Industry recognition of Alabama Power’s first-of-its-kind Smart Neighborhood® continues with the project recently named one of Fortnightly Smartest Communities 2019 at the Global Smart Cities & Communities conference in Washington, D.C.
The conference drew 150 attendees, including thought leaders in government, academia, industry and non-government organizations. The award was given by trade publication Public Utilities Fortnightly and the Dentons Smart Cities and Communities Think Tank.
Smart Neighborhood, specifically suburban Birmingham, was awarded as an outstanding leader in the “smartening movement.” The project was named alongside the cities of Austin, Columbus, San Antonio and Spokane.
Marketing Manager Stevie Searcy, who served as research project manager for Smart Neighborhood, accepted the award and represented the company at the conference.
As part of conference festivities, Searcy participated in a panel titled “2019 Winners of the Fortnightly Smartest Communities” with representatives from each community. The discussion focused on what made their teams’ efforts successful and distinctive.
During the panel, Searcy said that Smart Neighborhood set the standard for the value of utilities in the smart technology space.
“Specifically, as technology creates new opportunities, Alabama Power is positioned and equipped to help develop Smart Neighborhoods and various smart cities projects – from our existing infrastructure to our expertise in energy efficiency and new technologies,” Searcy said.
The internal collaboration among departments within Alabama Power and the Southern Company system has been a big part of the project’s success, she said.
“The full project team for Smart Neighborhood included almost every department within our company, and the teamwork on the project is really what made it happen,” Searcy said. “Every core team member brought their knowledge and their relationships and resources to the table. I think this shows the impressive bandwidth of utilities and how they can provide innovative solutions for customers.“
