Lesson 20 – Keep an Open Mind

Every now and then an opportunity comes along that makes you slow down and think it through. Back in the early 2000’s, Aquila, the region’s public utility, approached us about a public outreach project surrounding the construction of a power plant. At first, we were apprehensive. But this was different, way different, and we’re glad we kept an open mind and listened to their story. Aquila had identified Sedalia as the most strategic location in their service area for a new peaker plant and they were interested in how the community would react to the idea. We put together a public outreach that gathered the information Aquila was looking for and enabled them to make decisions. Although that plant has not been built, the community embraced the idea, recognizing the benefits that would come with this project. After that, we had such a great working relationship with Aquila that they brought us into another similar project. Since then, Aquila has merged into other energy providers but that experience taught us to keep our mind open to new ideas. Thanks to the nice folks we worked with on the project for helping us realize this important concept.