Join us for a joint meeting with the Association for Corporate Growth

Date: Wednesday, March 17th
Time: 5:30 Cocktails; 6:15-7:30 Presentation
Location: Duke Mansion (400 Hermitage Road Charlotte)
Parking: Limited parking spaces; complementary valet service is available at the entrance of the mansion
Cost: $20 for guests; Free for ACG and HBS Club Members
Reservations: Click here to buy tickets!!! or email Grace Hayes at hayesgb@earthlink.net
Sponsors: Abundant Power Group, LLC; Blue Point Capital Partners and ColumbusNova

The panel will discuss topics related to the energy sector including:

• Traditional and clean energy generating sources
• The regulatory envrionment at the state and federal levels
• What Charlotte is doing to position itself as the Energy Capital
  

Panelists:

James Kerr, McGuire Woods, LLP

Jim is the chair of the firm's Energy and Climate Change Team. He is a partner with McGuireWoods LLP and also a senior advisor with McGuireWoods Consulting LLC.
 
As leader of the Energy and Climate Change Team, he helps clients craft and execute legal, policy and business strategies involving issues such as energy sources, generation facilities, renewable energy sources and portfolio standards, transmission issues, carbon regulation, climate change policy, environmental regulation and compliance, and innovative finance solutions. He also serves clients with interests in regulated industries such as energy, telecom, water and waste water.
Before joining the firm, Jim served as a Commissioner on the North Carolina Utilities Commission (2001-2008), he was president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)(2007-2008), and president of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (SEARUC)(2002-2003).

He has testified before committees of the U.S. Congress and North Carolina General Assembly, as well as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He has also been a frequent speaker on regulatory issues to such groups as the Energy Regulators Regional Association (Central, Eastern Europe and Eurasia), the American Bar Association, North American Energy Standards Board, Electric Power Supply Association, Edison Electric Institute, American Gas Association, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the Harvard Electricity Policy Group.

In 2007, he was a delegate to the 6th European Union - U.S. Energy Regulators Roundtable in Athens, Greece. In 2005, he was named the 2005 Bonbright Honoree by the James C. Bonbright Utilities Centre, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia.
Jim has been active in various bar-related and community service organizations, including the American Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association, and the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys.

Jeffrey Merrifield, The Shaw Group, Inc.

Jeff formerly was a commissioner on the United States Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) from October 1998 through June 2007. Initially appointed by President Clinton and reappointed by President Bush, he served as acting NRC chairman during the August 2003 blackout when nine nuclear reactors underwent emergency shutdowns, as well as during an emergency situation that led to the first evacuation of an NRC licensed site since Three Mile Island.

Additionally, Jeff led the rewriting of the NRC Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2004-2009, including crafting the first-ever NRC vision statement and he headed the U.S. delegation to the Third Convention on Nuclear Safety at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Before joining the NRC, Jeff served as counsel and staff director to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Control and Risk Assessment from 1995 to 1998. He was also an associate at McKenna and Cuneo and served on the legislative staffs of Senators Robert C Smith (R-NH) and Gordon Humphrey (R-NH).

J.M. Bernhard, Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer of Shaw, said, "Mr. Merrifield brings valuable regulatory and legislative experience to The Shaw Group as we expand our ability to engineer, design and construct advanced nuclear power generating facilities using the AP1000 technology that is environmentally advantageous in regards to greenhouse gas emissions.

We welcome Jeff to Shaw and believe his guidance will help our Power Group business answer the nation's need for additional electrical capacity as utilities retire older generation plants and pursue more environmentally friendly options."
Jeff received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University in 1985 and his Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1992. He is a member of the bar of both New Hampshire and the District of Columbia.

Bob Morgan, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce

Bob was named president of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce in November 2005. The Chamber’s mission is to grow the economy, to serve as a voice for business and to deliver value to its members.

In growing the economy, the Charlotte Chamber’s economic development team has recruited 49,647 new jobs and $9.4 billion in new investment since Morgan’s arrival and launched a retention program to support existing businesses.

As a voice for business, the chamber led the effort in 2006 to secure funding for the Master Plan for Cultural Facilities. In 2007, the chamber led referendum campaigns to defeat the proposed repeal of transit funding and to approve a record $516 million in bonds for public education. In 2008, the chamber led a regional and statewide coalition that secured funding for the work of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority.

In delivering value to businesses in the market, formal partnerships have been established with nine regional chambers of commerce and six international and ethnic chambers, including the Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce and the Latin American Chamber of Charlotte.

Prior to his current role, Morgan was president of the Gaston Chamber of Commerce from 2002 to 2005. He began his Chamber career in 1991 on the staff of the Charlotte Chamber.

In 2008, he earned the professional designation of Certified Chamber Executive from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives association. He is a graduate of Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C., and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.