We had the good fortune of connecting with Allan Schurr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allan, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Our electrical grid is the ultimate just-in-time delivery service. To keep your lights on, the supply and demand of electricity have to match up 60x each and every second. The level of complexity involved in operating our power system doesn’t match up to the simplicity of flipping a switch inside your home. You may never look up at power lines the same again!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
At the heart of it, my engineering degree has served me well in all the various roles I have had over the years. It provided me with a solid technical grounding so that I can understand or explain both problems and potential solutions to others. This includes what is (and isn’t) possible, along with what the tradeoffs are, and why things cost what they do.

And speaking of the various roles, I’ve worked in all kinds of companies – from public utilities to multinational companies with hundreds of thousands of people – to being employee #11 at a startup. Big companies have given me the understanding of how to navigate complex and at times unwieldy organizations. At the same time, working in smaller companies you have to be able to roll up your sleeves and get things done. That’s why I enjoy my role now – I get to work with a smaller company navigating the world of utilities and Fortune 500 companies, but our team is smaller, dynamic, and all about pulling together for our common goal of providing reliable, affordable, sustainable power to our community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Everyone who comes to Houston always thinks of downtown, but there are lots of hidden gems on the outskirts too. I admit I am partial to the Woodlands, which I have called home for the past 5 years. While I work downtown, I enjoy relaxing closer to home. You’ll find my wife and I kayaking on the lake, taking in a concert, strolling along Market Street or even just enjoying the trees and nature that gives The Woodlands its name. Though I would go downtown for an Astros game, of course!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife (obviously)! Ironically enough, without a power outage, we may have never even met. Early in my career, I was a rep at Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) in California and there were regular power outages at an office park in the Bay Area of California. I went to the site to meet with the property manager (who became my future wife) to better understand what was going on. It turns out I was extra motivated to stop the outages from happening because once they were fixed I was able to ask her out on a date. And we’ve been together ever since. For me she is better than any book, mentorship or other inspiration. Plus, she knows about power!

Website: www.enchantedrock.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allan-schurr/

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