Jason Powery, CDP

Prior to joining Gannett Fleming in 2018, I had about as much experience in the depreciation consulting space as most people do: next to none. In college, I studied operations, information, and decisions (a blend of behavioral economics and statistics), and I probably couldn’t have told my electric meter apart from my water meter.

However, I’ve since learned a lot from our valuation and rate team about public utility engineering and accounting. Recently, I’ve had opportunities to be involved with interesting projects related to net zero emission planning and electric mobility, both of which wouldn’t have been on my radar five years ago. Last year, I gave a presentation at the Society of Depreciation Professionals Conference on how electricity generation has changed in recent decades and how we can be more resilient in an uncertain future.

Growing up, I had several friends whose parents worked at Gannett Fleming, so I was familiar with the brand. They all had positive experiences here and planned to stay at the firm long-term. Choosing to spend your entire career at one company is a ringing endorsement of an employer, and I hope to spend my whole career here, too.

As one of several analysts and consultants in my group, I am a small cog in Gannett Fleming’s Valuation and Rate business line. My projects primarily relate to the performance of depreciation and original cost studies on behalf of public utilities. I’ve had the opportunity to work for various electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities across the country, and our team also consults for railroad, freight, and shipping companies.

I think the youngest generation of Americans will not be driving gas-powered combustion engine cars by 2040, and this will be the most noticeable, direct change impacting nearly everyone.

A byproduct of this transition, and the movement toward net zero more broadly, will be the reconfiguration of the electric grid to meet this new demand in the energy market. The question is, “How will this get accomplished?” I don’t know if anyone has the answer yet, but I’m excited to see it play out!

Gannett Fleming has given me many opportunities, especially for someone with my tenure. Our leadership team has pushed me more than I might have pushed myself, but I’m grateful as this has been a catalyst for my growth. Analysts like me are given the autonomy to effectively complete our project work. We also spend a fair amount of time traveling, allowing us to interact and build relationships with clients.

I’m a junior member of the Electric Mobility Task Force, a cross-disciplinary group that discusses opportunities and challenges related to achieving net zero emissions. And, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that I’m also the assistant coach of our Gannett Fleming softball team, which is always looking for new members!

Our group has been involved with some exciting projects related to net zero emission planning, working with several utilities from states like New York and California to forecast revenue under different decarbonization scenarios. Also, within the Electric Mobility Task Force, I’m part of a group tasked with analyzing the cost-benefit of installing additional electric vehicle charging equipment at Gannett Fleming’s headquarters in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

Both decarbonization and electric vehicle charging projects focus on sustainability. Regarding net zero emission planning, our team’s expertise in depreciation has allowed us to perform innovative modeling that we haven’t yet seen in the industry.

You’re never too busy to read 10 pages of a book today. For me, reading is a kind of forced meditation, and it’s probably the only time in my day when I truly reflect and lower my heart rate by double digits. More broadly, I don’t think this advice is about reading so much as it is a reminder to find time each day for the few things that are essential.

The ability to innovate is often what distinguishes the successful from the unsuccessful. This is true in most industries but even more so in engineering. Firms that hire broadly and build diverse, synergistic teams across business lines have more experience, more creative solutions, and fewer blind spots.

I enjoy reading books, watching baseball, and playing chess. Often, the pace of each of these activities is slow enough that I can manage to do all three at once.

My three brothers and I welcome each summer with our inaugural Powery Olympic Games. This three-day event once served as a measure of athleticism and feats of strength among boys but has since become a painfully slow contest between aging men to see who can avoid injury the longest.

I don’t want to brag, but I have a fairly high Elo rating in chess. For context, if a 5-year-old had the same rating, he or she would be considered a promising up-and-comer on the local competitive scene.