Director of Origination
October 2019
Jessica Fleck is a Term Trader at ACES’ East Regional Trading Center (RTC) in Raleigh, North Carolina. She assists with the day-to-day management of ACES’ Members’ and Customers’ portfolios. Jessica began her career at ACES on the real-time desk at ACES’ headquarters in Carmel, Indiana shortly after graduating from Purdue. “I found an open position at ACES listed on Purdue’s website and decided to apply. My dad is an electrical engineer and used to work for one of ACES’ Members, Wabash Valley Power Alliance (WVPA), and knew people that had previously worked at WVPA and had moved to ACES,” Jessica recalls. Jessica also previously held a role as a Portfolio Performance Reporting (PPR) Analyst. While working as a PPR Analyst, Jessica also assumed responsibility for managing renewable energy certificates (REC), emissions allowances, and renewable portfolios for certain Members and Customers and carried those responsibilities into her new role.
Last year, Jessica was looking for new opportunities and adventures and decided to pursue a Term Trading position at ACES’ East RTC. “I had lived in Indiana my entire life and was looking for a change. When the position in North Carolina became available, I reached out to the hiring manager and applied for the position,” says Jessica.
The move has been positive for Jessica. “At the East RTC, most of the Members and Customers we interact with are in PJM, which is the market in which I have the most experience and expertise. Additionally, many of those Members and Customers have some sort of renewable compliance mandate and I’m happy to continue to provide them value with my expertise in that area,” says Jessica. “I think it would be great for ACES’ REC trading and renewables services to grow. As we begin to expand into the New York and New England markets, I expect the East RTC may be more heavily involved in this area of the industry,” she adds.
While Jessica says she does miss her friends and family in Indiana, she loves all the outdoor activities that Raleigh provides. “There are so many outdoor activities and ways to stay active. My fiancé and I are constantly finding new places to hike, walk our dog, kayak, and bike. With all the parks, beaches, mountains, and nearby places that are a short drive away, I don’t expect we’ll run out of things to explore anytime soon,” says Jessica. In addition to being outdoors, Jessica enjoys traveling. She recently attended Oktoberfest in Germany and says it was one of the best events she’s ever attended. “We went without making any sort of reservations. It was great meeting people from all over the world. We sat with some people from New Jersey (who had no idea where Indiana was), people from Canada, and snowboarders from Austria. Everyone had such interesting stories and things that brought them to Germany,” says Jessica. “We stayed in the mountains while we were there and it was so beautiful! It was like something you see in a story book,” she adds. When traveling, Jessica says she loves to find small diners and shops that are off the beaten path. “When you visit these small family-owned shops, you get a better feel for the locals and have a more authentic experience. They may not always have the best of whatever you’re looking for, but you’re almost guaranteed to walk away with a good story and experience,” says Jessica.
Jessica’s willingness to take on new experiences is just one of the qualities that makes her an ideal ACES employee.
*Note that since being published, Jessica has been promoted to Director of Origination*