NRG People Power: Get to Know Jamie Guinn
Using all the right ingredients to create the sweetest offers
Originally published on NRG Energy Insights
Happy New Year! We’re back with another NRG People Power blog, and we’re pleased to introduce you to more of the people behind our products and services. In this edition, we’re excited for you to get to know our Managing Director of Integrated Channels, Jamie Guinn.
A recipe for perfection
Baking and decorating a gourmet cake isn’t easy. Any dedicated baker will tell you that you can’t be casual about it. It needs creativity, thought, and care. Measurements matter and little mistakes can have a big impact. You must be all-in on the process from beginning to end, and if you are, it’s well worth it.
In another life, Jamie Guinn says she would have had a bakery. She’s known among family and friends for her intricately decorated cakes, cheesecakes, and cookies. She finds the baking process a relaxing way to channel her perfectionism and attention to detail, while making her family happy.
And these valuable traits carry over into her work for NRG, even if the frosting doesn’t.
She’s got the right ingredients
Jamie has been with NRG for 19 years and in the energy sector for more than 20. With an Economics degree from Washington & Jefferson College, she started her career working for a natural gas pipeline company, did some gas trading, and then made the jump to Strategic Energy. From Strategic Energy she moved to Direct Energy, and then to NRG, gathering broad experience working in departments like Operations, Portfolio Strategy, Indirect Sales, and Strategic Sales.
In her current role as Managing Director of Integrated Sales Channels, Jamie leads a team partnering with the largest and most complex energy brokers and consultants across the country, including those handling government accounts. With market variation and change in the industry, she knows that customers need consistency and someone they can rely on to serve their unique energy goals. Her focus is connecting brokers with NRG team members who best fit their business needs, based on personality, experience, and regional knowledge.
Customer Focus is a piece of cake
Like a complex recipe with multiple steps and ingredients, energy brokers and consultants do business with thousands of customers of all different flavors, and they want a retail energy provider who can whip it all up into a satisfying solution for those customers. That’s where Jamie and her team come in. Finding the right recipe for a successful strategy, perfectly tailored to a customer’s tastes, is her favorite part of the job.
For Jamie and her team, each day is different, as is each project – they may be closing a huge deal, building a custom strategy, or addressing a crucial concern for a customer with a flexible and responsive resolution. The team is well-versed in all markets and products, stays on top of market trends and innovations, and remains agile in order to switch gears between accounts at a moment’s notice. At the helm, Jamie skillfully manages all her mixtures, ensuring each solution rises to perfection.
All boss, no sauce
When she isn’t giving her brokers world-class service, Jamie is a busy mom to teenage sons Gavin and Braden. She can often be found driving them to and from soccer and basketball practices, helping with team fundraisers and boosters, and being everyone’s favorite provider of team snacks.
Jamie, her husband Brad, the boys, and the rest of the family are Steelers season ticket holders and love tailgating for games with all their favorite cookout foods. Just don’t offer her any ketchup! Though it’s nearly a crime in Pittsburgh, the hometown of the famous Heinz brand, Jamie doesn’t care for condiments of any variety. But her family doesn’t seem to mind this quirk, since she’s generous with the frosting and sprinkles on her bakes.
Winding down after a busy day, Jamie enjoys light reading and television that doesn’t need a lot of careful attention. She likes to chill out with the latest edition of People magazine, or an episode of “Virgin River” with her two German Shorthaired Pointers, Maggie and Maya, by her side.
The cherry on top
Early in her career, after a disappointing experience, Jamie knew how she would lead a team if she was ever in a position to do so. Today, she holds her team to a high standard of kindness and respect for each other and our customers. She knows the key ingredient is the relationship. Get that right, and you’ll share a table with loyal customers for years to come.
The Integrated Sales team serves the most complex C&I brokers across the U.S., including Federal government accounts. This team of 30 requires expertise across all markets and collaborates with nearly every department in the NRG organization. They support power, gas, demand response, sustainability offerings, and ancillary products.
