• EEC: Simplified Communications - Michael Bacich

  • EEC: Indispensable Reading -- Sandy Richter

  • EEC: Utility Expertise & Messaging -- David Mehlhaff

  • EEC: One Word = Efficient -- Chris Gent

  • EEC: Customer Engagement -- Rick Gerdeman

  • EEC: Complex Messaging - Kelly Simonsen

"John did a fabulous job writing our annual reports for 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Since we hired John to help us with our content development projects, we’ve collected captivating stories and impactful text to use across numerous communication channels. It is delightful to see our everyday work to power our cities come alive with words."

Christina Pierson, External Affairs Director, Central Municipal Power Agency and Services (CMPAS)


"The City of Palo Alto, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, strives for excellence in all things, including communications. Egan Energy Communications has helped me with the unique challenge of distilling complex topics into easily understandable and engaging language for a variety of audiences. I appreciate the fresh perspective, professionalism and precision that John brings to every project."

Catherine Elvert, Utilities Communications Manager, City of Palo Alto Utilities


"We appreciate and value working with John! His in-depth knowledge of utility issues and highly collaborative approach to developing content helps us take our signature communication Currents, our quarterly customer magazine, to a new, and better, place. John is flexible and responsive to our needs, and we're delighted he's part of our communications team."

Joe Flores, former Marketing Manager, Burbank Water and Power


"I highly recommend John Egan not only for the deep knowledge and expertise he brings to each project, but for the quality of his writing and his superb work ethic. He is a delight to work with and my team always appreciates his perspective on the ever-changing energy industry."

Abby White, Director of Custom Content | Marketing Solutions, Endeavor Business Media


"John’s familiarity with public power allows him to make connections across the topics and examples that hit at the core of our members’ interests. His writing pulls from his experiences and network among the utility industry, which results in well-rounded stories that offer value to our readers."

Susan Partain, Senior Editor and Content Strategist, American Public Power Association


“John expressed new, easily implementable ideas regarding written communication. I plan to share what I learned with my colleagues.”
- Heather Dauler, Intergovernmental Affairs Officer & Utilities Senior Resource Planner, City of Palo Alto

“Part of what we do as a community-owned utility service is uncover stories that feature customers, stakeholders and the intersection between them and our employees and services. John’s writing approach allows us to showcase our good work and highlight the great customers we have who use our services and programs every day. We appreciate John’s help with making our efforts come to life with compelling copy writing and storytelling.”
- Rich Plecker, Director, Roseville Environmental Utilities

“I love telling stories. It’s the best way to convey information that resonates with readers. Poles and wires are not nearly as exciting as stories about people and the community. My vision aligned well with John’s, and that’s why we had him write the copy for KUA’s 2015 annual report. The collaboration worked exactly as I had hoped, and we produced a memorable piece of work.”

- Chris Gent, Former VP, Corporate Communications, Kissimmee Utility Authority


“In writing our award-winning 2014 annual report, John helped us tell a story to our customers using his utility-industry expertise, his deep knowledge of public power, and his excellent journalism skills to develop an outstanding report quickly. We were quite impressed with the whole process, and enjoyed working with John so much that we hired him again to write our 2015, 2016 and 2017 annual reports, as well as refer him to our sister organization, Roseville Environmental Utilities, for whom he wrote their 2015-2017 reports.”

- Vonette Fontaine, Former Public Relations Manager, Roseville Electric Utility


"Over an eight-month period, John wrote or placed a total of four articles in electric trade publications on one of our battery energy storage projects. His initiative, skills as a writer, eye for detail, ability to negotiate with the client-owner, and network of contacts at industry publications helped us achieve a significant level of recognition of our $26.2-million project. I enjoyed working with John and experiencing first-hand his dedication to task."

Megan O’Brien, Marketing Manager, Doosan GridTech


"John really helped move Apogee’s content marketing strategy forward by quickly writing two case studies after interviewing about a dozen utilities who were using our personalized outbound communications solutions. We had a great experience with John as our contract writer. His background as a daily reporter and knowledge of the energy industry was invaluable!"
- Karen Morris, Marketing Manager, Apogee Interactive

"John led an informative and interactive workshop on communications for publicly owned utilities. I was able to use some of his recommendations right away. I took immediate advantage of his offer of one free hour of phone coaching!"
- Chris Romero, Government Relations Analyst, Roseville Electric Utility

“For many years, John Egan has provided communications training to federal government managers and executives through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). He coached people on preparing the message, delivering an appropriate talk and handling questions. This was always a very popular session, engaging and very active. John is an expert in energy and communications. His facilitation/training skills are excellent. He is a great guy and he cares about the participants.”
- Retired Federal Program Director, OPM

"John was brave enough to help us go where not many utilities have gone before. We decided to do a series in our monthly newsletter about the equipment a utility uses and maintains yearly, along with the average cost of the equipment. We wanted the articles to relate to what customers could actually see; poles, wires, those green boxes in customer’s yards, along with what they don't see every day. John created pieces that were not only informative, but something the customers could relate to. John was helpful, timely, and supportive throughout the entire project!"
- Jenny Heimerman, Former Supervisor, Customer Care, Owatonna Public Utilities

"I enjoyed your workshop -- I got a lot of information I have already put to use."
- Jeremy Elrod, Director of Government Relations, Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association

“I really thought your October 2016 article was well done, and I’m looking forward to more. Your article on confirmation bias was spot on and well researched. It is clear to me that you are an experienced, thoughtful utility communicator.”
- Catherine Cronin, Communications Manager, Vera (WA) Water & Power

“John Egan has a sharp insider view of the traps that we fall into when we think we’re communicating the right things in the right way. And he finds and celebrates those who really connect with their customers offering us readers the true gift of a great example. When I receive notice of one of John’s blog posts it’s almost a guilty pleasure because his writing style is one of the best examples. Entertaining and resonating.”
- Sandra Richter, Public Communications Manager, Middleborough Gas & Electric Dept.

"With very little notice, John crafted a compelling, timely, emergency response article for the local section of our magazine. In addition to being an industry expert, John Egan is an expert, responsive storyteller, who knows how to convey both technical information and human-interest features in a manner that engages readers."
- Patrick Higgins, Director of Communications & Member Services, Ohio's Electric Cooperatives

"John’s industry expertise and writing talent gave one of our top-tier global consulting clients confidence that he could interpret complex industry issues for their intended audience – and he absolutely did. From our perspective, John’s work has enhanced our standing with that global client. Nice job, Egan Energy Communications -- well done."
- John Kerr, Ergo Editorial Services, President

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with John on a series of energy industry news and magazine articles, press releases and marketing campaigns. John is an insightful writer and excellent communicator, bringing his wealth of energy industry knowledge and a deep network of contacts to every project. John’s work continually exceeds my expectations and he has shown, time and time again, that he can be relied on to meet deadlines.”
- Joseph Govreau, Vice President of Research, Industrial Info Resources

"I’ve worked with John since 2014 and found he can always be relied upon on to provide in-depth news on the latest developments in the energy industry. With his wealth of experience, he is definitely the go-to guy when it comes to power-related knowledge, and goes beyond what is required of him. In addition, he is an excellent writer who always meets his deadlines.”
- Brian Ford, Editor-in-Chief, Industrial Info Resources

“As a client of EEC our utility has benefited greatly from reading EEC Perspectives. It is a nice break from the many other newsletters that provide little value. John Egan understands communications and understands utilities, so I'v enjoyed the relevance of his articles and also lighthearted way in which they are delivered.”
Barry Henck, Former Program Coordinator, Natural Gas Marketing, Central Hudson Gas & Electric

"EEC conducted an assessment of NW Natural’s social media strategy and made several helpful suggestions. John responded quickly to our needs, and his suggestions helped us refine our social media plan."
- Melissa Moore, Corporate Communications Manager, NW Natural

"John conducted qualitative research for ICF International focused on the operational and financial benefits of customer engagement and satisfaction for utility companies. He drew on a wide and deep network of industry contacts to conduct detailed interviews with VP-level utility executives. John uncovered some significant and thought provoking findings under a very tight timeline. The results of this project have helped ICF evolve its industry point-of-view in this area. I really enjoyed collaborating with John."
- Jeff Gibbons, Former Vice President, ICF International

“As the closing speaker at our annual member meeting, John showed us how utilities could craft “sticky messages” and maximize the impact of those messages using innovative, low-cost, communications channels. I found the talk, “The Power of Words,” really entertaining and informative. It was customized for the needs of our members, and they gave it high marks. John’s comments will be useful to us as we continue to seek ways to increase the effectiveness of our marketing and communications efforts.”
- Joni Livingston, Energy Services Manager, Missouri River Energy Services

“Having John speak at our events is always a plus. Conference attendees say they value his industry expertise and his ability to bring the research to life by sharing the anecdotes and case studies he uncovers as well as facilitating audience participation. He is very attuned to the special challenges facing public power communicators and marketers.”
- Ursula Schryver, Vice President, Education & Customer Programs, American Public Power Association (APPA)

“John provided us with very helpful outside expertise on how to communicate on advanced metering. Using his utility-industry expertise and his professional network, he assessed our communications plan, conducted research, summarized his research, and delivered recommendations on a timeline and a budget that worked for us. John’s skills as a consultant, researcher, and writer, and team member created significant value for EWEB.”
- Lance Robertson, Former Public Affairs Manager, Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB)

“John recently took my mundane business article and transformed it into an energetic, compelling and stellar piece of work! Not only does John know the inside and outside of the ulitity industry, but he uses his talents to turn the written word into gripping messages. Hey Utility Companies reading this: Hire John to write your salient messages to your stakeholders. You won’t be sorry.”
- Maureen Kanwischer, President, Momentum Business Consulting

"I share John’s view that stakeholder engagement is too important to be left solely to a utility’s public relations department. Stakeholder engagement can help a utility more effectively manage its strategic risks in the public arena. John’s an accomplished writer who has written numerous articles on engaging stakeholders for MANAGING POWER magazine. Looking to keep your organization out of trouble and ahead of the curve? Get with John!"
- Kennedy Maize, Contributing Editor, Power Magazine

“I had the pleasure of working with John several times, notably as he has spoken several times at the Edison Electric Institute Strategic Issues Roundtable. He has a great background in communications, customer satisfaction, and innovative utility programs. He is a very good facilitator and public speaker. John is thoughtful, able to focus on the details as well as the big picture, and a joy to work with!”
- Brian Farrell, Edison Electric Institute

“Benton REA retained EEC to assess the cost effectiveness of its communications activities. John took a personal interest in our challenges, and his recommendations provided us with a fresh perspective based on our capabilities and the performance of our peers. John’s advice was timely, valuable and tailored to our needs.”
- Troy Berglund, Manager, Community Development and Member Relations, Benton REA

"Our organization has been pleased with work provided by Egan Energy Communications over the years. John is very focused, creative and easy to work with. From strategic communications to developing and distributing our newsletter, we felt informed and included without having to manage processes."
- Kelley Porter, Chair, Communications Subcommittee, Nebraska Power Association