About Us

Guy K. Anderson
Senior Analyst, Program Manager

Guy K. Anderson's involvement with Information Technology (data processing) covers over 40 years. He was directly involved with marketing and selling software and systems to the utility industry. As a senior analyst and program manager with Sierra Energy Group, he manages the development and execution of the company’s Enterprise Solution Market Intelligence Service and works as a senior analyst and writer on proprietary consulting assignments including writing market reports. Prior to working with Sierra Energy Group Mr. Anderson worked for high technology companies and application service providers selling enterprise solutions to the utility marketplace. This work involved working with investor-owned, cooperatives and municipal utilities.

Over his career, Mr. Anderson developed and sold financial software for the banking and gaming industry. He served as Director of Strategic Projects for the major provider of cash delivery systems for the North American gaming industry. He headed the team responsible for providing new cash management systems and innovative marketing data to the gaming industry. Prior to that assignment, he worked with software companies delivering credit card and ATM systems to the international banking arena and a major credit card processing organization. During the 1980’s he was Regional Vice President for the leading and dominant software firm providing mission critical software to the major utility companies and financial institutions. He began his technology career with The Service Bureau Corporation (originally a subsidiary of IBM). These assignments required Mr. Anderson to be successful at assessing market requirements and potentials, understanding and developing application requirements, interfacing with utility executives and industry personnel and providing guidance on strategies for successful campaigns.

Mr. Anderson is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and completed marketing studies at University of North Carolina in Charlotte.

Edmund P. Finamore, P.E.
Senior Analyst, Program Manager

Edmund P. Finamore, P.E. is a recognized authority on utility automation with nearly 30 years of experience in utility and high technology environments. As a senior analyst and program manager with Sierra Energy Group, he managed the development and execution of the company’s T&D Automation Market Intelligence Service and worked as a senior analyst and writer on numerous proprietary consulting assignments, including writing market reports and white papers. Prior to working with Sierra Energy Group and forming his own consultancy (ValuTech Solutions), Mr. Finamore worked for several high tech companies and at Duquesne Light Company where he implemented Duquesne’s AMR network, one of the most fully integrated AMR systems in the world.

Over a 30 year career, Mr. Finamore managed or participated in many utility automation projects, including extensive work on customer information systems (CIS), outage management systems (OMS), and re-engineering of the new business process. Under his pioneering leadership, Duquesne Light succeeded integrating its AMR system with the company’s OMS, which significantly improved outage response time by identifying outages down to the meter level in near real time, the earliest known application of this type. Mr. Finamore also played a leading role at Duquesne in restructuring the company for utility deregulation.

Mr. Finamore implemented Duquesne’s sophisticated AMR network architecture which involved integration of point-to-point and point-to multi-point communications systems into one overall network structure that utilized both outbound polling and inbound call techniques as well as mobile and handheld data collection methods. Advanced meter data collected through MV-90 was processed to Duquesne’s billing and energy supplier reconciliation systems. Many of the network’s components were utilized for the first time ever in a commercial AMR environment.

Since 2002, Mr. Finamore has worked as a market analyst and consultant on numerous strategic and tactical research and analysis projects. As a senior analyst and project manager with the Sierra Energy Group, he has managed the development and execution of the company’s T&D Automation Market Intelligence Service, covering a spectrum of utility automation systems He worked as a senior analyst and writer on numerous proprietary consulting assignments, including contributing to and writing market reports and white papers covering a number of topics ranging from systems integration to CIS to workforce management issues.

Mr. Finamore is the founder and President of ValuTech Solutions, a management consulting firm focusing on utility automation and deregulation as well as AMR strategies and installation and authored many articles on AMR. He received electrical engineering and MBA degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, and is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Doug Morgan
Senior Consultant

Doug Morgan has spent more than 40 years in Information Technology with over 30 years in technology management. Mr. Morgan has served 25 years in IT leadership positions for Great Plains Energy, Inc. formerly Kansas City Power & Light Company, with the last 8 years serving in the capacity of CIO. While CIO, Mr. Morgan's role spanned additional areas of responsibility including facilities management, fleet management, moving corporate headquarters, and corporate procurement.

Prior to joining KCPL, Mr. Morgan spent 13 years in the technology sector, serving in various capacities such as analyst, consultant, project manager, and branch customer support manager.
Mr. Morgan is known for his leadership in pioneering new technologies. As the technology officer for Kansas City Power & Light, his company was the first utility to move off mainframes in the early 1990s and implement integrated systems in that environment. It was the first in the world to fully implement automated metering in 1994 and fully integrated it into the Customer Information System and Operations Support Systems.

Mr. Morgan is recognized in the utility industry for his strength and vision in applying new technology to improve business performance. He keynotes and authors on leading-edge topics that are top of mind for today's energy & utility CIO's. His presentations are based upon his personal experience and observations. He has a unique combination of hands-on technical experience coupled the ability to articulate business cases as well as risks. With his "laid-back" personal style, he has a proven ability to enlist enterprise wide support for out-of-the-box ideas to achieve those strategies and business goals most pressing to both management and the corporation.

Corporate initiatives successfully completed by Mr. Morgan include:

• Customer Information System - managed 4 CIS implementations either as vendor consultant or CIO at three different companies.
• Enterprise Resource Planning - financial, payroll, human resources, budgeting, tax, and supply chain management modules completed in 1999. Upgraded all modules to latest vendor product in 2002/2003.
• Automated Mapping/Facilities Management - implemented entire distribution system between 1996 and 1999.
• Automated Metering/Distribution Automation - automated nearly 450,000 residential and commercial meters between 1993 and 1996. Installed automated controls in distribution system to control voltage during peak load conditions.
• AMR/DA Integration With Business Process - integrated AMR/DA into operations support, customer information and ERP systems.
• Power Plant Maintenance Management - implemented systems to maximize efficiency of plant maintenance, operation, overhaul scheduling and management activities.
• Corporate Headquarter Relocation - moved corporate headquarters and 24/7 customer and systems operations to new location in 1991.
• Upgraded and Built New Service Center Facilities - remodeled obsolete facilities and built two new service centers to accommodate service area growth.
• Implemented Fleet Life Cycle Program - replaced worn out fleet of utility vehicles with new leased vehicles on life cycle program to ensure continuity of reliable fleet.

As a senior consultant with WBC, Ltd./SEG, Morgan has advised utilities on IT structures and implementation and provided third-party reviews of utility software selections and IT structure/operations.

As energy companies examine options available to mitigate risk, stabilize infrastructure, and simultaneously apply innovation, it is imperative to have access to pioneers who have navigated this terrain before. Knowing the risks and pitfalls of IT structure and governance is vital to survival. Morgan provides advisement services to sitting CIOs and industry leadership who are clients of Sierra Energy Group, as well as being available to assist in other IT-related projects.

Larry Colton, P.E., P.M.P.
Project Consultant, Senior Analyst

Larry Colton, P.E., P.M.P. is a business and technology expert with over 20 years experience associated with the Utility industry. His diverse breadth of experience includes reengineering, AMR/AMI, BPL/power line communications, energy management, product development, strategic planning, utility engineering and operations, telecommunications, deregulation, new business development, and project management. His contributions to Sierra Energy Group include supporting various Market Intelligence Service projects and investigations. Prior to working with Sierra Energy Group, Mr. Colton worked for several companies as well as launching his own consultancy group, CP Consulting. The list of companies that Mr. Colton worked with includes PECO Energy, Atlantic Electric, Constellation Energy, Exelon, Sierra Wireless, ATI, Verizon Wireless, Schlumberger, Siemens, Echelon and Qualcomm.

Over his more than 20 year career, Mr. Colton led, managed or participated in many utility related regulated and non-regulated initiatives, including: reengineering projects, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) efforts, AMR/AMI projects, BPL investigations, technology investigations, Six Sigma projects and product development efforts. Mr. Colton created the Customer Communications Platform (CCPTM) for Exelon. He managed the development, testing and implementation of the CCP project for Exelon and PECO Energy. CCP was a state-of-the-art AMI system utilizing public wireless networks and power line communications to deliver a two-way automated meter reading system. In addition, Mr. Colton was responsible for various utility projects, including protective relaying, system planning, energy management, investment due-diligence analysis, Market research projects and strategy development efforts throughout his career.

Mr. Colton works as a project consultant on various market intelligence service related projects for the Sierra Energy Group. This work includes executing the company’s T&D Automation Market Intelligence Service, covering a spectrum of utility automation systems and contributing to the company’s investigations and analysis related to utility industry and automation systems.

Mr. Colton is the founder and Principal of CP Consulting, a management consulting firm focusing on utility related technology investments, BPL, AMR/AMI, product marketing and product development. He has a BSEE degree from Rutgers' College of Engineering as well as an MBA degree. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and a certified Project Management Professional. In addition, he received three US patents as well as foreign counterpart patents related to wireless, power line, advanced metering and data communications systems. Larry participated in industry working groups associated with the development of public standards and he is often invited to speak at various industry conferences.

Mary Ann Stewart, P.E.
Senior Analyst

Mary Ann Stewart is a licensed professional civil engineer with a diverse background in government, research, utility industry and consulting. She has a diverse background in journalism, municipal works engineering, environmental regulatory policy and analysis, Federal research programs, utility IT management, independent power production, and management consulting. A frequent speaker and writer on utility business and IT topics, Ms. Stewart is analyst on numerous Sierra Energy publications and research initiatives. She is chair of the 2007 GITA (Geospatial Information Technology Association) Annual Conference.

Ms. Stewart has specialized in the geospatial technology industry since the early 1990s and in the utility industry since the mid 1990s. Since 2004 she has been engaged in a project to develop best practices for business case and return on investment methodology for utility and government enterprise-wide IT projects. She is co-author of a book published in 2007 by the American Water Works Research Foundation and GITA entitled “Building a Business Case for Geospatial Information Technology: A Practitioners Guide to Financial and Strategic Analysis.” Other business activities include market research concerning SCADA control systems, GIS technology and asset management for water and electric utilities

Before forming a small business, Ms. Stewart was an IT manager for a gas and electric utility company, UtiliCorp United/Aquila. She also worked with Aquila Merchant Services, which was engaged in the development of gas turbine power plants.

Stewart founded Mary Ann Stewart Engineering LLC in 2003, providing geospatial technology and enterprise architecture consulting services to the utility industry and government. She is also Marketing Director of UmmelGroup International, a consulting firm providing enterprise architecture management consulting services to government and private industry. She is an avid sailor, musician, fiction writer, and tango dancer.