In this episode of The Energy Insider, Jack Doueck sits down with Vince Bradley, CEO of Abundant IoT, to explore the rapidly accelerating convergence of AI, energy, data centers, and on-site power generation — and why the next several years could fundamentally reshape the energy industry.

The AI revolution is creating an extraordinary new appetite for electricity. But there is a major problem: the power may not be there when — or where — businesses need it.

According to Vince, the solution increasingly lies beyond the traditional electric grid.

Abundant IoT helps companies evaluate and deploy on-site generation technologies including linear generators, fuel cells, turbines, natural gas generation, nuclear, biomass, hydrogen, battery storage, floating solar, and other emerging solutions that can potentially deliver power faster and more reliably than waiting for traditional grid infrastructure.

And Vince believes the shift is happening much faster than most people realize.

He describes a dramatic movement by data centers toward off-grid and behind-the-meter generation and shares some startling projections about just how much electricity AI and data centers could require in the years ahead. Vince also discusses his 60-megawatt project involving what he describes as “arguably the biggest company in the world.”

His message is clear: We may be entering an energy gold rush — and the companies that recognize it early could be in a very different position from those that don't.

The conversation goes far beyond data centers. Jack and Vince explore what this transformation could mean for commercial real estate owners, energy suppliers, brokers, consultants, developers, technology companies, and virtually every major electricity consumer.

For real estate executives, an increasingly important question may no longer be simply:

“Where will our next tenant come from?”

It may be:

“Where will we get the POWER to serve that tenant?”

And CEOs across every industry should be asking their management teams another question:

“Have we future-proofed our business?”

Because in an AI-powered economy, a major part of the answer may come down to something surprisingly fundamental:

Where are we going to get the electricity?

If you are an energy professional, you need to hear this conversation.

If you are a commercial real estate professional trying to understand where your buildings will get the power they need over the next five years, you need to hear this conversation.

And if you are a CEO or business leader planning for an AI-driven future, this is a discussion you cannot afford to ignore.

The energy landscape is changing. The grid is being challenged, and the race for power has already begun.

Tune in to Episode #32 of The Energy Insider and learn what you can do about it.  

In Episode #31 of The Energy Insider, host Jack Doueck, Founder of the Energy Marketing Conference, sits down with Vin Deshpande, Managing Director of A&D Global Advisors, for an inside look at the rapidly evolving world of retail energy mergers and acquisitions.

Vin brings 17 years of experience in Retail Energy M&A and has closed more than 25 transactions in just the past seven years. In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on who is buying energy companies, what they're willing to pay, what makes one company more valuable than another—and the mistakes that can cost an owner millions when it's time to sell.

The conversation explores three major trends reshaping the market, including the explosive growth in electricity demand being driven by AI and data centers; the evolution of retail suppliers toward an "Energy 2.0" model incorporating technologies such as virtual power plants; and the growing appetite among private equity firms for energy brokers and consultants as acquisition targets.

And then Jack asks the question every business owner wants answered:

What is my company actually worth?

Vin gets specific.

He discusses current valuation benchmarks, explaining why retail supplier platform transactions can command approximately 3–6X EBITDA, while customer books may be valued at roughly $200–$450 per Residential Customer Equivalent. He also explains how buyers evaluate energy brokers—including EBITDA, recurring revenues and the runoff value of the existing customer portfolio.

But getting the highest price isn't simply about finding one interested buyer.

Vin explains how A&D creates competitive auction processes that can reach 500 or more potential buyers, generating competition designed to maximize value for the seller.

He also walks listeners through what really happens when an owner decides to sell: the typical five-to-six-month M&A process, due diligence, negotiations and the issues that can dramatically increase—or decrease—the final purchase price.

Most importantly, Vin explains what business owners should be doing years before they ever consider selling: cleaning up financials, reducing customer concentration, strengthening contracts, eliminating potential red flags and continuing to grow the business throughout the sale process.

If You Own an Energy Business, Don't Miss This Episode

If you own a retail energy supplier, energy brokerage or consulting company, this episode may change the way you think about the business you've built.

What would someone pay for your company today?

What could you do over the next two or three years to make it significantly more valuable?

What are sophisticated buyers and private equity firms looking for right now?

And perhaps most importantly:

When the day eventually comes to sell, how do you make sure you don't leave millions of dollars on the table?

And if you're just starting to build an energy business, this conversation may be even more valuable. Vin explains what buyers ultimately reward—giving entrepreneurs a roadmap for building a company today that someone will want to acquire tomorrow.

Whether you're thinking about selling, buying, or simply building a more valuable energy company, Episode #31 of The Energy Insider is a must-listen.

In 2021–2022, an extraordinary energy crisis swept across the UK. Wholesale gas prices exploded. Household energy bills soared. Thirty energy suppliers collapsed.

And Monica Collings was sitting in the CEO's chair.

As CEO of challenger retailer So Energy, Monica had to navigate one of the most turbulent periods the energy industry had ever experienced—managing volatile wholesale markets, customer debt, regulators, government intervention, emergency board meetings and increasingly angry consumers. At its darkest moments, the hostility became personal, including social-media attacks and even death threats.

Yet So Energy survived.

In this compelling episode of The Energy Insider, Jack Doueck sits down with Monica Collins to explore what separates the companies—and leaders—that survive a crisis from those that don't.

What role did hedging, liquidity, governance and risk management play in determining which UK suppliers survived? Did the government's price cap protect consumers—or inadvertently help create the conditions that destroyed suppliers? And when markets become unstable, should regulators impose more restrictions—or focus instead on transparency and allow competitive markets to innovate?

Monica and Jack also compare the radically different structures of the UK and U.S. electricity markets, explore the growing problem of customer energy debt, and debate how regulators can protect vulnerable consumers without eliminating products and choices that may actually benefit them.

Today, Monica brings those lessons to some of the most important conversations shaping Britain's energy future, including her work advising on electricity-market design and the transition to net zero.

She also shares a lesson every executive should hear: the customer voice belongs in the boardroom. Understanding what customers are experiencing isn't simply a customer-service issue—it can fundamentally change corporate strategy.

And Monica explains why diversity in leadership isn't merely a social objective—it can be a competitive advantage, particularly when organizations are making difficult decisions under extreme pressure.

Recently honored with an OBE for her leadership and work advancing women in energy, Monica emerged from the crisis with lessons forged under circumstances few executives ever experience.

If your company suddenly faced a crisis tomorrow—would your balance sheet, your risk strategy, your board and your leadership team be ready?

This is a conversation about energy markets—but even more, it's about leadership when everything goes wrong.

 You don’t want to miss it.

From his early days at Power Brokers in Dallas in 2006, to leadership roles at TriEagle Energy under Rob Cantrell, Crius Energy under Michael Fallquist, and ultimately Chariot Energy in 2019, Tim discusses the experiences, mentors, and relationships that helped define his success in one of the most competitive industries in America.

Tim also explains Chariot Energy’s unique position in the marketplace as a retail energy startup backed by Hanwha Energy — a Fortune 300 global energy company with generation assets throughout the United States. The conversation explores Chariot’s ambitious expansion plans beyond ERCOT into PJM markets beginning with Ohio, as well as Tim’s perspective on the future of retail energy, including industry consolidation, the continued expansion of customer choice, and growing demand for long-term fixed-rate energy products.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why Tim believes surrounding yourself with trustworthy, reliable, and hard-working people is one of the most important keys to long-term success in retail energy
• Why every young energy professional should seek out mentors who can provide guidance, perspective, and opportunity throughout their career
• Why Tim believes retail energy choice will continue expanding geographically as customers increasingly seek long-term price stability and budget certainty
• The competitive advantages that gentailers may have over traditional retail energy providers
• What Tim learned transitioning from the brokerage side of the business to the supplier side
• Why “breaking out of routine” can be critical for long-term professional growth and success
• What differentiates Chariot Energy in today’s rapidly evolving retail energy marketplace

Whether you are a seasoned energy executive, a young professional entering the industry, or simply interested in the future of competitive energy markets, this episode delivers valuable insights on leadership, career development, market evolution, and the power of building great relationships in business.

Matt shares his remarkable 30+ year journey in energy, beginning in 1994 at Price Waterhouse’s energy division immediately after college. From there, he went on to hold leadership roles at companies including Capco and Siebel Systems before helping shape one of the most recognizable brands in retail energy as CIO and later CMO of Stream Energy. In 2014, Matt founded Spinakr, a company focused on helping energy businesses grow through technology, branding, AI strategy, and hands-on execution—bringing together marketing, operations, and technology to move faster and get real work into market.

Throughout the conversation, Matt explains how Spinakr is helping energy companies navigate today’s rapidly changing landscape through AI integration, creative and marketing execution, and operational alignment to drive speed and results. He also discusses the recent acquisition of Brandworks, a digital and brand asset management platform designed to help organizations scale and strengthen their market presence.

Jack and Matt dive into some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the retail energy industry today, including:

• How suppliers can differentiate in an increasingly commoditized marketplace — where the product itself doesn’t change, but everything around it does
• The growing importance of customer advocacy and long-term value creation
• The impact of AI and automation on retail energy operations and marketing
• Strategies for reducing customer churn and improving engagement
• Why innovation and branding matter more than ever in competitive energy markets

Matt also shares why he believes the energy industry remains one of the most exciting and opportunity-rich sectors for young professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives looking to build meaningful careers in the years ahead — not always the sexiest industry, but an essential one.

If you are an energy executive, entrepreneur, marketer, technology leader, or anyone interested in the future of competitive energy markets, innovation, and AI-driven business transformation — this is an episode you will not want to miss.

Very few actually build it.

In this episode, Jack Doueck sits down with Jeffrey Levin, a 30-year industry veteran who has operated inside global giants and built his own platform from scratch—scaling Great American Gas & Electric (GAGE) into a multi-state commercial supplier before its pending sale to 61C Commodities.

This conversation pulls back the curtain on what real differentiation looks like in a market where most players are still competing on price alone.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Jeff transitioned from lighting at Osram Sylvania / Siemens into retail energy—and what that perspective taught him about customer value
• What it actually takes to build a technology platform that delivers pricing and executable contracts in under 3 minutes (and why most suppliers still can’t do this)
• How GAGE engineered its risk management and hedging strategy to stay protected in volatile markets
• The critical difference between forward-rate vs. fixed-rate contracts in the state of New Jersey, and how that decision saved them during New Jersey’s capacity price spikes
• Why speed of decision-making is a structural advantage smaller firms have over incumbents like Direct Energy and Strategic Energy
• How to deliver true budget certainty to customers without exposing the business to outsized risk
• What founders actually think about when deciding to sell their company—and why GAGE chose to do it after 7 years

This episode challenges a hard truth:

If your only differentiator is price, you don’t have a strategy—you have a race to the bottom.

The companies that win in today’s market are the ones building technology, speed, and trust into every customer interaction.

If you’re serious about competing (and surviving) in retail energy, this is a must-listen.

You don’t do it organically.

In this episode, Jack Doueck sits down with Harold Marx, Director of Consumer Energy M&A at NRG, for a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the largest players in retail energy executed a relentless, disciplined acquisition strategy to build an 8 million customer powerhouse.

This isn’t a theoretical conversation. Harold has spent nearly two decades leading M&A at NRG, closing transactions that have fundamentally reshaped the competitive energy landscape.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why NRG bet big on acquisitions—and how that decision became the backbone of its growth strategy;
• What actually goes into executing and integrating the deals (starting with Reliant Energy in 2008);
• How the acquisition of LS Power nearly doubled NRG’s generation footprint to approximately 25 GW
• Why buying Vivint Smart Home wasn’t just diversification—it was a strategic move into energy + technology convergence
• How controlling devices like thermostats and pool pumps is quietly becoming one of the most powerful tools for load management, cost reduction, and grid stability
• What NRG won’t do—and why avoiding brokerage, credit sleeving, regulated utilities, and utility-scale solar is a deliberate “purist” strategy
• How scale impacts customer experience, execution speed, and deal-making advantage in ways most companies underestimate
• What types of companies and customer books NRG is actively targeting next

This episode challenges a common assumption in the industry:

Growth in retail energy isn’t just about pricing, sales, or product; it’s about capital allocation and strategic consolidation.

If you’re an energy executive, operator, or investor and you’re not thinking about M&A as a core growth lever, you’re already behind.

Listen now to understand how scale is really built in this business—and where the next wave of consolidation is headed.

In this thought-provoking episode of The Energy Insider, host Jack Doueck sits down with Jake Jurewicz, Founder and CEO of Blue Energy, to explore one of the most exciting—and misunderstood—opportunities shaping the future of energy.

A graduate of MIT with degrees in nuclear engineering and physics and a former strategist at Exelon Corporation, Jake is challenging conventional wisdom about nuclear power. His belief is simple but transformative: the nuclear industry doesn't have a technology problem—it has a construction problem.

Rather than reinventing the reactor itself, Blue Energy is reinventing how nuclear power plants are built. By applying advanced shipyard manufacturing and off-site prefabrication techniques, the company aims to reduce construction timelines from 10 to 15 years to as little as 36 months—dramatically lowering costs and making nuclear energy more financeable and scalable than ever before.

Jack and Jake discuss Blue Energy's groundbreaking projects, including its development efforts in Port Victoria, Texas, and examine how nuclear power can thrive in both competitive electricity markets and traditionally regulated utility environments.

The conversation also explores the powerful trends driving renewed interest in nuclear energy: explosive growth in AI data centers, electrification of the economy, reshoring of American manufacturing, the retirement of coal-fired generation, and the increasing demand for reliable, carbon-free, 24/7 electricity. While renewable resources continue to expand, Jake explains why firm baseload generation will remain essential to achieving true energy abundance.

More than just the leader of a nuclear startup, Jake Jurewicz is working to reinvent the business model of nuclear power itself. His vision extends beyond reactor technology to construction, financing, and deployment—an approach that could fundamentally reshape America's energy future.

Whether you're an energy executive, policymaker, investor, student, or simply curious about where America's electricity will come from in the decades ahead, this episode offers a fascinating look at one of the most important conversations in energy today.

Don't miss this compelling discussion about innovation, energy security, and how nuclear power could help fuel America's next generation of economic growth.

In this episode, Jack Doueck sits down with TommyRichardson, Head of Strategic Partnerships at EnergyBot, for a no-filterconversation on what it really takes to build, survive, and win in theretail energy business over decades.

Tommy isn’t just a veteran—he’s been in the room buildingthe playbook since the early days of deregulation. From launchingcompetitive supply with TXU Energy in 2000 to helping shape modern brokerageand pricing models, his fingerprints are all over the industry.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How the earliest competitive supply businesses were actually built—and what most people today still misunderstand.
• What it takes to scale indirectsales organizations that last (lessons from Strategic Energy and FirstChoice Power)
• The origin story behind “MatrixPricing,” and why pricing strategy is still misunderstood
• How one of the first fullyintegrated supplier tech platforms transformed forecasting, procurement,and customer operations
• What he learned leading andbuilding teams at First Choice Power, APG&E, and beyond
• Why “PPP” (People, Processes,and Partnerships) is the ultimate competitive advantage (and why mostcompanies get it wrong)
• The hard truth about longevity inenergy: why adaptability, not intelligence or scale, is what determines whosurvives
• How top players quietly builtrenewal engines and retention strategies that others still haven’t figured out
• What it really takes to operateand scale modern platforms like EnergyBot and Power HQ in today’s market

This isn’t theory. It’s 25+ years of real-world execution,failures, pivots, and breakthroughs—compressed into one conversation.

If you’re in retail energy and still thinking this businessis just about “rates,” you’re already behind.

Listen now and rethink how you build, price, and scale inthis industry.

With more than three decades of experience, Neville hasbuilt four retail energy suppliers in Texas from the ground up and successfully sold three of them to larger public companies. Few professionals in the industry have demonstrated the level of discipline, resilience, and strategic thinking required to repeatedly build, grow, and exit successful energy businesses. In this episode, he shares the lessons, principles, and mindset that have guided his remarkable journey.

Whether you are a seasoned industry veteran, anentrepreneur, or someone just beginning a career in energy, this episode offers practical wisdom, hard-earned lessons, and inspiration from one of the industry's most accomplished builders.

If you care about building a business that lasts — andknowing when the right time is to sell — this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Frank McGovern shares his unconventional path from telecomto building a global energy supplier—expanding across Texas, the Northeast, and even into Spain—by staying relentlessly focused on customers and growth.

But the journey hasn’t been easy. Frank opens up aboutpersonal adversity, including losing his home to a tornado in Dallas, and how resilience and mindset helped him come back stronger than ever.

At the core of his success? Innovation. Frank explains whyit’s the ultimate differentiator in retail energy—and how Clearview is leading the charge with forward-thinking strategies like incentivizing EV charging during off-peak hours, in some cases bringing costs close to zero for customers while helping balance grid demand.

You’ll also hear how he builds lasting customer loyalty,embraces change, and takes calculated risks to drive both business success and broader societal impact.

If you want insights from one of the most forward-thinkingleaders in retail energy, and a real-world playbook on growth, innovation, and resilience — this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Recorded live at EMC25 in Houston, this conversation offers a thoughtful and candid look at the policy, economics, andreal-world implications shaping the future of the energy industry.

Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how competitive markets drive innovation, improve customeroutcomes, and influence regulatory decision-making at both the state and national levels.

In this episode, you will:

- Discover how Josiah transitioned from practicing attorney to becoming a leading voice at the R Street Institute, helping guide the organization’s remarkable growth andinfluence

- Learn how R Street advocates for consumer energy choice and the expansion of open, competitive energy markets

- Understand why some states have more effective competitive structures than others and why those differences matter for customers, suppliers, and policymakers

- Hear Josiah's perspective on the "Price-to- Compare" and why he believes it can create misleading comparisons in markets where utilities and competitive suppliers operate side by side

- Explore why consumer energy choice is critical for fostering innovation, enhancing customer service, and maintaining long-term cost discipline- Gain insight into the history of the R Street Institute and the rigorous research and policy analysis they provide to the energy sector- Learn about R Street’s state-by-state energy scorecard and market evaluations and how industry stakeholders use this data to assess market performance- Hear Josiah’s outlook on the future of retail energy and the opportunities ahead for states considering competitive market modelsWhether you are an energy supplier, utility professional, policymaker, regulator, or industry stakeholder, this episode delivers valuable perspectives on the forces shaping the nextgeneration of energy markets.

Recorded live at EMC25 in Houston, PJ shares the remarkable story of building a mass-market energy supplier from zero to more than 300,000 customersin just five years—entirely through digital channels, without relying on traditional telesales or door-to-door marketing.

This conversation offers valuable insights for energyexecutives, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals seeking to understand how technology-driven strategies, customer-centric design, and distributed energy solutions are reshaping the competitive landscape.

If you are an energy executive—or aspire to become one—thisepisode delivers practical lessons, strategic insights, and forward-looking perspectives from one of the industry’s most innovative leaders.

Recorded live at the Energy Marketing Conference in Houston, this episode delivers a powerful look inside one of retail energy’s most resilient leaders.

Jay Harpole shares with Jack Doueck how he went from Exxon and ENGIE to transforming APG&E into a 7-state powerhouse—while navigating crises that could have ended it all. From surviving Winter Storm Uri to managing through a PJM capacity auction where prices skyrocketed nearlyninefold, Jay reveals the high-stakes decisions that defined his leadership.

You’ll hear how a disciplined, risk-focused CEO hedgesbeyond just energy—covering ancillaries and capacity—to protect both customers and the business in volatile markets.

But this story goes beyond strategy. Jay explains howAPG&E built a culture strong enough to earn “Best and Brightest Companies Place to Work For” honors in Houston and nationally for ten eight consecutive years—driven by exceptional customer experience and a deep commitment to giving back, including impactful work with the HoustonFood Bank, Kids Meal Inc., Good Knights of Lorain County in Ohio and other community organizations.

He also shares candid insights on the biggest challenges inretail energy today, the realities of an increasingly tough regulatory environment, and the timeless principles that separate good companies from great ones.

If you want a real-world blueprint for leadership,resilience, and growth in the energy industry—this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.

From Origin Energy’s evolution in Australia to Kinergy’s emergence as a global platform, this discussion unpacks how energy companies can move beyond commoditized supply and into a higher-value, differentiated future.

At the center of that transformation is a powerful idea: retailers don’t need to own generation to behave like “Gentailers.”

Instead, they can orchestrate distributed energy resources, unlock flexibility, and build entirely new revenue streams—while strengthening customer relationships in the process.

Manzie and Divakar explain how Kinergy enables utilities and competitive suppliers to aggregate customer assets into Virtual Power Plants, turning flexibility into a scalable, monetizable advantage. The implications are significant: improved retention, deeper customer engagement, and access to value pools that many retailers have yet to fully capture.

The conversation goes beyond theory and into execution.What’s actually changing in competitive retail energy today—for both residential and C&I customers? Where are the real pressures, and where are the underappreciated opportunities?

And perhaps most critically: why is energy flexibility emerging as the defining battleground for retailers?

A major focus is Texas and ERCOT, where volatility, grid constraints, and market structure are accelerating the need for smarter, more dynamic solutions.

Through Kinergy’s partnership with Rhythm Energy, the episode explores how flexibility is already being deployed in-market—and where the true value lies. Is it customer savings? Wholesale arbitrage? Grid services? Or the convergence of all three?

This episode also challenges traditional thinking about the role of the retailer.

As DER orchestration and flexibility scale, retailers are no longer just suppliers of electrons—they become portfolio optimizers, risk managers, and customer experience leaders. The winners in this next phase of the industry will be those who can integrate these capabilities quickly and effectively.

For energy executives navigating margin pressure, customer churn, and an increasingly complex market landscape, this conversation offers both a wake-up call and a roadmap.

The question is no longer whether flexibility matters. It’s who will capture its value—and who will be left behind.

Spanning 6.5 million square feet, the campus is home to more than 650 tenants, ranging from manufacturers and creative firms to food producers, technology companies, and increasingly data centers and high-power users. One of its most valuable—and often overlooked—assets is its 50 MW of electrical capacity, a critical advantage in an era when reliable power is becoming a decisive factor in where companies choose to locate.

In this conversation, Chris shares a rare behind-the-sceneslook at how energy strategy, infrastructure, and operational discipline can transform a massive urban property into a resilient and competitive asset.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The Evolution of Industry City: How a historic waterfront industrial complex evolved into a vibrant, mixed-use innovation campus.

• Energy as a Strategic Asset: Why energy should no longer be viewed simply as an operating expense, but as a powerful lever to enhance NOI, tenant attraction, and long-term asset value.

• Managing Energy at Campus Scale: The operational challenges and strategies involved in procuring, distributing, and optimizing energy across a 6.5 million-square-foot campus.

• Tenant Demand for Sustainability: Why today’s tenants increasingly prioritize buildings that demonstrate measurable progress toward sustainability and decarbonization goals.

• Smart Buildings and Technology: How technology, data, and intelligent infrastructure are reshaping building operations and energy management.

• Turning Crisis into Opportunity: How the devastation of Hurricane Sandy ultimately became a catalyst for infrastructure improvements and operational resilience at Industry City.

• A Major Cost Reduction Case Study: How the campus reduced its annual natural gas costs from $4 million to $1.8 million through a combination of efficiency initiatives and electrification strategies.

• Operational Excellence: Why maintaining asset value requires constant vigilance, resourceful partnerships, engaged staff, and a culture of continuous learning.

• The Future of Urban Industrial Campuses: Insights into how trends such as electrification, microgrids, distributed energy resources, and decarbonization will reshape large-scale urban real estate.

• A Costly Mistake Many Building Owners Make: Chris shares a common operational and energy management mistake that continues to cost owners millions—and how forward-thinking operators approach the problem differently.

Whether you’re a commercial real estate executive, asset manager, or energy professional, this episode delivers practical insights and strategic ideas that can change how you think about energy, infrastructure, and the future of large urban properties.

In this episode of The Energy Insider, Jack Doueck sits down with Zac Lowder, Chief Commercial Officer of Arbor — and one of the most battle-tested operators in competitive energy.

With more than 15 years inside leading retail suppliers —including Green Mountain Energy, NRG, Inspire, and Base Power — Zac has built, scaled, and sold in some of the most dynamic periods in modern retail energy.

Now, from the broker and technology side at Arbor, he brings a rare 360-degree perspective on how incentives, innovation, and customer behavior truly shape this industry.

This is not a surface-level conversation. It’s an insider’s look at what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s coming next.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How Zac helped scale Inspire from zero to 300,000 customers — and what it took to build a brand that ultimately sold to Shell in 2021.

• The hard lessons behind the growth story: Zac shares the biggest hurdle he had to overcome on his path to leadership — and how that experience reshaped the way he views risk, culture, and execution.

• Why incentives drive everything in competitive energy: From supplier margins to broker economics to customer decision-making — Zac unpacks the misalignments that hold the industry back.

• Arbor’s bold model for the future: A venture-backed, AI-native company building intelligent demand aggregation — redefining how residential and small commercial customers access energy choice.

• Why innovation thrives in competitive markets — and stalls in monopoly states: Arbor’s model represents the kind of customer-centric innovation that simply doesn’t exist where customers lack retail choice.

• The volatility question: Are today’s price swings structural — driven by capacity constraints, electrification, and slow infrastructure buildout?  Or will distributed energy resources and smarter aggregation tame volatility over time?

This episode is “essential viewing” for energy suppliers, brokers, policymakers, investors, and anyone serious about the future of retail energy.

If you want to understand where competitive markets are heading — and how AI, aggregation, and new business models could reshape the landscape — this conversation delivers.

Watch now and decide for yourself:

Is energy choice entering its most innovative era yet?

Rob is no stranger to high-stakes decision making. Over thecourse of his career, he has built and successfully exited multiple energy companies—navigating volatile markets, regulatory complexity, and the operational challenges that come with rapid growth. In this episode, he shares the strategic lessons he’s learned along the way and how those experiences are shaping his leadership at Atlantic Energy today.

The conversation also explores one of the most defining moments of Rob’s career: how his company navigated the industry-shaking impact of the Winter Storm Uri. Few events tested the resilience of energy retailers more severely, and Rob offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective on the decisions leaders must make when the market turns against them overnight.

Beyond crisis management, Rob and Jack dive deep into thestrategies that drive growth in the retail energy business—from organic expansion to acquisitions—and why choosing the right path can determine whether a company scales successfully or stalls.

In this episode, you’ll hear insights on:

• Building and Exiting Energy Companies – How Rob Cantrell built multiple successful energy businesses and the key lessons he learned from each exit.

• Leading Atlantic Energy – His strategic vision forthe future of Atlantic Energy and how the company is positioning itself in a rapidly evolving energy market.

• Surviving Industry Shocks – What really happened during Winter Storm Uri and how the crisis reshaped risk management for energy retailers.

• Build vs. Buy – A candid discussion about the advantages and pitfalls of organic growth versus acquisitions.

• M&A Strategy in Action – How Atlantic Energy successfully acquired three companies in 2025 and the strategic thinking behind those deals.

• Books of Business vs. Full Acquisitions – Why purchasing customer portfolios can sometimes create more value than acquiring an entire company.

• The Power of In-Person Networking – Why, even in a digital world, face-to-face relationships remain one of the most powerful drivers of growth in the energy industry.

For energy executives, entrepreneurs, brokers, andinvestors, this episode offers practical insights into how successful leaders think about growth, risk, and opportunity in one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

If you want to understand how top operators navigate volatility while still building companies that last, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Should more Americans have the right to choose who supplies their electricity?

As affordability pressures mount, demand for electricitysurges, and energy policy debates intensify across the country, this conversation dives deep into the structural divide between competitive power markets and monopoly utility states — and what it means for consumers, businesses, and the future of energy.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why electricity customers in monopoly (verticallyintegrated) states are paying dramatically more. Over the past 15 years, rates in states like West Virginia have surged nearly 100%, while customers in competitive markets like Texas have seen prices decline.

• The $500+ billion question: How have competitive markets avoided more than half a trillion dollars in added power costs compared to monopoly states.

• Why innovation thrives where competition exists. From free nights and weekends to bundled battery backup solutions, competitive states are rolling out products that simply don’t exist in monopoly markets.

• The “perfect storm” reshaping U.S. electricity policy: Rising demand, limited new generation, affordability concerns, and growing public frustration are converging in the 35 states where customers are stillrequired to buy power exclusively from their local utility.

• Finding economic and energy resourcesustainability

How to help large energy users sustain operations and become more competitive, while increasing power to better support growing consumer energy demands

• REAL’s bold legislative push: “Bring Your Own Power”(BYOP). Learn how the Energy Freedom and Fairness Act would allow large commercial and industrial customers to procure their own power — with legislation already introduced in West Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, and supported in SouthCarolina.

• How customers can make their voices heard. Engaging energy users to share their energy frustrations directly with lawmakers in monopoly states.

Whether you’re an energy professional, policymaker, largepower user, or simply someone wondering why your electricity bill keeps rising, this episode pulls back the curtain on how market structure shapes price, innovation, and freedom of choice.

To learn more or share your perspective, visit: www.RetailEnergyChoice.org

In Episode #13 of The Energy Insider Podcast, JackDoueck sits down with Gabe Phillips, Founder and CEO of Catalyst Power — a leader at the intersection of retail energy, distributed generation, and on-site power innovation.

As volatility, electrification, and grid constraints reshapethe energy landscape, one question looms large:

Should businesses rely solely on the grid — or startgenerating power themselves?

Gabe brings decades of energy market experience to a candid conversation about how independent businesses can regain control of their power costs, reduce exposure to market swings, and rethink what “energy procurement”really means.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Gabe’s journey through the energy industry — andhow that experience shaped Catalyst Power’s strategy in today’s rapidly evolving markets.

• How Catalyst Power is serving independent businessesdifferently. Beyond traditional supply contracts — integrating generation, sustainability, and financial strategy.

• The real story behind commercial solar. What works, what doesn’t, and what business owners need to understand before signing a deal.

• The battery storage dilemma. Why storage remains compelling in theory — but challenging in practice — and what still needs to change.

• Onsite co-generation and micro-CHP (Combined Heat &Power). How producing electricity and useful heat simultaneously at the facility level can lower costs, improve resilience, and reduce exposure to wholesale volatility.

• A frank view of today’s energy markets. Are we entering a structurally tighter era driven by load growth, data centers, and electrification — or is relief ahead?

• Actionable strategies for businesses right now. What can commercial customers do today to reduce bills, manage risk, and future-proof their operations?

This is not just a conversation about buying power. It’s a discussion about redefining how businesses think about energy altogether.

If you work with commercial customers — or are one — thisepisode will challenge assumptions and offer practical insight into where distributed energy is heading next.

Watch now and ask yourself: Is the future of commercial energy centralized… or built behind the meter?

From building a successful business to dedicating himself to public service and philanthropy, Senator Sutton shares the experiences that shaped his journey—and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How Sam Sutton built a major company, achieved a successful exit, and then chose a life focused on volunteerism and service.

2. Why he decided to run for public office for the first time at age 75—and how he won.

3. His efforts to increase energy generation in New York to help deliver more affordable power to residents.

4. How he devoted his life to helping others, including leading a large social services organization.

5. Why he finds his greatest fulfillment in improving the lives of others.

6. What inspired him to travel to Senegal and invest in infrastructure to support local communities.

7. His November 2025 trip to Ethiopia, where he helped restore sight to thousands of people suffering from preventable blindness.

If you’d like to help restore sight to someone in need—at a cost of about $75 per person—please consider donating at: www.cureblindness.org

This is a deeply inspiring episode that will encourage you to think about impact, gratitude, and the value of doing truly meaningful work.

·      How CES has grown since 1998 to over 360 employees managing about 500 assets totaling 30GW of generation.

·      How its global mindset and its mission-driven culture has built “CES-Cares” which has teams in India and Africa, providing access to electricity to the last 750M people on the planet and helping them use it for productive purposes.

·      How CES has helped 80 entrepreneurs in Zambia

·      How one of the most experienced competitive energy minds on the planet had chosen retail energy to make his mark on the world.

·      How the importance of prioritizing urgent initiatives has led to CES’ success

·      Why newcomers to the energy industry should stay curious, surround themselves with knowledgeable people, and leverage AI tools for research while focusing on skills that make them valuable to their organizations.

·      Why the energy sector is perfect for entrepreneurs for its growth potential and relative recession-proof nature

·      Where does Stephen think the industry is going – and why the best days are ahead for the competitive energy markets in the USA and the world.

In this brief episode, you will learn:

·      About the work Joe Tabeling is doing for communities and the less fortunate

·      Examples of “Bad Actors” running around the retail energy industry

·      How Bad actors erode trust, hurt customers, and damage the market.

·      How to spot a bad actor

·      Why does fraud seem to be happening more often now?

·      The four big levers we can pull to clean up the industry: Licensing, Transparency, Industry Standards, and Customer Education

·      How the “good actors” are leading with integrity!

·      What everyone can do to make energy choice work!

Enjoy!

In this episode, you will learn:

·      How Deana rose to become one of the leaders incommunity choice and energy choice in the state of New Hampshire

·      How the CPC of New Hampshire went from zero to 180,000 customers

·      How they have saved customers in their territory over $20 million thanks to energy choice!

·      How the CPC offers four choices of rates for consumers based on sustainability and clean energy

·      How the CPC integrates Community Solar into their consumer offerings

·     How the CPC successfully fights the monopolies to help reduce the cost of power for consumers

·      How the CPC opposed a local utility proposal to recover $6.5 million in costs through its default service rates, (which was later revealed to be due to billing system errors rather than customer migration)!

·       How the CPC succeeds at its mission of beating the default service rates and empowering customers!

·    Why are more than 70% of the consumers in NH still with the local utility?

This is a must-see episode for energy executives around the country to learn from New Hampshire. It is also a testament to the power of women to lead the competitive energy industry!

In this episode, Jack Doueck sits down with Frank Caliva of the Retail Energy Supply Association (RESA) (www.resausa.org) for a deep and wide-ranging discussion on consumer energy choice, competitive markets, and the future of energy regulation in the United States.

In this extended conversation, you will learn:

1. Why energy prices have risen dramatically over the past several years—and why upward pressure on prices is likely to continue

2. Why energy demand is increasing exponentially while supply growth remains constrained

3. Why so many states operate under a utility monopoly model, while only a limited number have adopted restructured markets that allow consumers to choose their energy suppliers

4. Whether claims that consumers pay more in restructured states are accurate—and if so, whether that means competitive markets have failed

5. Why the “Price to Compare” (or default utility supply rate) in restructured states is often a misleading indicator of the true cost of power

6. The real-world impact of Maryland’s recent law prohibiting suppliers from pricing above the utility’s 12-month trailing average—including how consumers reacted to losing choice, long-term fixed rates, renewable options, budget certainty, and product flexibility

7. Whether competitive markets benefit large customers at the expense of smaller ones—and what the data actually shows

8. How reliability in competitive markets compares to monopoly utility markets

9. Whether competitive energy markets contributed to the power outages during Winter Storm Uri in Texas in February 2021 (spoiler alert: they did not)

10. Why competitive markets create stronger incentives for innovation, customer service, and new product offerings than monopoly utility structures

11. What lies ahead: Will monopoly states move toward greater consumer choice, or will competitive states retreat from competition, innovation, and market freedom?

Give us one hour, and we’ll give you a comprehensive understanding of energy choice, competition, and the forces shaping the future of the energy market.

Enjoy!

Qadir talks about the ways in which CPV Retail treats brokers as true partners.

He also discussed the impact of innovation in retail energy.

Qadir explains how being a" Gentailer" harnesses the power of verticality and leverage.

In this episode, you will learn:

·  Claire’s journey in the industry and how she overcame all the obstacles to quickly rise to the top of her field

·  The basics of Community Choice Aggregation which comprises over 20 million customers

·   Why CCAs represent over 60% of voluntary green power customers

·   How CCAs have saved customers up to 25% as compared with default prices of local utilities

·   Which states are currently implementing CCAs and which will be doing so soon.

·  How the different CCA models function indifferent states

·  What Claire suggests to suppliers who want to grow their businesses and serve CCAs

·  How Lean Energy US became the only national organization representing residential and commercial customers involved in Community Choice Aggregation

This is a must-see episode for retail energy professionals who want to learn about a huge untapped market!

Find out more at www.LEANENERGYUS.org

• Hear how Misti went from accounting to operations.
• Find out why she believes mentors have a huge impact on the lives and careers of mentees.
• Learn about the founding of the Women's Energy Alliance and her role in it.
• Follow along her path and how Misti teaches the art of Overcoming Adversity and rising to the top of a large successful, competitive energy company

In this inspiring conversation, Rick shares hard-earned wisdom that every business leader, entrepreneur, and high performer can use to reach higher with confidence and passion.

You’ll hear:

• How Rick overcame adversity throughout his legendary career

• The mindset he uses to stay calm in high-pressure situations

• How he invented and perfected his iconic underhand free-throw technique, becoming one of the best shooters in NBA history

• Why he still competes in professional pickleball at an elite level, even at an advanced age

• Rick’s surprising pick for the greatest basketball player of all time

• Powerful advice for entrepreneurs, including his mantra: “Find your passion.”

Rick Barry has inspired thousands—including host Jack Doueck—to “work hard and play hard.” In this episode, you’ll understand exactly why.

Hear about Andrew's 30 years' experience at the country's the largest energy company - responsible for about 50,000 C&I customers!

Learn about the history of the competitive energy industry.

Listen to Andrew discuss how Constellation delights customers, how they are growing their service offerings, building generation, adding nuclear, integrating AI innovative services and leading the industry in carbon-free energy!

Hear about Constellation's "Efficiency Made Easy" program, which combines energy-efficient projects such as new boilers with energy purchasing to help businesses understand budget impacts and reduce power demand. What are the benefits, advantages and challenges of a fully integrated vertical energy company?

What is the secret of Constellation's success?

What does the future hold for retail energy?

1. Learn how Ashley Britt rose through the ranks to become a senior executive in one of the largest energy companies in the world

2. Listen to how Octopus Energy went from 0 to 10 million customers in just a short nine years with a fun and exciting culture.

3. Find out how Ashley balances her family life withher demanding career.

4. Hear her advice on how to find good talent to help build anenergy company.

5. Discover the new products and services that Octopus Energy is offering customers, including smart controls and demand response.

6. Find out her opinion on the Woman’s Energy Alliance, and the role of mentorship in the retail energy industry.

Host Jack Doueck is Founder and CEO of the Energy Marketing Conference, the largest conference in the retail energy industry.

Special guest on the show is Mr. Deryl Brown, Chairman of Atlantic Energy.

The show discusses the some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing retail energy suppliers.