Fortnightly Top Forty Innovators FAQ

The enormous enthusiasm for our Fortnightly Top Forty Innovators initiative has been very cool. Nearly fifty utilities, associations, etc. are already preparing nominations for this November’s special issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly. We're going all out to recognize, honor and celebrate some of the inventive women and men in our industry.

To help you prepare your nominations, here’s answers to some frequently asked questions:

1. Why forty innovators (versus ten or a hundred or a thousand)?

It is a nice alliteration — Fortnightly and forty. Aside from that, forty seems just right. 

The top ten innovators would have limited the list to a handful of well-known leaders. The top hundred innovators? Well, that might be too many for us — the PUF team — to handle.

The joke is on us. Given the industry’s enthusiasm for this initiative, we expect to receive as many as a thousand nominations. Don’t know how we can whittle that number down to forty. 

2. Why individual innovators (versus projects or teams or organizations)? 

PUF’s theme has been “energy people” ever since I took the helm as Editor-in-Chief twenty months ago. We’re constantly highlighting their passion, creativity and devotion to the public interest. CEOs and assistants, Commissioners and analysts.

So, nominate women and men who have distinguished themselves, by advancing a new technology, process, service or method. They might be leading a project, team or organization, or have inspired one, or are the key person in one. 

Want to recognize some colleagues of the nominee? No problem. Just add a shout-out to these colleagues in your nominations.

3. Why current innovators (versus those from recent years or the decades before)? 

Please don’t nominate Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse or Samuel Insull. Yes, they were great innovators. But in the spirit of, what have you done for me lately, we want nominees that distinguished themselves over the last year. How else can we make the Fortnightly Top Forty Innovators an annual event? 

To make a nomination, here’s all you need to do. It's this simple. Send us a line with the following info:

• Name of nominee for the 2017 Fortnightly Top Forty
• Nominee's organization
• Nominee’s innovations (introduced, improved, implemented)
• Optional: Nominee team members deserving of a shout-out
• Optional: Nominator’s name and contact info (or anonymous)

You can send in one, two, or a dozen. No limit. The deadline is October 2.

The inventive, creative and passionate magazine for commentary, opinion and debate on utility regulation and policy since 1928, Public Utilities Fortnightly. “In PUF, Impact the Debate.”

Steve Mitnick, Editor-in-Chief, Public Utilities Fortnightly

Please send nominations to: Joseph Paparello