Business customers are critical to SMUD because they account for a large percentage of our revenue, and more importantly, for the jobs and economic benefits they provide our community and region.
"That's why I have a real passion for working with our business community," said Leah Pertl, a commercial accounts energy advisor. "When they succeed, Sacramento and our region succeed."
It's easy to see that Pertl loves her job. "My job as energy advisor is to make sure that I'm connected with the businesses and people I work with."
Pertl brings that enthusiasm to her current portfolio of SMUD commercial customers, which includes the Sacramento Kings, Whole Foods Market and Arden Fair Shopping Center.
"I really enjoy helping my customers find innovative solutions and opportunities to reduce their operational costs," said Pertl, who is quick to give credit to the many people at SMUD with whom she works as a liason between business customers and SMUD.
Until mid-2014, Pertl was the energy advisor to Tri Tool, which has a combined office and manufacturing facility on Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova. It is a leading industrial equipment manufacturer and one of our largest industrial customers.
Providing business solutions
"Everything we did with SMUD was primarily driven by solving a business problem, we ended up saving energy as a byproduct of trying to solve the problem," said Tri Tool Facilities Manager Joel Walton.
"Through several projects we worked on with SMUD, we actually reduced that bill by about 25 percent."
Examples of problems that needed to be solved the past few years were the need for better lighting and climate control. In both instances and many more, SMUD was instrumental in solving the problem by advising Walton on the latest products and technology and even ones that were under research and development. We also tol him of solutions that involved upgrades, additions and rebates.
"Our experience with SMUD has been a collaborative partnership," Walton said. "SMUD got to really understand our business, helped us solve our business challenges, and we saved energy and money in the process."
"Working with Joel was really great," Pertl said of Walton. Tri Tool was part of her portfolio of business customers for several year before she moved on in mid-2014 to handle other commercial accounts for SMUD. "I enjoyed working with Tri Too, and helping them to identify innovative solutions that really met their needs."