Stream Energy is kicking off 2013 with a variety of good news for people who are looking to join the family of satisfied Stream Energy customers. Check it out:

• On January 14, 2013, Stream Energy introduced a rate plan exclusively for new Texas electricity customers. The “New Friends Plan” is geared towards helping electric customers in Texas lock in a very competitive rate which will serve them well throughout 2013. Please visit this page to see Stream Energy’s 12-month “New Friends” Plan rates for all service areas of Texas. To take advantage of this terrific new plan, click here.
• Stream Energy also just lowered the deposits required of new customers in Texas (was $250; now $125) and Georgia (was $150; now $75). We cut those deposits in half to help our new friends get on board so they can enjoy the Stream Difference as quickly as possible.
• Stream Energy announced lowered electricity rates in Pennsylvania on January 3 and lowered natural gas rates in Georgia on January 5. Coupled with our already attractive rates in the Northeast and our New Friends Plan in Texas, we have a very cost-attractive suite of products to meet your family’s energy needs.
• Stream Energy ushered in the New Year in grand style, thanks to our third year as the Big D NYE Fireworks Spectacular sponsor. The event drew more than 35,000 attendees and was broadcast to over six and a half million people in five states. Stream Energy again used its sponsorship platform to highlight the work of Captain Hope’s Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving homeless children. In 2012, Captain Hope’s Kids touched the lives of roughly 40,000 children in North Texas.
• Next month, Stream Energy is again expecting thousands of highly motivated Ignite entrepreneurs to descend upon Dallas for a three-day extravaganza we call Ignition. Each year, Ignition presses on the accelerator of our business and pushes us forward.

It’s an exciting time for Stream Energy, and we’re only getting started. Give us a shout - we’d love to show you why we’re “Your Best Friend’s Energy Company.”

Stream Energy is the parent company of Ignite, the world’s largest network marketer of energy. Together, they have generated $5 billion in total revenues in less than eight years.

The firm is a proud member of numerous associations and industry groups:

Better Business Bureau
Direct Selling Association
Retail Energy Supply Association
North Texas Commission
ERCOT Board of Directors
National Energy Marketers Association Executive Committee
Captain Hope’s Kids Board of Directors

In its brief history, the firm has been a multiple recipient of various awards and honors:

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year / Southwest Region Award
Platts Global Energy Awards
American Business Awards
Communicator Award of Distinction
Corporate Philanthropy Award / Philadelphia
Top Workplace – National Standard Designation
KEMA Executive Forum Speaker
Big D NYE Fireworks Sponsor
Dallas 100 Entrepreneur Award
Dallas Chamber Momentum Award
Genesys Customer Innovation Award

If you want to be successful, then you owe it to yourself to partner with the proven leader of relationship marketers of energy – Stream Energy and Ignite.

As the calendar switches to September, exciting events return to the horizon. Stadiums welcome the return of frenzied fans, parkways of summer green evolve to autumn auras, flashing school zones emerge from summer hibernation and Mother Nature ushers in relief from summer’s grasp.

Whatever your preferred part of autumn’s arrival, the fall feels refreshing. As cooler breezes blow and temperatures begin to drop, Stream Energy is refreshing our rates.

Effective last week, Stream Energy dropped rates in most of our service areas across Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. The perfect beginning to fall is already in full force.

In Texas, fall is still in its infancy as many cities saw temperatures topping 100º for much of last week. As a cold front arrived, so did lower Texas rates. Lower rates were also seen in the Northeast territories, as well as in Georgia.

So as September succulence begins to sink in, Stream Energy customers can keep focused on pigskin players, pumpkins and helping with homework.

As your best friend’s energy company, we know your time is precious because we’re husbands and mothers, too. So, get back to what’s important and we’ll take care of your energy needs with great rates that you don’t have to think twice about and customer service you’ll want to brag about.

From our family to yours, enjoy the upcoming autumn and don’t forget to start off your September succulence with a great new low rate from Stream Energy—your best friend’s energy company.

The wave of excitement around Clean Nation by Stream Energy has spread to your favorite social media. Stay on top of all important Clean Nation announcements and remain up-to-date with the latest and greatest information about Clean Nation. Share it with your friends and help spread the word of Clean Nation by Stream Energy.

“Like” Clean Nation on Facebook

Follow Clean Nation on Twitter

Clean Nation by Stream Energy is not yet available to participate in. However, Ignite Compliance is pleased to offer a a few tips to help you get started off on the right foot:

• Any advertising must be approved by Compliance PRIOR to posting and/or making public.
• Clean Nation advertising operates in the same manner as it does in Ignite: you may advertise for the Opportunity (REPs), but NOT for customers (RECs).
• Use catch phrases such as “Go Green and Make Green,” “Make Money and Help The Environment,” and “I Can Show You How To Make Money From Renewable Energy Certificates.”
• Associates can only SHARE, but not publish, the 4-minute Clean Nation video on YouTube. You may not use the video to advertise for RECs.
• Upon the launch of Clean Nation, every potential Renewable Energy Partner (REP) must have a valid Social Security Number to become a member.

Please Note: these tips are provided to help you spread the word about Clean Nation. The official Policies and Procedures for Clean Nation will be available on the launch date in August.

To have all your questions answered, please visit Ignite Compliance on Facebook or send an email to compliance@igniteinc.com.

Through Clean Nation by Stream Energy, you have a very simple and easy way to pitch in and clean things up for our kids and our future generations. This program provides you with the opportunity to help replace fossil fuel-based generation with clean renewable generation, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, preserve the environment for future generations, and create a better financial future for you and your family.

As a member of Clean Nation, you are signing up for a monthly subscription of just $19.95. In return, Stream Energy will issue you a Green-e® Energy certified renewable energy certificate (REC) each month. You will still receive an energy bill from your current supplier – but now you are offsetting your non-green electricity usage with a clean product that is 100% renewable and 100% domestic.

We’re not only helping promote a cleaner tomorrow for future generations, however; we’re also providing environmentally responsible individuals with financial incentives for carrying the banner of renewable energy.

Stream Energy compensates people for becoming Renewable Energy Partners (REPs) and encouraging their families and friends to support clean energy. Regardless of where they live or who their electricity provider is, customers residing in all 50 states may now purchase RECs from Stream Energy and get paid for gathering other REC customers.

So breathe easier; energy deliverance is at hand. Help clean up our nation, create income for your family, encourage energy independence and leave a better world for our children. It’s the power of clean living, thanks to Clean Nation – brought to you by your best friend’s energy company, Stream Energy.

The annual Spring Equinox officially marks the end of winter and the beginning of a new season, although Phil in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (that is, the Groundhog) commonly has his own opinion.

Snow begins to melt, temperatures begin to climb and Mother Nature begins producing some of her most ferocious fury. Thunderstorms producing massive hail, damaging winds and tornadoes can fire up without notice, especially in Texas which sits in the heart of Tornado Alley.

Being prepared for spring’s unpredictable weather can provide many potential life-saving advantages for yourself and your family. Being prepared and having a plan of what to do during a severe thunderstorm can offer peace of mind, save valuable time in finding shelter, and keep your family safe and healthy during power outages.

One of the best things you can do is to have a family plan of action. This may include where to go in your home during severe weather and what to have with you. The best places to congregate during a storm are in a basement, storm shelter or an interior room in your house as far away from windows as possible.

Should severe weather create tornadoes in your area, it is a good idea to have supplies on hand that can keep your family safe and healthy for many days. These items include plenty of bottled water and canned food, flashlights, extra batteries, a crank- or battery-powered radio, blankets, first aid supplies, dust masks, kennels for family pets, a two-way radio or walkie-talkie, and local emergency telephone numbers.

Keeping an updated supply of these items can offer peace of mind should severe weather suddenly occur without warning.

Although Texas frequently sees severe weather, other states are not immune to severe weather which can occur anywhere at any time during the spring and summer months. Residents living in the northeast do not experience tornadoes as often as residents in Tornado Alley, hurricanes can cause damaging winds and flooding rain that can warrant a need for shelter. Also, northeast residents commonly see severe weather during the winter months with blizzards and heavy snow.

Regardless of where you reside, severe weather is something to be taken seriously. A list of emergency contact information can be helpful throughout the year, whether dealing with tornadoes, hurricanes or blizzards.

Check out these websites which provide a lot of great information for staying prepared for severe weather during the spring and throughout the year:

www.ready.gov|
www.weather.com
www.fema.gov
www.spc.noaa.gov
www.nhc.noaa.gov

If you could ask Rob Snyder a question, what would you ask?

The good sport that he is, Stream Energy chairman Rob Snyder took to the camera to answer the questions… check out Rob’s responses!

This week, our Ignite marketing channel management was asked to supply a student at an east coast university the answer to this question: “What does Stream Energy/Ignite look for in a state when considering it for our market expansion?” Without addressing profitability and only the market’s legislated/regulated structure, the following was our answer to this student’s question.

Creating a successful transition from the regulated vertically-structured utility industry to a deregulated retail electricity model

The current monopoly utility service consists of:

• Wires – Transmission and Distribution
• Generation – Power Plants, Power supply contracts
• Customer service – Customer Care and Billing, etc.
• Regulatory Management
  • Social Programs – Low-income assistance, etc.
  • Regulatory programs – Nuclear decommissioning, renewable energy, energy efficiency, etc.

In a successful deregulation of this vertical structure, the main issue is creating a level playing field for the new market entrants, i.e. retail electricity suppliers and independent power producers.

The vertically structured utility needs to become three separate companies:

• Regulated wires company – still receives a regulated rate of return on capital investments
• Generating company – standalone company competing to sell its product for the best possible return on investment
• Customer service company – customer service and billing, wholesale energy procurement for resale

These three companies, although they may be held by the same mother company, must operate independently.

Wires

The regulated wires company will have no competition because it still holds a franchise via the regulatory compact with the state regulating body. The wires company owns the meter at the power plant, the meter at the consumer and all wires, transformers, switches and breakers in between the aforementioned meters. Its electricity delivery service will be used by the consumer and either be billed directly by the wires company, or the wires company charges will be collected by the retail electricity suppliers and passed through to the wires company.  This regulated (franchised) entity will also collect funds from the customer that will be used for government-mandated social and regulatory programs, with this entity being common to all customers in their franchised area.

Generators

The newly created generating company will compete with the independent power producers (and other generating companies created, by deregulation, from other formerly regulated utilities) to supply the retail electricity suppliers. There will be a financial issue about the fact that the existing power plants, in the old paradigm, were built for specific utility consumers under a regulatory compact. The generating company will want to collect on any uncollectable “regulatory assets” that are stranded in the paradigm shift. To set the value of these power plants, the generation company will hold an auction and put every plant up for sale. These formerly vertically-structured utilities can purchase their own plants in the auction with no actual cost, being the buyer and the seller. If the sale price of the power plant portfolio exceeds the book value of the portfolio, there is no “stranded investment.” If the book value exceeds the sale price, the “stranded investment” will be collected as a “transition charge” paid by consumers over a designated period of time, via the wires company charges, as another regulator-mandated program. 

Retail Electricity Suppliers (REP)

The only true assets of this company are the customer contracts. The REP holds no wires, meters or generators. It has the opportunity to collect and service customers and process data. This company will purchase wholesale power from the generation companies for the intent of resale, having it drop-shipped to its customers directly by the wires company (generation meter to consumer meter). This company will be limited, by law, from competing with the generators by owning generation assets. The state regulatory body will manage/mandate/oversee the REPs’ customer service policies to insure fair business practices.

Level Playing Field

The REP that is affiliated with the formerly vertically structure utility (Affiliated REP) will have no rights beyond those of the new market entrant REP (Competitive REP). The generating company that was also part of the vertically structured utility will have an arms-length relationship with its Affiliate REP and affiliated wires company in order to allow the Competitive REP equal access to the energy produced from the generators. No customer shall be penalized for switching from any REP to another within the switching rules of the state and his or her current REP’s retail contract.

Earlier this week, Stream Energy had the pleasure to announce that we were recently designated a finalist for two Platts Global Energy Awards. One of the award nominations went to Stream Energy’s chief risk officer, Lisa Holliday. Lisa was named a finalist for the Rising Star – Individual Award. This award, according to Platts, is “for leaders who personify innovation, stimulate intelligent action to meet opportunity and execute with passion to deliver the vision.”

Though Lisa is not one to grab the spotlight, we felt that in recognition of this honor we would share with you the impact she has had on Stream Energy and the greater community.

FINANCIAL LEADER

Until her recent position change to overtake the newly formed Risk Management team, Lisa served as Stream Energy’s chief financial officer. In that role, Lisa has had a proven track record as a visionary executive with a broad range of professional experience. Besides a wealth of accounting and finance experience, Lisa’s resume also includes extensive risk management and energy experience, most notably energy trading floor experience (buying and selling energy), which has set her apart from other CFOs and has proven to be a huge asset for Stream Energy as it has rapidly grown in six years’ time from a start-up entity to a multi-billion dollar revenue generator.

A major achievement under Lisa’s leadership is the implementation of a vigorous process of institutionalizing compliance controls within the firm and conducting ongoing internal audits with one of the Big 4 CPA audit firms. Even though Stream Energy is a privately held company, Lisa wants our firm to be Sarbanes-Oxley compliant and thus demonstrate a high level of integrity in our reporting of financial information. Lisa initiated this charge by having her own department be the first to undergo the implementation of rigorous reporting controls; this provided the benefit of financial transparency for our company and also ensured robust controls and protection of sensitive customer data. She continues to lead the way to ensure our firm has a high level of integrity and trust in our budgeting and reporting functions.

WOMAN OF POWER

Lisa is a committed supporter of a woman’s right to growth and development as a leader and professional. One tangible example of Lisa’s commitment is through the creation, development and expansion of a series of “Women of Power” events.

Stream Energy uses a network marketing channel called Ignite which compensates independent sales agents for marketing the firm’s electricity and natural gas services to their families and friends. Lisa noticed that while the demographic make-up of the firm’s agent force included a sizable contingent of female Associates, they were not as pervasive among the firm’s elite sale ranks. Lisa set about correcting that by personally starting the “Women of Power” program to inspire and elevate the female sales agents (as well as female Stream Energy employees).

The “Women of Power” program is a series of luncheons and motivational seminars that are hosted by Lisa and Susan Fisher (one of the firm’s top female sales agents), and are focused on creating greater involvement and personal confidence among attendees. Held in locations such as Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Philadelphia, these seminars engage attendees in issues that are particular to women’s needs and also help hone leadership skills. Seminar topics include empowerment, building yourself up, handling things on your own, and not waiting for others to do things for you.

Lisa stated that she wanted a forum to help women find ways to balance their independent sales business with the pressures attendant with the busy lifestyles of wives, mothers and full-time business professionals. The response to “Women of Power” has been very strong, and each seminar, though treated as an exclusive affair, is nonetheless regularly attended by 100 or so women.

FRIEND FOR CHRISTMAS

Lisa is a generous member of her community as demonstrated by her involvement in the “Friends for Christmas” charitable endeavor in Houston. Started some years ago, the “Friends for Christmas” program is conducted by Lisa and several of her friends and peers, and funded by their own personal donations.

Through this program, Lisa and her co-sponsors “adopt” between 400 and 600 disadvantaged children and their families through a variety of community centers around Houston. Each Christmas Eve, Lisa and her peers purchase toys and a complete Christmas meal for each participating family.

After determining the ages and make up of all the participating families, Lisa and her friends work with a local Walmart to secure toys and meal items. They close the store down in the middle of the night so that, as a group of approximately 40 people with 5-6 shopping carts each, they may purchase the items necessary to make Christmas a memorable occasion for their beneficiaries. Lisa and her co-benefactors then individually wrap each toy given to the 400 to 600 participating children. On Christmas Eve, each participating family is invited to a community location, such as a school gymnasium, where the benefactors distribute the toys and Christmas meals.

CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL

Lisa is well regarded as an executive with a broad view of business. She is not merely a numbers person, but rather she takes a holistic view of business and leads accordingly. Her peers highly esteem her for her solid balance between being a strategic thinker (identifying the highest priorities for the company) and her know-how for executing those strategies across multiple disciplines, coupled with an in-depth knowledge of the numbers involved in the financing and accounting.

Lisa is also admired for her personal interactions and communications abilities. It has been said by others about her that she demonstrates a deep personal obligation to ensure the company is financially vibrant and healthy for the long term, in order to provide for the employees and sales agents who are dependent upon the firm for their livelihoods. She is also consistently praised for her calming influence. She is level-headed and fair in all her dealings with employees, has a great team focus, and empowers and trusts her subordinates to make smart decisions.

A persuasive communicator who can explain complex issues in simple ways so that any audience can understand them, Lisa wins high marks as a mentor who helps people grow in their careers. She’s also very good at keeping teams focused on the task at hand, while allowing for levity when necessary to keep the mood positive and forward moving.

A multi-faceted and engaged professional with a comprehensive mindset and who works well with all levels of staff, Lisa Holliday epitomizes what it means to be a leader, regardless of gender.