Team Q&A: Syd Bishop – Sr. Content Specialist

We’re excited to continue the expansion of our marketing team so that we can spread the word about our software-driven sustainability efforts far and wide. Please join me in welcoming our Sr. Content Specialist, Syd Bishop!

How did your previous life prepare you for Virtual Peaker?

I used to work at Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) as a customer service representative. That job was often stressful but instrumental in my top-down education in the utility industry. For the most part, the calls that I took dealt with exactly the struggles you might imagine that poorer communities face and I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to help. Beyond developing my empathy and understanding, I got a great look at the behind-the-scenes challenges that utility companies face, a subject I still find fascinating. Working in the utility industry also reshaped and refocused my perception of sustainability initiatives and the extraordinary efforts necessary to realize any goals meant to mitigate climate change.

After LG&E, I worked at the University of Louisville, eventually for a stint at the Speed School. There, I learned that ignorance is an opportunity to learn more and that there isn’t a bad question except for the one you didn’t ask. Working with engineers also taught me to how to process complex information that I might have never thought about. It didn’t always feel like it at the time, but those two professional experiences primed me for the good work I do at Virtual Peaker.

Tell us about your role at Virtual Peaker.

My official job title is Sr. Content Specialist, which is a fancier way of saying that I sling and wrangle words. All of them. If you’ve read it on this site, there’s a good chance that at some point it’s come across my desk. That’s everything from our blog strategy to our email and collateral efforts. I love learning, research, and persuasive writing, which is admittedly pretty nerdy, but ideal for my position. I get to learn about new technologies that are built specifically to help utilities achieve climate change initiatives, which is an awesome way to spend your day.

How do you personally engage in sustainability efforts?

I wish I did more. Ideally, I’d have an electric vehicle and a distributed energy resource or two, preferably some rooftop photovoltaic solar panels. Right now though, I’m raising two kids which is expensive but also allows me to educate a younger generation on emphasizing sustainability efforts whenever and however possible. On top of that, I recycle, educate decision-makers on some pretty cool software solutions (I’m biased, of course), and walk or ride my bike wherever and whenever possible. The good news is that there is always time to take action in building a better tomorrow, and whether that’s planting trees with our sustainability workgroup or something more, I’m ready to take those steps.

What can you tell us about yourself?

I’m a dad, a husband, a nerd, a Kentucky Colonel, and a musician. I play guitar, keyboard, and sometimes bass guitar; I wish I could sing, play drums, or a brass instrument, but I’ll take what I’ve got. Through that, I’ve been in a bunch of bands like this or this, but despite my profession, I’m terrible at marketing my art (it’s no fun), so I’m never surprised if I’ve flown under the radar. I read a lot of comic books and enjoy sci-fi/superhero/fantasy type things on television or the movie theater, mostly because I prefer any situation that is entirely solvable with lasers or web-shooters; sure beats the real world. I ride bikes when the weather isn’t insufferable, exercise, play Uno with my kids, and love a good laugh.