This month, we continue our departmental features with a look at the Finance Department, which impacts every area and every employee at GUC. This department has undergone significant changes over the last few years and now includes Stores, Risk and Facilities Management, and the Analytics Office. In addition, the Finance Department includes Financial Services, Accounting, Collections, and Fleet (Garage). This month, we'll cover Finance Administration, Financial Services, and the Analytics Office.

Overseeing this department is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jeff McCauley. As CFO, Jeff is responsible for directing, planning, managing, and controlling the financial activities of Greenville Utilities. His responsibilities also include providing financial advice to the staff and Board on matters pertaining to corporate financial plans, directing business case analyses, internal auditing, cost accounting, rate analysis, and oversight for purchasing and other duties. Jeff joined GUC in 2009 after working for 14 years as the Deputy CFO for the City of Raleigh.

The Finance Department functions very much like a business partner for all the other departments, particularly the operating departments. "We take our department mission statement seriously, which is to effectively manage financial resources and provide strategic financial direction to ensure that GUC continues to provide safe, reliable service at the lowest reasonable cost," said Jeff. "Our job is to anticipate financial needs so that we can be proactive, with a focus on the long-term financial strategy for the organization. We not only look at where we are today, but where we are going."

Brandie Whitehurst, Administrative Assistant, has a variety of responsibilities, which include providing support to the CFO, Director of Financial Services & Accounting, Fleet, Collections, Stores, and Risk Management sections. She manages GUC's Purchase Card and Pre-Paid Card Programs, the Computer Loan Purchase Program, and GovDeals auctions. The Finance Department has won several state-wide awards over the past few years, and Brandie played a role in helping the Department receive its first Popular Annual Financial Report Award and its first Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association.

Risk and Facilities Management

Kevin Keyzer, Risk and Facilities Manager, oversees this section which includes Buildings and Grounds, the Safety Office, the Lighthouse Process, Security, and the Occupational Health Clinic.

Kevin started working for Greenville Utilities 17 years ago in the Safety Office, and has been in his current position since 2008. He and his staff of 12 work hard to help reduce our exposure to risk, and to help improve and maintain our facilities. Often, you'll find them working before and after business hours to ensure that our facilities and on-call crews are taken care of during storms and other emergencies. We will cover each of these sections in detail in the coming months.

Financial Services

Keith Jones, CPA, is the Director of Financial Services & Accounting. Keith focuses on accounting operations that include budgeting, reporting, and cost accounting. He oversees Financial Services, Accounting, Collections, Fleet, and Stores. This time of year is very busy for Keith and his staff as they work hard to finalize next year's fiscal budget. We will cover Financial Services this month, and the other sections in the coming months.

Accountant Margie Taylor is responsible for financial reporting, budgeting, and accounting issues. She also completes sales tax reports and various reports and surveys for state and federal agencies. In addition, Margie assists the CFO with debt issuance and disclosure reporting.

Cost Analyst Sandy Dail's responsibilities are divided between special projects and internal auditing. She assists the operating departments with financial reporting and performs a variety of other analytical studies. In addition to special projects and general accounting responsibilities, Sandy handles the accounting and tax reporting for our Compressed Natural Gas Station; oversees property appraisals; processes updates and renewals of GUC's insurance, FEMA reimbursements, and mitigation efforts; and verifies rates for services. Her internal audit responsibilities include performing compliance and efficiency audits and assisting with process procedure development.

Cleve Haddock, Procurement Coordinator, plans and manages the complex purchasing activities for GUC, from planning and research, to bid requests and final purchases. Cleve has been instrumental in GUC's Finance Department receiving the Sustained Professional Purchasing Award five years in a row, awarded by the Carolinas Association of Governmental Purchasing (CAGP).

Kim Coggins, Financial Systems Analyst, provides analysis, accounting expertise, and research for projects across GUC. Kim served on both the Work & Asset Management Core Team and the Customer Care & Billing Core Team, and still provides post go-live support to employees who use these new systems.

Financial Services employees have also been recognized by the Governmental Finance Officers Association for achieving high standards in financial reporting and budgeting. The Finance Department has earned the Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, and the Popular Annual Financial Report.  The Department has also earned Certification for Excellence from the United States Association of Public Treasurers for its Investment Policy.

Analytics Office

Jonathan Britt, Manager of Advanced Analytics, oversees the Analytics Office, which was developed in 2014. He and Louisa Chan, Senior Financial Planning and Rates Analyst, are responsible for our long-term rate modeling and financial forecasting. There are a lot of moving parts to their jobs that include long-range financial plans, capital project funding plans (currently more than $220 million), rates and cost of service studies, and budget support.

Jonathan and Louisa keep a close watch on bill comparisons to other utilities, our own spending trends, risks that could affect project timelines and costs, industry regulations, technology advances, Key Performance Indicators, and data pulled from GUC's Hyperion and Customer Care & Billing (CC&B) Systems. (We use the term "close watch" as an easy way to say they have developed a lot of complicated spreadsheets and analytic models to keep track of and predict many things.)

The models that Jonathan and Louisa prepare and maintain for each utility (Water, Wastewater, Electric, and Gas) are used to help the Management Team make decisions on project planning, prioritizing, and budgeting. There are many variables that affect funding projects (cash, state revolving loan funds, bonds, regulations, etc.), so it helps to have all those pieces in one place in order to make the best decisions in the interest of our customers and the communities we serve. This is an important aspect of maintaining stable rates and excellent customer service, all at the lowest reasonable cost.

Next month, we'll spotlight Accounting and Collections.