Titan Energy is one of the larger energy resellers in Connecticut providing natural gas, electricity and oil to commercial and industrial markets in the New England, New York and Mid Atlantic regions. Their mission is to create outstanding customer value by providing best practice energy management strategies.
 
Titan has more energy supply sources than any other company in Connecticut. They focus on real estate management companies, but also work with municipalities, banks, retail and restaurant franchises and others.
 
With a proven track record of delivering customer value in a complex and ever-changing energy industry, Titan custom tailors programs for each individual customer to identify how that customer can use energy more efficiently and which wholesaler best matches that customer's needs in terms of pricing and length of contracts.
 
According to Titan Energy Vice President Michael Horton, when a customer contacts Titan to explore energy options, Titan first conducts a complete analysis of the customer's energy needs and then offers multiple program choices to meet those needs and keep the customer's energy costs below the going utility rates. In the current market, it is not practical for a customer to lock in to a fixed rate for purchasing energy, so Titan works to get the customer the best rate now with an ultimate goal - when the market adjusts - of getting the customer to a fixed rate for a longer term. 
 
"In the current energy situation, with pricing spikes happening all the time, it is impossible for customers to know what their energy costs will be," says Horton. "Our strategy is to always protect the customer and get them to a place where they know what they're going to pay for energy and can budget for it".
 
Titan Energy offers services and programs that separate them from other resellers. Beyond their customized programs, their in-house experts can provide energy savings analysis on a per-property basis. They also offer audits of utility billing going back over three or four years to help customers identify errors and waste along with means for improvement.
 
In addition, Titan has come onboard with green energy solutions. The company has a panel of green energy experts has helped municipalities and other customers achieve green energy goals by working with numerous sources to provide certified green energy: wind, solar and hydro, as well as landfill (trash-to-energy) power.
 
"There has been a paradigm shift in the perception of green and renewable energy," says Titan Energy President John Kearney. "Prior to this year, the interest in green energy products came largely from 'boutique' customers whose brand identities are strongly tied to environmentalism. Today, we are seeing far more mainstream customers becoming interested simply because it's the right thing to do."
 
PMI will certainly benefit from the partnership with Titan Energy as Titan helps to position PMI to manage risks, reduce its carbon footprint and insulate the company long term from spikes in energy costs. Potential customers who would like to learn more about Titan Energy are invited to contact Michael Horton at mhorton60@hotmail.com or 203-464-3163.

PMI is keeping pace with the modern business world by exploring and adopting new technologies that will improve services and streamline processes. The technologies include GPS, wireless handheld devices and online supply ordering software.
 
The Mobile Control product offered by SageQuest is currently being tested in some PMI vans. The product combines GPS tracking with an online service that helps managers understand and direct their mobile workforce activity. Mobile Control can track vehicle locations, speed, idling times, mileage and more. Real-time alerts are generated when, for example, a van travels at more than 70 mph or idles longer than 15 minutes. In the case of a vehicle breakdown or accident, Mobile Control can locate other nearby PMI vehicles. "This cutting edge technology will help our vehicles be safer and more fuel efficient," says PMI President Michael Diamond, "while giving us knowledge and management abilities to track response time."
 
All PMI supervisors and managers are now equipped with BlackBerry wireless handheld devices. These devices support mobile phone, email, Web browsing and other services. PMI has implemented use of the BlackBerry to improve efficiency and keep the lines of communication open from cleaners (through their managers) all the way up to district supervisors. The devices allow staff to track and tackle problems more quickly and effectively. Site managers often work at night while their supervisors work during the day. If site managers encounter a problem on site during the night, they can immediately email their supervisors to alert them to the situation and the supervisors can follow up first thing in the morning. PMI expects that use of the BlackBerry devices will facilitate resolution of issues in a timelier manner and enhance communication on the whole.
 
PMI is now looking into utilizing Connexion, an online supply ordering software. Presently, PMI's supply ordering system is relatively cumbersome-requiring manual data entry of order information that is later coordinated with the company's financial software. Connexion will streamline the process, allowing managers to order and track supplies online via computer or BlackBerry and providing downloads for easy financial coordination. Client-specific reports will provide order information and advanced budgetary information. For example, PMI can choose from various options for handling orders that are over budget. These can be flagged and automatically generate emails to supervisors with options to allow or deny order placement. In addition, when a PMI manager places an order via Connexion, he can access the client order history instead of manually searching for product information. PMI is currently setting up Connexion with six clients and one supply vendor. This month, PMI is beginning a beta test ordering via Connexion. PMI Vice President of Finance Al DeFilippo says, "Our hope is that implementing and using Connexion will promote efficiency, shorten ordering timelines and help managers stay within budget limits."

Employers are seeing rising costs in defending against employee initiated lawsuits.  The potential exposure for an employer defending against a lawsuit is not just the amount that the employee is seeking and the employer's own legal fees expended in defending the case.  The exposure can be well in excess of these costs when you factor into the equation the employee's attorney's fees. 

Recent decisions have shown that in some instances the award of attorney's fees can be in the millions of dollars. 
There is no set formula on how to avoid a lawsuit as many of the lawsuits brought have a limited factual basis.  There are precautions however, that employer's can employ to lessen their potential exposure.  If the lawsuit is justifiable, the easy method of avoiding litigation costs is not to engage in the illegal conduct. 

However, this may be out of the employer's hands as the conduct of employees can in some instances be imputed to the employer.  On the other hand, if the lawsuit is baseless, having established employment policies in place can lessen the potential exposure.

For instance, having a clearly defined sexual harassment policy which explains the proper procedures on reporting harassment can potentially insulate your company from liability if a claim is brought.  Further, if a claim is brought, taking prompt and remedial action may also insulate your company from potential liability. 

Another policy that can limit your potential exposure is the documentation of an employee's work performance.  If you terminate an employee for poor performance, you must have the documentation to support your position.  Just stating that an employee performed poorly without documenting it in writing will not leave the paper trail that may later defeat a wrongful termination claim.
These are a few simple policies that every employer should institute that can prove to be very cost effective in the long run.  As the costs of litigation increase, employers who have taken these and other basic steps can reduce their risk of potential exposure.

Glenn A. Duhl is a management employment and litigation lawyer at Siegel, O'Connor, O'Donnell & Beck, P.C.. You can reach him at 860- 280-1215 or by email at: gduhl@siegeloconnor.com.  He represents management in preventive employment law and litigation of all employment matters.  Please visit: www.siegeloconnor.com

The information contained in this article is general in nature and offered for informational purposes only. It is not offered and should not be construed as legal advice.