Keynote and Featured Speakers

Joel D. Feucht

Director of Natural Gas Strategy
Caterpillar Inc.
Lunch Keynote Address: Thursday, September 27

Joel D. Feucht is Director of Gas Engine Strategy for the Energy & Power systems businesses of Caterpillar, responsible for leading and prioritizing investments in gas engine products to provide customers in all segments with class-leading solutions.

Mr. Feucht, a fourth-generation Caterpillar employee, joined Caterpillar in 1988 as a designer in the Engine Division.  He held various engineering and purchasing positions in Mossville, Illinois, before being named in 1998 as a manufacturing manager in the fuel system division in Pontiac, Illinois.  In 2001, he was named materials manager for the division with responsibility for purchasing and logistics.

Mr. Feucht became global segment manager in Global Purchasing for engine components in 2003, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom.  He returned in late 2005 as a component product manager responsible for launching Caterpillar’s growing aftertreatment and cooling systems businesses.  In 2006, Feucht was named director of purchasing for the engine businesses located in Mossville, Illinois. 

Mr. Feucht completed The Executive Program at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business in 2008.  He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois. 

John W. Somerhalder II

Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
AGL Resources
Opening Keynote Address: Wednesday, September 26

John W. Somerhalder II was named president and chief executive officer of AGL Resources (NYSE:GAS) in March 2006 and elected as chairman of the company's board of directors in November 2007.

Mr. Somerhalder provides seasoned leadership to AGL Resources, an Atlanta-based energy services holding company with operations in natural gas distribution, retail operations, wholesale services, midstream operations and cargo shipping. As the nation's largest natural gas-only distributor based on customer count, AGL Resources serves approximately 4.5 million utility customers.

Mr. Somerhalder is a member of the board of directors of the American Gas Association, which he chaired in 2011. He also serves on the boards of the Gas Technology Institute, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and as a director of Crestwood Gas Services GP LLC.

Mr. Somerhalder is chairman of the board of the Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., which is leading the development of the Atlanta BeltLine along 22 miles of historic railroad around the city. A member of the board of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, he successfully chaired the 2009 United Way Campaign for metro Atlanta during economic times and served an unprecedented second term as chair of the 2010 campaign.

He holds a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona.