Gretchen Reese (00:06):

Hey there. Welcome to Fleet FYIs, the weekly podcast by Utilimarc that reveals how you can make the most of your date for smarter fleet management. My name is Gretchen, and every week you'll hear from me and some of the industry's finest in candid conversations that will shed some light on not only two decades worth of data insights, but some of the industry's hottest talking points and key metric analysis with the aim to help you better understand your fleet from every angle. But before we begin, if this is the first time you've heard our show, thanks for stopping by.

Gretchen Reese (00:38):

I'm so glad you decided to come along for the ride with us, but I've got a quick favor to ask you. Once you finish today's episode, if you could take a few minutes to leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform, we would really appreciate it. Give us a rating, five stars I hope, (laughs) or tell us what you liked, or leave us a comment or a question about what you heard in today's episode. But if we haven't yet covered a topic that you're interested in hearing more about, let us know. We would be happy to go over it in detail in a later episode. If that sounds good to you, let's get back to the show.

Gretchen Reese (01:09):

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Daily Recap series from The Utility Expo on the Fleet FYIs podcast. I can't believe that The Utility Expo's come to a close as quickly as it has. You know, Michael and I were talking that whilst it seems like we are both very (laughs) ready to be back in Minneapolis, it just doesn't quite seem like it's been a three day expo full of, you know, lots of new education, lots of new equipment, many new connections, and, you know, just folks that we've already met that we're reconnecting with after a few years of being apart.

Gretchen Reese (01:52):

And in a sense, whilst we're ready to all go home, and I'm sure (laughs) many other folks are as well, because it has been a very packed full three days, we're all kind of in the same boat, where we've been missing it so much that, you know, though we're ready to go home, we could all stay a little bit longer. And day three of The Utility Expo was the shortest of all of the three. The conference itself closed at 2:00 PM Eastern Time, followed by the Bourbon, Beer, & Bites networking event, which was a very nice way to close a very fun-filled week.

Gretchen Reese (02:24):

And overall, I would say, you know, the expo itself, one, it's just been great to be able to reconnect with people and also be able to meet new people that we haven't yet, and just be able to see and actually test out some of this new equipment and really be able to get to know it for what it is and what it does. So Michael, for the last time, let's turn it over to you. What did you love about the conference, and most specifically, what did you love about day three?

Michael Carr (02:53):

Absolutely. Thanks, Gretchen. And thank you, Utility Expo. Wow. I mean, (laughs) what a busy, uh, but awesome three days, uh, this has been. And I really want to just commend everyone involved, uh, just for putting on such a great production. Like, top to down, start to finish, back to front, indoor to outdoor, um, this was a great experience. Um, I was able to meet so many cool folks this week, uh, from all throughout the industry, um, from fleet managers talking about their operations and the new assets that they would need, uh, to product specialists describing these fascinating use cases for, uh, the wide, wide range of products and assets that they provide, um, and everything in between.

Michael Carr (03:57):

I, I truly enjoyed every minute of, uh, these last three days. And, uh, Louisville was an amazing host. Uh, this is my first time in town, uh, and I, I can't wait to come back. I'll say that. (laughs) Um, even after the expo was, like, um, officially closed, like, they made the announcement, "The expo is over," uh, the Bourbon, Beers, & Bites post-expo event was spectacular. Uh, they, they just kept the, the amazing experience going. Um, and, uh, what a stellar spread they lined up for us. Uh, uh, Kentucky and Louisville in particular, um, the, the food here is tremendous.

Michael Carr (04:44):

And a- as you know, I'm, I'm definitely not a, a bourbon guy, but, um, (laughs) I decided, uh, when in Kentucky, and Kentucky didn't disappoint at all. Uh, it was, it was just a great experience. I, I learned so much. I was able to really get into deep dives of the industry and learn really particular and specific aspects of what our clients and, and the people who work with our clients and the surrounding industries that interact with the fleets industry and the utility industry as a whole, how they all come together to really serve our nation and, and do some real cool things around the world.

Michael Carr (05:28):

Uh, it was just a great learning experience. I got to meet a whole lot of new people. Um, and I got to learn a, a ton about what they do and why they come to these things. Um, so great experience overall. Uh, thanks to The Utility Expo. Thanks to the city of Louisville. And I'll close with a lineman joke that I picked up this week. Um, and it's, it goes like this. There's two things you need to know about linemen. Number one, they're always right. And number two, when they're wrong, defer back to rule number one. (laughs) I just, I get a kick out of that every time. Um, and I, I truly got a kick out of this entire weekend. So thank you to everyone that put on the show. Thank you to everyone that, uh, I got to meet this week. And, um, I'm looking forward to coming back next year. All right, you, back to you, Gretchen.

Gretchen Reese (06:22):

Thank you very much. And as I'm sure... So both Michael and I mentioned the Bourbon, Beer, & Bites (laughs) networking event, and one thing that, uh, Michael and I were chatting about, you know, prior to the event starting, was I was saying, "There's no way there's gonna be cheese curds in Kentucky," because Michael was on the hunt for some. You know, hush puppies will, will do the trick, but us true Midwesterners need some cheese curds depending on the person and depending on the time of day. And I said, "They won't have them in Kentucky."

Gretchen Reese (06:50):

I said, "Every time I've been further South, you know, there's no cheese curds to be found for miles away." And he goes snooping around this, this, uh, networking event, and he goes, "You know, what do I see right here in front of everyone? It looks like a big tray of cheese curds over a heater next to the big I told you so sign." And I'm like, "Okay, fine, you got me on that one. I give up." (laughs) Um, but you know, that event really was a highlight for me. And, you know, I'm with Michael on that one 100%, and it's not just because there was some high quality bourbons there.

Gretchen Reese (07:28):

And I will say, out of the four that were there, there were [inaudible 00:07:32] Four Roses Single Batch. There was the Evan Williams Single Barrel and the Evan Williams Black Label. Um, and then there was also one from Log, uh... What was it? Was it Log Sill? Log Sill, maybe? But it was, uh, definitely... That one was a really, really fantastic selection. I mean, all of them were. You really couldn't go lo- go wrong with any of them. Um, but getting back to the actual, you know, conference, but I think the thing that I really took away the most of was that I loved being back with everyone in person again.

Gretchen Reese (08:08):

That was and always will be my favorite part of this whole job in marketing, in just meeting people, and I've always felt my purpose when it comes to my working life is connection, connection with people, connection with topics, connection with really anything and everything. You ask anyone, I could talk to a brick wall if you asked me to. However, I really do feel like there's something that's truly special about being able to be face-to-face with people and connecting on that one-to-one basis and really being able to develop and nurture those relationships. It's so special. It's what I love about this industry. It's what I love about my job, and it's just fantastic.

Gretchen Reese (08:48):

And, you know, whilst all the new equipment is really a spectacle to be seen and, you know, there's so much to learn, I really do feel like the biggest value that comes out of conferences like these, as well as, you know, the other ones that are in The Utility Expo series, so to say, because there are two others that are affiliated with this group, uh, one in Las Vegas and one that will be in Nashville coming up in March, but really the thing that I think to take away from this is, you know, there's always gonna be products to sell. There's always gonna be equipment to buy, but it's the relationships with the people that you're building that matter the most, and it always will be that way.

Gretchen Reese (09:27):

Although I will say, there was one other thing that really stuck out to me. And Michael, you'll probably remember this, but our lovely courtesy shuttle driver, (laughs) Miss Lola. Um, Lola, if you're listening, hey. How's it going? But Lola, she was fantastic. She was our shuttle driver many times. She counted us, us being me and Michael, as, uh, her regulars. And the nice thing was, is she is a wealth of knowledge in terms of random facts from ancient Egypt to, you know, World War II, to octopuses, to polar bears, to really anything under the sun. She's kind of your go-to gal for everything.

Gretchen Reese (10:03):

Um, but that being said, the conference was fantastic, and we are certainly looking forward to 2023 when The, uh, Utility Expo is back in Louisville, because personally, I can't wait to be back in the city. I mean, Louisville was beautiful, um, and the city, you know, fantastic. We closed the week with a night at Churchill Downs after the expo was able to wrap up. And I will just say, if you are looking for a really, really, really good burger in the city, look no further than Doc's Seafood and Raw Bar, because that place, that place is where it's at.

Gretchen Reese (10:40):

And I will also just point out, if burgers aren't really your style and you more go for steaks, check out Repeal's Steakhouse. That's also a favorite of Michael and I's. Um, that was actually the exact building where bourbon itself was first created if you're a history nerd like I am. So until next week's regular tuning in episode, that's all from me. We will see you next week. I'll be in your headphones, and we'll be back with another episode on global sustainability. Ciao.

Gretchen Reese (11:13):

Hey there. I think this is the time that I should cue the virtual high five, because you've just finished listening to another episode of the Fleet FYIs podcast. If you're already wanting more content, head over to Utilimarc.com, which is Utilimarc with a C, U-T-I-L-I-M-A-R-C dot com, for the show notes and extra insights coming straight from our analyst to you. That's all from me this week, so until next time, I'll catch you later.