• UAI News

  March (2023) Member Spotlight: Andy Quick (Entergy)

  Posted by Kevin Praet (Adm) on March 6, 2023 at 12:16 pm

  @Andy is an active UAI member and provides outstanding influence and contributions to the UAI community through any of our multiple channels, including, but not limited to engagement on UAI Connect, volunteering with UAI, involvement and/or leadership in monthly Community Conversations, and/or speaking at UAI events, plus so much.  As thanks, we are featuring him in the UAI Member Spotlight. Andy has worked for Entergy for 27 years and currently leads Entergy’s enterprise data analytics function. Prior to his current role, Andy held multiple leadership positions in innovation, business transformation, and IT.

   

  Kevin: How did you get into the utility analytics industry?

  Andy: Throughout my career, I have been part of teams that included data analytics roles, but I have never been part of a team solely focused on data analytics. I have only been part of our data analytics team since August of 2021. Before that, while working in our innovation department, I was asked if I’d be willing to switch roles and lead our data analytics team. As someone who has always loved analyzing data, I jumped right in. And I’m glad I did. This role has been a perfect fit for me. I really love it.

   

  Kevin: What project have you enjoyed working on most in your career?

  Andy: It’s hard to pick one project I have enjoyed the most. My four “current” favorites are: predict when an overhead distribution transformer will fail (before it does), forecast energy usage and revenue, predict how much fuel we need to purchase for our natural gas generation fleet, and predict how Net Promoter Scores (NPS) will change based on a variety of conditions.

   

  Kevin: What has been your biggest professional challenge and how did you work through it?

  Andy: Although I have a background in computer science, I never learned about advanced data analytics techniques like machine learning. Although I had a general sense of the subject, I felt compelled to learn more. I began reading various books about data science. I had to begin with very simple books covering the basics, but eventually began reading college level textbooks, grasping advanced concepts. I also learned a lot from the data scientists on the team. They have taught me so much about data science tools and techniques (more than reading books). Although I don’t get to do the “hands on” work, I’ve developed a strong understanding of data science and how it can be applied to solving business problems. Building this knowledge was a significant challenge.

   

  Kevin: If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice before entering the utility analytics industry, what would it be?

  Andy: Using data analytics to solve a problem takes precious time. Take the time to pick the right problem to solve with analytics before committing time and money. If you do not have a willing business sponsor, good data, and users who are willing (and preferably excited) to use an analytics tool, run for the hills. Picking the wrong problem to solve may lead to wasted effort, lackluster results, and diminished value of data science at your company.

   

  Kevin: What would you like to talk to fellow colleagues and members about in UAI Connect? Or, what issues or topics would you like to see more discussions on in UAI Connect?

  Andy: UAI Connect is a great way to network and share ideas amongst analytics peers. I would like to see more discussions about the common and discrete analytics problems analytics teams are trying to solve within their company. If we all know what problems we are trying to solve, we can make connections to help each other solve them.

   

  Kevin: Thank you so much for sharing with us and for being a highly engaged member of UAI!

  Do you have any final thoughts, ideas, or comments you would like to share with your fellow UAI members?

  Andy: Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts and I hope people reading this will reach out to me and connect!

   

   

  ——————————
  Kevin Praet
  Membership Coordinator
  Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
  Boulder CO
  315-440-3033
  ——————————

  Kevin Praet (Adm) replied 1 year, 8 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
• 0 Replies

Log In to Reply