SERVICES

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Energy A public utility hired Winthrop to document an ongoing research and development project. The program brought together the utility’s R&D group with some of the nation's leading energy conservation advocates to test theories about the extent of energy savings attainable with advanced energy efficiency technologies. Recognizing this as a historic collaboration between a public utility and those who were formerly some of its harshest critics, the utility’s managers wanted professional historians to record the project. Over the six-year life of the project, Winthrop attended key meetings, conducted periodic interviews, reviewed project documents, and followed industry trends by participating on the utility’s behalf in conferences on energy efficiency. The tracking effort provided the R&D group with a perspective on their work that placed it in the larger corporate and industry contexts. Our periodic reports formed part of the utility’s communications with the many stakeholders, internal and external, who were watching this program closely. The completed history provided a basis for evaluating the conduct of the project, its results, and significance.