Getting Together: Meet Alex McPhail

Alex McPhail is a generous volunteer both for Moonshot and the PRESERVE team, who brings a wealth of experience in issues facing utilities of all sizes, including financing, operations and stakeholder involvement. He was drawn to the idea of PRESERVE after noticing that even though smaller communities had utilities close together, they rarely went to see their neighbors. “They were missing out on so much because they had so much in common,” he says. “No one else was able to learn from the great things going on.”  

Alex knows that money and time are often the biggest constraints for this lack of connection, and feels that PRESERVE is able to bridge this gap. “For very little money, you get 1:1 time to share, with bigger meetings twice a year to bring everyone together. It’s so important to show how much you can learn when you just get together.”  

Alex feels that these bi-annual meetings, even just a common date, is all it takes to establish community. “When you go to someone and you see that they have the same problem you do, you don’t feel so alone. You also get a chance to see where people come from and why they are there. And your morale goes up a little bit.” 

Alex is most excited about the breadth of knowledge that can be gained from starting small. He sees the power in PRESERVE’s sustainability coming through in the practical solutions that PRESERVE advocates. “When you go to a utility and you get a tour, see what they are doing, you start seeing how you can apply it to your place of work,” he says. “It’s a more practical approach than something else you’ll get at a traditional conference.”  

Through his work in more than 20 counties over 30 years, Alex has learned that considering a variety of cultures in understanding and resolving challenges results in more sustainable outcomes and, therefore, seeks to apply this tenet to all of his professional assignments. He hopes that PRESERVE members will be encouraged to ask questions and find practical solutions. “This is real-practical everyday stuff that someone down the street is struggling with,” Alex says. “How can we learn this together? We can make it work!”