Con Ed execs offer aid to business success.

"In a city that moves people both horizontally underground and vertically in high-rise buildings, world-class electric service reliability is essential." These words have been repeated by dozens of Con Edison managers to business owners, customers and regulators. As the nation's most reliable electric utility, they know that the consequences of even a brief power loss can be severe, especially in a city where lost profit opportunities are measured in thousands of dollars per second.

However, world class reliability alone will not allow New York to prosper and grow. It must be joined by a company philosophy which compliments reliability. For us that philosophy is: "Con Edison's business success is tied directly to the success of those we serve." Nowhere is this relationship regarding business success more evident than in the 45-person staff of the Con Edison account executive program.

Created in 1994, Con Edison upper management chose a team of the best and brightest company employees to become account executives and gave them three goals to achieve:

* Become a strategic resource by developing a working understanding of our customers' business.

* Look for opportunities to help solve our customers' business problems and create a "win-win" situation.

* Look for opportunities to provide our core services of electric, gas and steam and expand into new business areas.

We have assigned account executives to some of the major New York City and Westchester property management firms, communication companies, hotels, insurance firms, banks and the stock markets, just to name a few clients. Some of these firms include property owners and managers such as Rudin Management Company, Tishman Speyer Properties, the Durst Organization and Keren Developments Inc. Each firm is assigned an account executive who is responsible for developing and enhancing a close relationship with that firm's management team and key decision makers.

Our account executives start with the premise that our core services of electricity, gas and steam must be provided reliably and efficiently. Account executives monitor the status of the energy services that power their client's buildings. They have empowered building managers for companies like Cushman and Wakefield, Mendik Realty and Silverstein Properties with tools such as our Electronic Notification System (ENS). The ENS automatically pages building managers when any potential system change occurs that could adversely effect electric or steam service to their buildings.

Core services are enhanced by having a personal connection to the account executive as a single point of contact in order to access expertise within Con Edison. An example of the type of expertise the account executives can call upon is the Con Edison Power Quality (PQ) group. The PQ staff assures high quality power for today's high-tech computer, telecommunications and video applications by solving voltage problems and equipment harmonic interference. Sometimes, the power quality staff assumes the role of modern day "ghost busters" by ferreting out electronic demons that can cause our customers operational problems.

Partnering with our customers to promote the growth of their businesses means providing options beyond our core services. The opportunities provided by new office construction and the renovation of existing vacant office space to meet today's high-tech office needs are embraced by our account executives. For example, we have designed and arranged for the installation of energy-efficient lighting specially designed for high-density computer use, general office use, open space applications and exhibit area needs. Account executives have assisted companies such as Rudin Management, which took a vacant building at 55 Broad Street and turned it into the highly successful New York Information Technology Center.

The companies team of energy experts is available to assist account executives in solving customers' heating, ventilation and air-conditioning problems. The team has performed numerous energy audits which have resulted in significant energy-cost savings. For example, these audits have found that the replacement of chiller and air-conditioning systems in large office buildings can cut summer cooling expenses and pay for itself in a matter of a few years.

A typical day for an account executive means meeting with customers at their facilities and making sure they are aware of and have access to our full array of energy services. In addition, our role is to keep customers informed of developments in the rapidly changing energy industry. This means conducting one-on-one briefings and presentations to industry associations in order to help the business community understand the impact on their operations of issues such as electricity and natural gas deregulation. Account executives are members of professional groups such as the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and the National Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (NACORE).

At Con Edison, we offer one-stop shopping for New York building owners and property managers. At no time has it been truer than now that the success of our business is tied to your success.