David Eves has always had pride for the work he’s done. In a career with Xcel Energy that spans more than 35 years, there’s plenty to be proud of – from leading resource planning when the eight-state utility began adding renewables to its portfolio, to building relationships with companies and helping them understand how to use less power. But over the last few years he’s been saving newspaper clippings about Xcel for his two grandchildren.
“I want to show them what we did,” he said.
And that’s for good reason. In the last year the utility has set a goal to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. It’s a bold plan, but it’s the kind of thing that excites Eves, who serves as executive vice president and group president of utilities at Xcel.
“I know how much change we’re going through,” he said. “A lot of it is difficult, it’s disruptive, our markets are changing, there’s more competition, but we are leading the industry transition to clean energy.”
As Eves takes the gavel to guide the Chamber’s 59-member Board of Directors, it comes at a pivotal time for businesses as they grapple with the challenges and opportunities brought by ever-accelerating technology and disruption. And he wants to share what they’re learning at Xcel – how they’re leading change – with businesses that are dealing with the same thing.
“Our chair of the Chamber really develops the agenda, the priority work for the year, and in doing so then he is creating the conversations which are the most critical conversations to have,” said Chamber President and CEO Kelly Brough.
The Chamber, which will mark 152 years serving the business community in November, is the perfect venue for those
conversations, Eves said: “I think most businesses right now are going through more change than ever before, and here’s this organization (the Chamber) that’s been here for a century and a half.”
Xcel, too, has been a long-standing business in the region – originally as Denver Gas and Electric Company it has served the area for 150 years. The timing of Eves chairing the board, while coincidental, is fitting.
“David and Xcel have been strong members of the Chamber for a very long time,” said outgoing Chamber Board Chair Linda Childears. “He knows the current issues and he knows where we’re headed, and I think that’s a tremendous combination.”
It’s that experience and a leadership style that is focused on listening, strategy and a direct approach that will serve the Chamber well – particularly as the Chamber looks to a busy policy season through 2019 and into 2020.
“I think in a year I’m going to say I’m really thankful he was in this chair position given some of the challenges we will probably face in the next year as a Chamber,” Brough said.
When Eves started with Xcel in Colorado in 1981, “I never expected to be at a single company so long.” But it was the combination of amazing people and the diverse opportunities he found that have kept him engaged: “I’ve been able to find five or six different careers here.”
This mechanical engineer who grew up in Goodland, Kansas, and is a proud Kansas State Wildcat has done industrial sales, run the company’s marketing division and set up their first trading floor.
But it was unveiling the Colorado Energy Plan while leading the operations here in Colorado that he’s most proud of. Approved in 2018, the plan will allow Xcel to retire two more coal plants early, bringing on more renewable energy while saving customers money.
In his latest role he’s bringing that experience to other parts of the country. In a Minnesota community where another coal plant was being retired, Xcel helped attract new businesses to the area, including Google. “We’re doing all this economic development and we’ll build a cleaner plant,” he said.
That work leaves the community in a better place, he said, noting, “It’s the right thing to do.”
No surprise, given the “passion and compassion that he brings to the table,” said Jerome Davis, the regional vice president of Xcel Energy in Colorado.
And, whether it’s at the Chamber or other organizations in the community, Eves has built a culture of giving at Xcel’s Denver office.
“His engagement in the community extends to those of us inside the company. He encourages us to get involved,” said Alice Jackson, president of Xcel Energy in Colorado.
She also knows firsthand that Eves can adapt to a situation quickly. Jackson had only been working at Xcel Energy’s Denver office a few months when she went into labor. It was a winter day in 2014. She was supposed to meet with Eves, who walked into her office while she was gathering her things.
“David actually drove me to the hospital for the birth of my fourth son,” Jackson said. “It just shows the level of caring and compassion that David has.”
That ethos guides Eves’ philosophy in the community as well.
“A company like ours is only as healthy as the communities we serve,” Eves said.
He gives his time on boards including Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Employers Council and Mile High United Way.
“He’s omnipresent in the community,”
said David Kenney, the president and founder of The Kenney Group. “He’s someone who truly believes that we all have a responsibility to give back to our community and leave it better than we found it.”
But what friends and colleagues alike say sums up Eves and his approach to service is him, in a hairnet at a local middle school packing meals for families in need, shoulder to shoulder with Xcel teammates and his wife Janie.
The Xcel Day of Service started in 2011 to honor the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, gathering about 500 employees. Inspired by Mile High United Way’s 125th anniversary, Eves had an idea. “I said, ‘Jerome, do you think we can get 1,250 people working on day of service?’” Eves recalled asking. They did and “it’s taken off from there.”
Now entering its ninth year, Xcel’s Day of Service will offer 83 volunteer opportunities in 28 cities and towns across the state. And they anticipate drawing some 3,800 people that include Xcel employees and members of the community.
“That comes from leadership; that comes from someone who creates a culture of service,” said Christine Benero, president and CEO of Mile High United Way. “It’s good business but David does it because it’s from his heart.”
Sara Crocker is the communications manager for the Denver Metro Chamber.
