Jingle all the way to a spotlight on one of SDI's brightest stars, Scott Grossart! As the holiday spirit twinkles around us, let's unwrap the story of Scott's journey at SDI. Join us as we celebrate the holiday season with stories about his position, accomplishments, and thoughts on the IT industry's future.
What is your current role?
I am a Delivery Executive within SDI’s Utilities practice. I have delivery oversight responsibilities for SDI’s electric and gas utility clients in the Chicagoland area.
Tell us about your current projects.
In addition to serving as a Delivery Executive for SDI’s Chicago area electric and gas utility clients, I am also serving as the Project Manager for the Work Management Common project at an electricity and natural gas company. The Work Management Common project is broken apart into two phases. The program's first phase, which runs through 2024, will focus on enhancements to a software platform implemented as part of the Long Cycle Work Management program. The second phase of the program is planned to start in 2025 and run for several years. The second phase of the program has two key areas of focus. The first area of focus is upgrading the software—and the second area of focus is implementing the software platform for the remaining operating companies.
What is your perspective on the IT industry and its future?
From a utility industry perspective, there are multiple changes and challenges the industry will face over the next several years. Some of challenges and questions I ask myself include:
- Looking at the major IT systems of a utility company, how do you transition from a traditional on-premises solution to a cloud-based solution while also maintaining the necessary cyber-security and critical infrastructure protections mandated by the industry?
- In an era of ever-increasing demand from utility customers, what type of distributed energy programs can utility companies offer to their customers?
- With the increased demand for electric vehicles as well as the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, how does the industry plan to meet the ever-increasing electricity demand in an already constrained system?
- In the ever-changing geo-political climate, how does the industry continue to protect critical infrastructure assets from bad actors?
What have been your most significant accomplishments at SDI?
My primary responsibility as a Delivery Executive is delivering a successful project that meets or exceeds the client’s goals. While working to deliver a project, I also like to focus on the development goals of the members of my team(s) and what I can do to support the professional development of the members of my team.
On a project I was recently a part of, we had four members of the team sit for and pass the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. Across the current projects that I oversee, I have personnel who are working on their Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), PROSCI Certified Practioner, and International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) certifications. At this stage in my career, I measure professional accomplishments by achieving the needs of my clients and developing the personnel I oversee to take on greater roles and responsibilities on their projects. The end goal is to develop personnel into future leaders within SDI.
What’s something that has surprised you about your chosen career path?
I started working in the consulting industry right after graduating from college. My first two years in the industry, I worked for a client local to the Chicago area. For the next 17 years of my career, I traveled out of town for work on a near-weekly basis. I’ve had the opportunity to work on projects across the United States, Canada, and South Africa. I anticipated business travel when I joined the industry, but I never thought about the personal opportunities I would be offered because of business travel. Through the accumulation of travel benefits earned while traveling for work, I have had the opportunity to visit five of the seven continents and visit countless cities and countries.
How do you wind down after work?
Most, if not all, of my free time is spent with my family. I have a wife and two young boys at home. Most of our time is spent going to movies, building with Lego, playing video games, and taking day trips throughout Illinois and the surrounding states. Now that our boys are getting a bit older, we’re looking to take our first extended, out-of-town family vacation.
I’m also an avid reader. I used to read at least a book a week when I traveled out of town for work. Now, I average about a book a month.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Go into every new project and view it as a growth opportunity. One of the things that I love about consulting is that every project presents a new challenge. Take that challenge and identify what growth opportunities exist for both your team and yourself. Then, work throughout the project to take advantage of those opportunities and develop new skills.
From spearheading projects to nurturing team growth, Scott's commitment to excellence is a gift that keeps on giving. Contact SDI today for all your utility needs and witness the transformation firsthand.
We celebrate diversity; the views expressed above are those of the interviewed individual, not SDI.
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