NRG People Power: Get to know Paul Cheety

Meet Paul Cheety, a Sales Manager in the East region who works primarily with NRG’s indirect sales channels.

Paul has been in the energy industry since 2005, when he joined Hess Energy Marketing in gas operations, handling scheduling and trading. In 2015, after Direct Energy acquired Hess Energy Marketing, Paul shifted to his current role in sales. Before plugging into the energy industry, Paul was involved with start-ups and personal entrepreneurship, which he feels prepared him well for his future work with channel sales partners. “Every day in this role is a completely new day,” said Paul when asked about his favorite part of working in sales. “No two days, experiences, or interactions are ever the same,” which he said keeps him on his toes.

The dynamics of working to support different business relationships and putting together the puzzle pieces of a unique and comprehensive sales strategy are at the heart of Paul’s passion for serving customers.  It’s not surprising then that Paul feels that he aligns most closely with NRG’s “customer focus” power value.  Providing a meaningful experience for customers and brokers seems innate to Paul and his team, who makes every decision with one question in mind: “Will this exceed the needs of our customers?”  One way Paul expects NRG to deliver for its brokers is through new technology that further streamlines the sales process and empowers self-service. “Our brokers are an extension of our sales team. We want to empower them with better, easier ways to work with us so they can better serve customers.”

Outside of working through transactions with brokers, Paul enjoys attending events with them, including TEPA (The Energy Professionals Association) and EEI (Edison Electric Institute). In addition to these organizations, Paul recommends that brokers consider participating in Smart Energy Decisions (SED) forums, given that many businesses have net-zero goals. “I think this is going to morph into a really big industry so I would encourage any broker who wants to be on the forefront of where the industry is looking to go, to become active in SED.  You’ve got to be thinking about this now or you’ll be in the dark in 10 years.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, Paul’s favorite ‘event’ is connecting on the phone with his brokers every day. “It may not be glamorous but it’s incredibly productive!” He also appreciates the opportunity for relationship-building in one-on-one events and meetings because it allows him to truly get to know his sales partners at a much more granular level.

Paul is excited about what the future holds when NRG’s family of business retail supply brands — Reliant, Green Mountain Energy, Cirro, and Direct Energy Business — come together under the NRG brand. “Employees across all of our brands work hard to deliver amazing service – it will be great to have that mindset and energy driving the NRG brand.” He views this not only as an opportunity to bring the expertise of many seasoned energy professionals together, but also to combine the best resources and technology.  “Our people are our number one asset, followed by our systems and platforms, which will help us deliver an industry-leading experience to our customers and sales partners.”

When not strategizing and selling, Paul spends time with his two-year-old daughter, and six-year-old son, who is already a committed ice hockey player. Outside of the rink, Paul enjoys Formula 1 racing, and powerful, elegant wristwatches. He’s also a big reader, mostly non-fiction and science, because he loves learning something new every day. And it’s this type of curiosity that makes Paul a valuable asset to his sales partners and customers.