Planning for an EV Future: Avoiding Pitfalls and Planning Future Forward

It’s easy to say “it’s time to go EV” yet as with any new or growing category, it’s hard to guess what’s most important to know.  Panelists will provide a robust category overview and provide insight into the challenges and pitfalls when planning for an electrified future. Discuss innovative strategies and programs to help you plan for current and increasing demand for EV charging infrastructure.  This Shoptalk will cover everything from power access and management to financial incentives and the questions to ask your stakeholders and partners - and everything in between.   

Presenters:

Jim Burness, CEO, National Charging

Jim Burness founded National Car Charging (NCC) in 2011 with the belief that business can thrive while doing good for the planet. Ten years later, NCC and its sister company, Aloha Charge, are collectively the leading reseller and installer of electric vehicle infrastructure in the country and Jim is considered one of the nation’s top EV and charging experts. With previous careers in both the automotive industry and the renewable energy sector, Jim launched NCC to facilitate the build out of the nation’s EV charging infrastructure in a wide variety of key channels including retail, hospitality, municipal facilities, and multi-family dwellings. Today, NCC manages 7000+ ports nationwide across 800+ customers with installations in 47 states. Based in Denver, Colorado, Jim is actively involved in Colorado’s local sustainability community with Colorado Electric Vehicle Coalition, Colorado’s Solar Energy Industries Association and Clean Energy Action. He’s also worked extremely closely with local utilities in both Colorado and Hawai’i, and is passionately involved with the City and County of Denver as well as with the state legislature as sustainability legislation continues to evolve. Jim also currently lends his expertise to the EV Council as part of the NACS Fuels Institute. A graduate of The Colorado College and the University of Denver, he’s previously held positions at J.D. Power, American Honda, and Microsoft’s CarPoint. Jim and his wife purchased their first electric car in 2012, and now they both drive completely fossil fuel free. View IPMI Member Profile. 

Moderators: 

Margaret-Ann Leavitt, Senior Vice President, Marketing, National Car Charging 

Margaret-Ann leads marketing and communications for National Car Charging and Aloha Charge. A passionate leader with a track record of success, Margaret-Ann’s strengths include providing strategic guidance, driving growth, and delivering targeted results for growing brands. She’s previously held positions at Mattel, FCB Global, the Sterling-Rice Group, Buderflys and WATTMORE, a Denver-based company specializing in AI-powered software to scale battery storage. Most recently, she led the national advertising team that consistently drove double-digit growth for Home Instead Senior Care, taking them over the annual billion-dollar threshold. Similarly, she built the foundation and essence of the Silvernest brand, a 500 (Startups) Global alumni, and drove the company's growth for nearly two years. She earned her B.A. in Economics with a minor in Women’s Studies from Colgate University and her M.F.A. in Film Production from the University of Miami.   Margaret-Ann is a long time sustainability advocate and has been an EV proponent for nearly a decade. In her free time, she serves on the board of the Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS Denver) and is a founding member of Denver’s Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk. An east coast native, Margaret-Ann now lives in Denver, Colorado with her family and drives 100% fossil fuel free. View IPMI Member Profile. 

RJ Harrington, Senior Vice President, NCC Business Development 

RJ Harrington grew up on clean, renewable energy; however, it took him almost 25 years to realize it. Raised on a dairy farm in Central Pennsylvania, as a young adult, RJ finally fully recognized the how the sun, wind and earth were undoubtedly instrumental in the regenerative operation of his family’s business, and it set him on the lifelong path to protect our natural resources and mitigate climate change.  In 2015, leaving the financial services industry behind, RJ launched Sustainable Action Consulting, a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) to champion his safe, clean, renewable energy advocacy work across a wide variety of sectors. Looking to grow his sustainability impact, RJ joined NCC as the SVP of Business Development that same year and has since been deeply committed to expanding the U.S. EV infrastructure.  

Based in Colorado, RJ actively supports our state’s green initiatives serving as Executive Director of Clean Energy Action (CEA), the Policy Director for the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA), in addition to his extensive work within the solar industry and other public initiatives. Having witnessed the devastating impact of climate change firsthand during 2021’s Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado, RJ continues to be a strong local advocate within his local community as they rebuild. RJ and his family practice a sustainable lifestyle, installing solar in 2007 and in 2009 to fuel their EVs with safe, clean, renewable energy. Now on their second and third electric cars, they primarily only plug in when the solar array is at maximum production. View IPMI Member Profile. 

2023 IPMI Shoptalk Program

• Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 2 – 3 pm ET: Shifting Sands: Industry Outlook and Future Trends: Integrating Technology into Planning, Design, and Current Operations
• Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 2 – 3 PM ET: Cities and Municipalities: Revenue Enhancement Strategies and How to Make it Happen in Your City
• Wednesday May 10, 2023: Planning for an EV Future: Avoiding the Pitfalls and Planning Future Forward
• Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 2 – 3 pm ET: Turning Parking Data into Valuable Insights
• Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 2 – 3 PM ET: University Shoptalk: Guiding Your Team to Serve Your Patrons through Best Practices
• Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 2 – 3 pm ET: Airport Shoptalk: With Flying Colors: Operating Large-Scale Airport Operations in a Dynamic Environment