2017 was a gratifying year because we heard directly from our customers about their overall continued increase in satisfaction. Seeing our customer-focused culture come alive through our staffs’ dedicated service day-in and day-out made 2017 memorable.

As customers continued to look for solutions across all product lines, we received a higher number of proposals and contracts than ever before. Throughout the increase of customers, our level of customer support continued to rise. We managed to receive an average score of a 9.5/10 for satisfaction.

Our commitment to the success of our clients is made possible with a staff that embodies this mission at all levels of the company. I feel it every day I come to work. This customer-first spirit translates into responsive customer service, innovative product design and development, as well as creative solutions to help our customers resolve either their immediate challenges or help them take preemptive actions. This is who we are—a company built on its ability to help customers meet and exceed their business goals. I find it very exciting and rewarding.

With the energy industry in a constant state of evolution, we have recognized the need for complementary solutions. This is why we have sought out strategic alliances who balance our solutions in support of our customers. I am happy to see many great partnerships form this year. 

One of the biggest highlights from 2017, however, was the completion of the OATI Microgrid Technology Center. Our staff refer to it as our “South Campus” but it is much more than just an office building. It is one of the first commissioned microgrids in the Midwest and one of the limited few in the country, which is both a data center and a technology demonstration center. It features solar panels, wind turbines, natural gas turbines, electricity storage, and a generator. These on-site resources are optimized to provide uninterruptible power to our data center ensuring protection from blackouts and near 100% uptime for the systems our customers rely on daily. We are very proud of the opportunity it gives us to exceed the expectations of our customers. It truly represents everything that OATI is based on – transforming the business of energy.
 
Down the road, I foresee continued expansion in Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), Commodity Trading and Risk Management (CTRM), gas and pipeline management systems, and of course, Microgrids. We anticipate significant increase in volume of data and much more stringent security and resiliency requirements. That is one of the main reasons we built the OATI Microgrid Technology Center. We anticipate upgrades to existing products and the development of new ones. We will continue to focus on meeting and exceeding the needs of our current customers while expanding into other markets as well.
 
At OATI, we are endlessly innovating and creating solutions that will make our customers’ lives easier. 2017 was a year full of exciting changes and I hope to continue progressing our company at this fast pace.
 
From everyone at OATI, we wish you the happiest of holidays and good fortune in 2018!