the most immediate and largest benefit from it. And the only way we can really do that is with a short cycle. So do it, test it, measure it, improve it. Try it again, repeat, right? So that formative feedback, developmental kind of loop, we can spend a lot of time operating there, where we generally don’t, because we get distracted by the funder who says, “I need this level of evidence that the thing works, that it scales.” Or that it demonstrates efficacy or effectiveness on a larger scale to prove it. I keep wanting to make quotas, right, to prove that it works well. How about focusing on helping it work for the people who are using it right now as a primary goal? And that can be done with no strings attached because it doesn’t require anything to be returned to the funder. It doesn’t require that deliverable. My last thought, and I’ll shut up. 11. Where the Money Actually Goes Kirk Knestis: A study ages ago, and I wish I could find it again, Lacy. It was in one of the national publications, probably 30 years ago. Health Hats: I am sure Lacy’s going to remember that. Kirk Knestis: A pie chart illustrated how funds are allocated in a typical program evaluation, with about a third going to data collection and analysis, which adds value. Another third covers indirect costs, such as keeping the organization running, computers, and related expenses. The remaining third is used to generate reports, transforming the initial data into a tangible deliverable. If you take that third use much more wisely, I think you can accomplish the kind of things Lacy’s describing without, with, and still maintain accountability. Health Hats: This is GOLD. The 1/3: 1/3: 1/3 breakdown is memorable, concrete, and makes the problem quantifiable. Once again, 1/3 each for data collection and analysis, keeping the organization alive, and writing reports. 12. The Pendulum Swings Lacy Fabian: And if I could add on to what Kirk had said, I think one of the things that comes up a lot in the human services research space where I am is this idea of the pendulum swing. It’s not as though we want to go from a space where there are a lot of expectations for the dollars, then swing over to one where there are none. That’s not the idea. Can we make sure we’re thinking about it intentionally and still providing the accountability? So, like Kirk said, it’s that pause: do we really need the reports, and do we really need the requirements that the funder has dictated that aren’t contributing to the organization’s mission? In fact, we could argue that in many cases, they’re detracting from it. Do we really need that? Or could we change those expectations, or even talk to our funder, as per the Fundee, to see how they might better use this money if they were given more freedom, not to have to submit these reports or jump through these hoops? And I believe that’s the part that restores that equity, too, because it’s not the funder coming in and dictating how things will go or how the money will be used. It’s about having a relational conversation, being intentional about what we’re asking for and how we’re using the resources and then being open to making adjustments. And sometimes it’s just that experimentation: I think of it as, we’re going to try something different this time, we’re going to see if it works. If it doesn’t work, it probably won’t be the end of the world. If it does, we’ll probably learn something that will be helpful for next time. And I think there’s a lot of value in that as well. Health Hats: Lacy’s ‘pendulum swing’ wisdom: not anarchy, but intentional. Not ‘no accountability’ but ‘accountability without burden-shifting.’ The move is from the funder dictating requirements to relational conversation. And crucially: willingness to experiment. 13. The Three Relationships: Funder, Researcher, Community Health Hats: Back to the beginning—relationships. So, in a way, we haven’t really —what we’ve talked about is the relationship with funders. Lacy Fabian: True. Health Hats: What is the relationship between researchers and the community seeking answers? We’re considering three different types of relationships. I find it interesting that people call me about their frustrations with the process, and I ask, “Have you spoken with the program officer?” Have you discussed the struggles you’re facing? Often, they haven’t or simply don’t think to. What do you think they’re paid for? They’re there to collaborate with you. What about the relationships between those seeking answers and those studying them—the communities and the researchers? How does that fit into this? Kirk Knestis: I’d like to hear from Lacy first on this one, because she’s much more tied into the community than the communities I have been in my recent practices. 14. Maintaining Agency Health Hats: I want to wrap up, and so if. Thinking about people listening to this conversation, what do you think is key that people should take away from this that’ll, in, in either of the three groups we’ve been talking about, what is a lesson that would be helpful for them to take away from this conversation? Lacy Fabian: I think that it’s important for the individual always to remember their agency. In their engagements. And so I know when I’m a person in the audience, listening to these types of things, it can feel very overwhelming again to figure out what’s enough, where to start, and how to do it without making a big mistake. I think that all of those things are valid. Most of us in our professional lives who are likely listening to this, we show up at meetings, we take notes. We’re chatting with people, engaging with professional colleagues, or connecting with the community. And I think that we can continue to be intentional with those engagements and take that reflective pause before them to think about what we’re bringing. So if we’re coming into that program with our research hat on, or with our funder hat on, what are we bringing to the table that might make it hard for the person on the other side to have an equitable conversation with us? If you’re worried about whether you’ll be able to keep your program alive and get that check, that’s not a balanced conversation. And so if you are the funder coming in, what can you do to put that at ease or acknowledge it? Suppose you are the person in the community who goes into someone’s home and sees them in a really vulnerable position, with limited access to healthcare services or the things they need. What can you do to center that person, still like in their humanity, and not just this one problem space? And that they’re just this problem because that’s, I think, where we go astray and we lose ourselves and lose our solidarity and connection. So I would just ask that people think about those moments as much as they can. Obviously, things are busy and we get caught up, but finding those moments to pause, and I think it can have that snowball effect in a good way, where it builds and we see those opportunities, and other people see it and they go, Huh, that was a neat way to do it. Maybe I’ll try that too. 15. Listen and Learn Health Hats: Thank you. Kirk. Kirk Knestis: Yeah. A hundred percent. I’m having a tough time finding anything to disagree with what Lacy is sharing. And so I’m tempted just to say, “Yeah, what Lacy said.” But I think it’s important that, in addition to owning one’s agency and taking responsibility for one’s own self, one stands up for one’s own interests. At the same time, that person has to acknowledge that everybody else knows that the three legs of that stool I described earlier have to do the same thing, right? Yeah. So, it’s about a complicated social contract among all those different groups. When the researchers talk to the program participant, they must acknowledge the value of each person’s role in the conversation. And when I, as the new nonprofit manager, am talking to funders, I’ve got to make sure I understand that I’ve got an equal obligation to stand up for my program, my stakeholders, and the ideals that are driving what I’m doing. But at the same time, similarly, respecting the commitment obligation that the funder has made. Because it never stops. The web gets bigger and bigger, right? I had a lovely conversation with a development professional at a community foundation today. And they helped me remember that they are reflecting the interests and wishes of different donor groups or individuals, and there’s got to be a lot of back-and-forth at the end of the day. I keep coming back to communication and just the importance of being able to say, okay, we’re talking about, in our case, mobility. That means this. Are we clear? Everybody’s on the same page. Okay, good. Why is that important? We think that if that gets better, these things will, too. Oh, have you thought about this thing over here? Yeah, but that’s not really our deal, right? So having those conversations so that everybody is using the same lingo and pulling in the same direction, I think, could have a significant effect on all of those relationships. Health Hats: Here’s my list from the listening agency, fear, mistake, tolerance, grace, continual Learning, communication, transparency. Kirk Knestis: and equal dollops of tolerance for ambiguity and distrust of ambiguity. Yes, there you go. I think that’s a pretty good list, Danny. Lacy Fabian: It’s a good list to live by. Health Hats: Thank you. I appreciate this. Reflection Everyone in a relationship faces power dynamics – who's in control and who's not? These dynamics affect trust and the relationship’s overall value, and they can shift from moment to moment. Changing dynamics takes mindfulness and intention. The community wanting answers, the researcher seeking evidence-based answers, and those funding the studies, have a complex relationship. Before this conversation, I focused on the community-research partnership, forgetting it was a triad, not a dyad. The Central Paradox: We have exponentially more information at our disposal for research, yet we’re becoming more disconnected. Lacy identifies this as the core problem: we’ve stopped seeing each other as human beings and lost the touchpoints that enable genuine collaboration—when connection matters most. This is true for any relationship. The Hidden Cost Structure Kirk’s 1/3:1/3:1/3 breakdown is golden—one-third for data collection and analysis (adds value), one-third for organizational operations, and one-third for reports (mostly shelf-ware). The key takeaway: we’re allocating one-third of resources to deliverables that don’t directly benefit the people we’re trying to help. Perhaps more of the pie could be spent on sharing and using results. Three Different “Utilities” Are Competing Kirk explains what most evaluation frameworks hide: funder utility (accountability), research utility (understanding models), and community utility (immediate benefit) are fundamentally different. Until you specify which one you’re serving, you’re likely to disappoint two of the three audiences. Data Parties Solve the Funder Problem Pragmatically. Rather than choosing between accountability and flexibility, data parties and face-to-face analysis let stakeholders interpret findings in real time – the data party. I love that visual. It’s formative, not summative. It’s relational, not transactional. The Funding Question Reverses the Power Dynamic. Currently, funders place the burden of proving impact on programs through monthly reports and compliance documentation. Lacy’s alternative is simpler: what if the funder hired someone to observe the program, gather the information, and report back? This allows the program to stay focused on its mission while the funder gains the accountability they need. But the structure shifts—the program no longer reports to the funder; instead, the funder learns from the program. That’s the difference between equity as a theory and equity as built-in. Related episodes from Health Hats Artificial Intelligence in Podcast Production Health Hats, the Podcast, utilizes AI tools for production tasks such as editing, transcription, and content suggestions. While AI assists with various aspects, including image creation, most AI suggestions are modified. All creative decisions remain my own, with AI sources referenced as usual. Questions are welcome. Creative Commons Licensing CC BY-NC-SA This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. CC BY-NC-SA includes the following elements:    BY: credit must be given to the creator.   NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.    SA: Adaptations must be shared under the same terms. Please let me know. danny@health-hats.com. Material on this site created by others is theirs, and use follows their guidelines. Disclaimer The views and opinions presented in this podcast and publication are solely my responsibility and do not necessarily represent the views of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute®  (PCORI®), its Board of Governors, or Methodology Committee. Danny van Leeuwen (Health Hats)

Mike Horwath highlights Amazon (AMZN) into 2026 and focuses on economic expectations for next year. “You do have conflicting data points here,” he says into the Fed rate decision. He gives stock picking tips for next year, highlighting financials, utilities and industrials as places to look. Mike also comments on Nvidia (NVDA) and its role in the market, saying it has “a lot of optimism priced in,” though whether that outweighs its performance remains to be seen.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

On this episode, we are joined by Georgia State Representative David Huddleston. Rep. Huddleston is a fifth-generation farmer from Carrollton and runs a cow-calf operation alongside his family. Before being elected to office, Huddleston participated in NCBA's Young Cattlemen's Conference (YCC) where he came to Washington, D.C. to advocate for the cattle industry. That experience encouraged Huddleston to step up and run for public office to be an even strong voice for cattle farmers and ranchers. Today, Rep. Huddleston is the Secretary of the Georgia House Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs and serves on the Georgia House Committees on Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications; Interstate Cooperation; Natural Resources and Environment; and the Special Committee on Resource Management. Huddleston shares his story about standing up to be an advocate for the cattle industry.

VettaFi's Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) on this week's “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.” Why should you attend Exchange? Exchange gives advisors access to subject matter experts and developmental opportunities across all of the dimensions of their professional portfolio. Invest in your greatest asset – yourself. To learn more visit https://www.exchangeetf.com/registration

What is the role of distribution utilities in the energy transition?

This episode dives into the evolving landscape of enterprise technology, revealing how AI and cloud ERP are changing the pace and purpose of business operations. Join Richard Howells, Cognizant's Gary Hayes, and SAP's Alex Pierroutsakos as they share candid industry perspectives—spanning utilities, chemicals, and manufacturing—about overcoming legacy barriers and harnessing data-driven innovation. Listeners will hear memorable examples: from automated case management resolving millions of utility errors, to Guinness World Record-winning hackathons and accelerated digital transformations. Explore how conversational AI, real-time analytics, and agile change management liberate people from repetitive tasks, empowering them for higher-value work. Tune in for a blend of actionable insights and inspirational advice, and discover why staying curious—and leveraging the latest tech—might be the smartest business decision you can make. Don't forget to subscribe for more on the future of ERP and business innovation.

In this episode of The UVM podcast, hosts Steve Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson welcome Dennis Fallon, Executive Director of The Utility Arborist Association (UAA) to discuss the organization's strategic plans and evolution. Dennis shares the UAA's ambitious vision for the next 5 years, maintaining its historic role of supporting arborists while evolving to become the voice of the Right-of-Way (ROW) industry. This will involve driving industry norms and best management practices to influence a broader collection of stakeholders. An example is provided on the lack of standardization in the investigation of tree-caused outages. Utilities with advanced programs collect good data but not to one standard, and researchers therefore have a hard time utilizing this information and drawing conclusions from it. The UAA seeks to move the industry away from data ponds towards communal data lakes that we all stand to benefit from.  In addition to the strategic vision for The UAA, the episode includes a debrief of the record-breaking Trees and Utilities event that took place in September 2025, and a brief on the Environmental Concerns in Right-of-Way Management Symposium that will take place May 11-14 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Past proceedings from the conference can be found here.A huge thank you to the sponsor of this season and episode, Clear Path Utility Solutions.

Tree pits and titanium, encircling the city. www.patreon.com/subterpod

In this week's podcast we discuss the article from Inside Climate News that review the pro's and con's of privately held utilities and what it takes for cities or counties to start their own power companies. Source: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05112025/california-investor-owned-utilities-vs-public-utilities/About Jamie Duran & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Solar Harmonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Northern California⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, who invite their customers to “Own Their Energy” by purchasing a solar panel system for their home, business, or farm.  You can check out the website for the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ top solar energy equipment installer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Solar Harmonics, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.In each episode we discuss questions facing people making the decision to go solar. The solutions to your questions are given to you – straight  – by one of the leading experts in the solar industry, Jamie Duran, president of Solar Harmonics.Feel free to search our library for answers to questions that you're facing when considering solar.About Adam Duran & Magnified MediaSolarcast is produced and co-hosted by Adam Duran, director of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Magnified Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. With offices in downtown ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠San Francisco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Los Angeles⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Walnut Creek, California⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Magnified⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Media is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠digital marketing agency⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ focused on digital marketing, local and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠local & national SEO⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website design⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and lead generation for companies of all sizes.Magnified Media helps company leaders master their marketing by:• getting their website seen at the top of Google rankings, and• getting them more online reviews,• creating media content that engages with each client's target audience.In his spare time, Adam enjoys volunteering on the board of several community-based non-profits and his own weekly podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Local SEO in 10⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Abigail Sawyer and Brian Turner of Advanced Energy United and the West Wide Governance Pathways Initiative launch committee discuss the renewed possibility of a seamless, westwide power market that would be governed by a regional organization. The recent passage of California's Assembly Bill 825 cleared the way for California entities to participate in such a market, which, with the load and resources of California's investor-owned utilities, presents a compelling opportunity for non-California entities. Brian also discusses lessons learned from market structures in the Eastern Interconnection and how the California Independent System Operator's extended day-ahead market hopes to avoid making the same mistakes.

The salient point of this podcast episode is the report of a severe geomagnetic storm that reached G4 intensity, which may lead to potential disruptions in GPS and HF radio communications, as well as the possibility of auroras in high latitude regions. We also discuss the absence of tropical cyclones in both the Atlantic and Pacific regions, indicating a lack of immediate concern in those areas. Additionally, we note that the Storm Prediction Center has not identified any severe thunderstorm risks across the United States, although there may be isolated, non-severe thunderstorms in northern California. Winter weather remains a significant focus, particularly with lake effect snow tapering in the eastern Great Lakes and new winter storm warnings in effect for parts of the western states. We will continue to monitor the impacts of the geomagnetic storm and the evolving winter hazards across the regions of concern.The current episode delves into the intricate phenomena of geomagnetic storms, particularly focusing on the recent severe G4 intensity storm reported by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. This storm has significant implications for high latitude regions, where it is expected to affect GPS functionality and high-frequency (HF) radio communications, alongside the enchanting possibility of auroral displays for those fortunate enough to have clear skies. The episode meticulously illustrates the nuances of these atmospheric disturbances, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of how such solar activities intertwine with terrestrial weather patterns. Moreover, the discussion encompasses the broader context of winter weather forecasts, emphasizing the tapering of lake effect snow in the eastern Great Lakes and the impending mountain snow events in the western states, thus painting a multifaceted picture of the current meteorological landscape.In addition to the geomagnetic disturbances, the episode offers insights into the ongoing winter weather advisories. Specifically, it highlights the persistent lake effect snow impacting Michigan and the Eastern Lake Ontario region, with detailed forecasts predicting additional accumulation in specified areas. The narrative progresses to include important updates from various state weather services, underscoring the operational readiness of utilities and transportation authorities in light of these extreme weather conditions. Throughout the discussion, the hosts maintain a focus on safety and preparedness, urging listeners to stay informed and vigilant as they navigate the complexities of the current weather situation.The episode culminates in a thorough examination of the meteorological outlook, with hosts reiterating the significance of monitoring geomagnetic storm impacts and evolving winter hazards across the nation. By drawing connections between solar activities and terrestrial weather phenomena, this episode not only informs but also educates its audience about the intricate interplay of forces that govern our weather systems, leaving listeners with a richer appreciation for the complexities of nature.Takeaways:* The NOAA reported a severe geomagnetic storm reaching G4 intensity, impacting high latitude regions. * Aurora visibility is expected in high latitude areas, along with potential GPS and HF radio issues. * The National Hurricane Center indicates no tropical cyclones are active in the Atlantic or Pacific regions. * Weather conditions in the eastern Great Lakes involve tapering winter lake effect snow this morning. * Utilities and pipeline operators maintain a routine mitigation posture amid the ongoing winter hazards. * No significant earthquakes were reported in Alaska and California over the past day, ensuring regional stability. Sources[SWPC | https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/severe-geomagnetic-storm-level-g4-reached-11012025][NHC | https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/][SPC | https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html][USGS | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?timeZone=utc&extent=7.62389,179.47266&extent=64.39694,320.09766&magnitude=all][NWS Sacramento (Sierra) | https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=sto&wwa=all][NWS Eureka (NW CA winds/mtn snow) | https://www.weather.gov/eka/][Caltrans QuickMap | https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/][Caltrans Road Conditions (I-80 example) | https://roads.dot.ca.gov/?roadnumber=80][NWS Gaylord briefing page (updated today) | https://www.weather.gov/apx][NWS Buffalo Advisory 6:36 AM EST Wed Nov 12 | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Winter%20Weather%20Advisory][TripCheck—North/Sw OR regional road conditions (updatedearly AM) | https://www.tripcheck.com/DynamicReports/Report/RoadConditions/4][TripCheck—SW OR conditions & snow-zone segments | https://www.tripcheck.com/DynamicReports/Report/RoadConditions/7][TripCheck NOAA Pass Forecasts (Cascades of Lane Co.) | https://www.tripcheck.com/DynamicReports/Report/NoaaForecasts/5][NWS Seattle—Winter Storm Warning text (Cascades) | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=SEW&wwa=winter%20storm%20warning][WSDOT Pass Reports hub | https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/mountain-pass-reports];[NOAA—Stevens Pass forecast | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=47.7462&lon=-121.0859] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

Get the latest updates from our LinkedIn page! https://onelink.to/treesandlinesWelcome back to another episode of the Trees & Lines podcast. Brett Kasten, President & CEO at GeoDigital, joins us to talk about how utilities are transforming raw data into actionable insights. Brett shares how GeoDigital combines 3D modeling, high-resolution imagery, and AI analytics to help utilities create digital twins, improve vegetation management, and strengthen grid reliability. He also discusses how innovation, collaboration, and data-driven planning are helping utilities make smarter investment decisions for a more resilient grid. Have a listen, hope you enjoy!#VegetationManagement #UtilityArboriculture #UtilityLeadership #GridReliability #DigitalTwin #UtilityTechnology #EnergyInfrastructure #DataAnalytics #AI #Sustainability #LeadershipLessons #UtilityInnovation #Utilities #ExecutiveStrategy #UtilityLeadership Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some system cleaners cry wolf, showing scary error counts to pressure you into buying. Others disagree on what counts as “dirty.” I'll unpack the scare tactics, the lack of standards, and the risks of using these utilities, plus safer ways to keep your PC running smoothly.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations from this year, featuring insights worth revisiting. Thank you for being part of the Data Stack community. Stay up to date with the latest episodes at datastackshow.com. This week on The Data Stack Show, Ryan Dolley joins Eric and John to discuss his unique journey from playwriting to leading product strategy in the data industry. The conversation explores the evolution of business intelligence (BI), the growing influence of AI on analytics, and the shifting skill sets required for data professionals. Key topics include the challenges of adapting to rapid technological change, the importance of embracing engineering practices in BI, and the need for continuous learning. Listeners will gain insights into how AI is transforming data roles, why storytelling remains central to analytics, practical advice for thriving in a fast-changing industry, and so much more. Highlights from this week's conversation include:Ryan's Journey: From Playwriting to Data (1:05)Making a Living as a Playwright (3:02)Transitioning to BI: Night School and First Data Jobs (4:12)Storytelling and Data: The Art of BI (6:22)Early BI Work: Data Warehouses and PDF Reports (8:33)Moving from Utilities to Consulting (13:03)Building vs. Implementing: Product Strategy Lessons (16:37)The AI Shift in BI and Analytics (18:41)Automation Anxiety: The Human Side of Data Change (22:16)The Evolving Role of BI Experts (25:18)Adapting to Change: Learning Code and Experimentation (29:34)AI and the Future of Embedded Analytics (33:38)Capturing Intent: The Value of Modern BI Interfaces (37:03)Bridging the Data and Software Engineering Gap (39:13)The Historical Divide: Data vs. Software Engineering (43:06)Organizational Challenges: Where Does BI Belong? (46:05)Reflections on Self-Service BI and Value (48:46)If Not Data: Ryan's Alternate Career Paths (49:04)Final Thoughts and Takeaways (50:17)The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it's needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we'll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

* Guest Duane Bartley: This week Fred Williams and Doug McBurney Welcome Duane Bartley, (EE), Vice President of the Rocky Mountain Creation Fellowship and an experienced engineer in the Utilities, Defense & Space industries.   * Expert Opinion: Hear the story of how an errant "expert" opinion about peanut sensitivity found its way into pediatrician's advice about 25 years ago, and contributed to a dramatic rise in peanut allergies, (and how exposing kids to peanuts early on is now proven to be the better advice).   * Keep RSR on the Air! It's Telethon Month! If you enjoy Real Science Radio WE NEED YOU to keep us on the air! Help us reach our $30,000.00 goal by purchasing Real Science Radio products, or become an insider and sponsor some shows! You can also mail your support in the form of an old school check, (preferably for $30,000.00 or more - or less : ) to RSR PO Box 583 Arvada, CO 80001. * Scientific Telephone: Duane explains how otherwise brilliant minds end up accepting ridiculous fables like evolution because they assume the other scientists who specialize in fields like evolutionary biology and geology are as smart and conscientious as they are.   * Settled Science: Hear all about the missing links, the evolutionary miracles, "total upending" and "explosions" of life (and death) one must accept to assert that the world was not created by the God of the Bible.   * Deception & Deceit: Many scientists who go along with evolution and other lies of "settled science" are simply deceived, and don't have a malevolent motivation. But we're reminded that even ignorance is sin, as is foolishness! And sin does harm, and even gets people killed whether it's intentionally malevolent or not. * God & Carbon Dating: Hear one of the better refutations of the lie your government school science teacher told you, (that carbon dating proves God doesn't exist).   * Chasing Squirrels: Check out the Malabar GIANT - the official squirrel of Duane Bartley, our nominee to be the official mascot of Real Science Radio!

The coal, utilities, and transportation industries have all mounted efforts to stop governments from regulating emissions or transitioning to cleaner energy. In this episode we look at how those efforts took shape around the world, and what tactics they used to block progress. Jen Schneider, at Boise State University and Gregory Trencher, at Kyoto University, join us to walk through the peer-reviewed research on these efforts. You can now download a FREE copy of the book Climate Obstruction: A Global Survey here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices