2003 MREC Conference Presentations

Break-out Session - Speaker Profile

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Title: Distributed Generation: Applications in Rural Areas

Speaker: John K. Helbling, P.E.

     Title: General Manager of Economic and Market Development

     Affiliation: Alliant Energy

     Address: 200 First St. SE; Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-0351

     Telephone: 319.786.7290 

     E-mail: JohnHelbling@alliant-energy.com

     Web site: http://www.alliant-energy.com

     About the Speaker:

Mr. Helbling is general manager of economic and market development for Alliant Energy. He is responsible for creation of business strategies, marketing plans and public affairs initiatives for distribute energy resource technologies and directs the corporation's economic and community development activities in both the domestic and international arenas. For the last four years he has been actively been involved in identifying new energy technology investment opportunities and promoting distributed resource solutions and new energy efficiency technologies to internal and external audiences. The development of renewable biogas energy development partnerships is a major focus. He is currently the executive in charge of Alliant Energy's Capstone MicroTurbine Distribution business and is on the board of directors of AnAerobics Inc.

He joined IES Industries, one of the three companies that merged to make up Alliant Energy Corporation, in May of 1989, as director of marketing and customer service, a position he held until early in 1995. In that role he was responsible for developing and marketing the companies demand side marketing programs. He also was responsible for governmental affairs at both the state and federal level from 1992 until 1997, for IES Industries. In 1995, he became director of economic development for IES Industries and was named the director of economic development for the energy delivery business unit of the new combined company, Alliant Energy, in 1997 and director of marketing and economic development for Alliant Energy in October of 1998. He was named to his current position in December of 2000.

Mr. Helbling graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree of science in electrical engineering and completed his master's of science in industrial and systems engineering, both from Ohio University. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu and Alpha Pi Mu honorary societies. A registered engineer in the state of Ohio, John was awarded the President's Award by the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers and has held various leadership positions within that organization.

He currently is a member of: The Professional Developers of Iowa, the Wisconsin Economic Development Association, CoreNET Global, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) and a senior member of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and a charter member of the Demand-Side Management Society of AEE. He served on the Governor's Information Solutions Advisory Committee for the state of Iowa and serves on the Marketing Advisory Council for the Iowa Department of Economic Development and the Board of Advisors of the University of Northern Iowa's Institute for Decision Making.