Report from World Business Forum, New York

I head up the personal marketing services group of ExecuNet, so I'm no expert on global energy policy. But I pay taxes (like most Americans), consume more energy than I should (like most Americans), and care about the planet (hopefully, like most Americans). I also hate inefficiency, which is central to any conversation about energy and how we use it here in America.

So in attending the World Business Forum, and being asked to report for the organizers of the event on the comments of one speaker, Marvin Odum, the president of Shell Oil North America, I had the unique opportunity to get some firsthand insight about how one of the big four oil and gas companies is dealing with what is unquestionably a complex issue.

I have always had a personal interest in the topic of energy, especially oil — how it is being legislated, produced and consumed. Mostly because I am often struck by how much of it we use, how important it is to our way of life, and how time, money, and lives have been spent trying to ensure we have access to as much of it as we want.

So having listened in person very carefully this afternoon to the comments and perspectives of the president of one of the big four oil companies, here's what I see as the bottom line: Big oil is big, too big to change very quickly, and too profitable under current business and economic conditions to have a compelling reason to change. Expecting Shell Oil Company to bring alternative energy resources to the marketplace is kind of like asking McDonald's to figure out how to trim the waistlines of Americans.

Interestingly, Mr. Odum's remarks were delivered before and after those of another WBF speaker, Al Gore, whose life mission seems to be to save the planet, a purpose that is not necessarily shared with Shell Oil — an interesting juxtaposition of speakers.

But I say all this with due respect to Shell Oil, and all the oil companies. How can we begrudge a company for succeeding in achieving its mission, presumably that being to maximize profit and shareholder value? If you were providing the lifeblood of the American economy, and making billions of dollars at it, you wouldn't necessarily be in a hurry to change things either.

On top of that, energy — how it is regulated, produced and consumed, is complicated. Most alternative energy options are difficult to perfect. They have their own energy-zapping, environmentally damaging, costs and consequences. Government policies don't encourage their exploration enough. Getting new technologies into the marketplace is difficult. Oil is such an entrenched component of our economy that getting away from dependence is like digging up bedrock. My sense is that we Americans are all in favor of energy conservation and alternatives, as long as they don't make us sacrifice our comfort.

In other words, I don't think we'll see alternative energy solutions coming from the big oil companies; we're far more likely to see them coming from small entrepreneurial sector. And even at that, not very quickly. According to Mr. Odum, Shell did a study of how long it took new energy technologies to penetrate the marketplace over the past fifty years and found it took about 30 years to get from concept to market.

But like Al Gore pointed out, with every challenge comes an opportunity. And according to him, the opportunity to reduce dependency on fossil fuels from countries that don't like us has never been greater. I hope he's right because none of us want to see any more of our hard-earned tax dollars or precious young people being wasted on fighting wars for something we "should" be able to produce ourselves.

But I've gained an appreciation for just how big and complex the issues related to alternative energy are. And my naivete has been partly erased. I now know the solutions are difficult, and there won't be any big ones coming along any time real soon. In the meantime, I'll continue to do my part — the things I've been encouraged to do for, dare I say, about the past 30 years — turn down the thermostat a few degrees this winter, turn the lights off when I leave the room, use public transportation, run the dishwasher on quick cycle. And I'll hope the winds of change blow swiftly in the energy marketplace.

David Topus
David Topus leads ExecuNet's personal marketing services group, and is a nationally-recognized consultant and trainer who turns reputations into revenue by helping individuals and companies articulate their value propositions more effectively. He has been cited in national media for his communication and networking techniques.

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