Bill Griffith
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Bill began his career in the energy industry with Northern Illinois Gas Co. in 1986. This was during the onset of deregulation where he worked with industrial customers to help transition them to supplier purchasing. Bill left NICOR in 1990 and worked for one of the first retail gas suppliers in Illinois before he was recruited by Amoco Energy Trading in 1994 to start up their Midwest customer supply business. Under Bill’s guidance, Amoco grew rapidly and became the supplier for many of the largest industrial consumers in Illinois and Indiana. Amoco created the first supplier balancing pool on the NIPSCO system and was among the first suppliers to help customers monetize the NICOR storage value.
Upon the acquisition of Amoco by BP Energy in 2000, Bill became the Director of Marketing, responsible for all Midwest activities. After the acquisition, Bill led the continued Midwest growth by opening an office in Michigan and acquiring a customer business in Indiana. The BP Midwest team grew to include 60 people in 3 regional offices with functional roles in trading, sales, scheduling, and risk. In 2008, he was promoted to the Midwest Regional Office Leader position for BP Energy, and subsequently, to Vice President, where he held responsibility for gas marketing and origination activities as well as being the single point of accountability for strategy, P&L, and compliance. While at BP, Bill dealt with a wide variety of customers – industrial customers, utilities, power plants, pipeline operators, small retail suppliers, and renewable gas suppliers. These interactions involved negotiating structured sales with complex contracts and credit solutions.
Bill left BP Energy in 2016 and joined Direct Energy Business as the Director of Midwest Sales. This role entailed the oversight for sales of gas, power, and demand response to commercial and industrial customers in six Midwest states (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin). During Bill’s time at Direct Energy, the number of customers served grew substantially while enhancing the mix of gas and power sales. During the growth phase, Direct Energy acquired a 100 Bcf/year customer business in Indianapolis in addition to launching new service into Wisconsin and creating the first customer pool on the Consumers Power system in Michigan.
Bill has been married to his wife Bobbie for over 30 years and they have three girls. Bill completed his undergraduate degree at Illinois State University and his graduate degree at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business – he holds a BS in Industrial Technology and an MBA in Finance.
Upon the acquisition of Amoco by BP Energy in 2000, Bill became the Director of Marketing, responsible for all Midwest activities. After the acquisition, Bill led the continued Midwest growth by opening an office in Michigan and acquiring a customer business in Indiana. The BP Midwest team grew to include 60 people in 3 regional offices with functional roles in trading, sales, scheduling, and risk. In 2008, he was promoted to the Midwest Regional Office Leader position for BP Energy, and subsequently, to Vice President, where he held responsibility for gas marketing and origination activities as well as being the single point of accountability for strategy, P&L, and compliance. While at BP, Bill dealt with a wide variety of customers – industrial customers, utilities, power plants, pipeline operators, small retail suppliers, and renewable gas suppliers. These interactions involved negotiating structured sales with complex contracts and credit solutions.
Bill left BP Energy in 2016 and joined Direct Energy Business as the Director of Midwest Sales. This role entailed the oversight for sales of gas, power, and demand response to commercial and industrial customers in six Midwest states (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin). During Bill’s time at Direct Energy, the number of customers served grew substantially while enhancing the mix of gas and power sales. During the growth phase, Direct Energy acquired a 100 Bcf/year customer business in Indianapolis in addition to launching new service into Wisconsin and creating the first customer pool on the Consumers Power system in Michigan.
Bill has been married to his wife Bobbie for over 30 years and they have three girls. Bill completed his undergraduate degree at Illinois State University and his graduate degree at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business – he holds a BS in Industrial Technology and an MBA in Finance.