Greg Kneuer has a passion for conquering challenges not only in his career in the utility industry, but also in the sports of skydiving and paragliding. Kneuer was drawn to extreme sports from a young age. In his early 20s, he became a sailplane pilot and learned to climb thermals and soar at altitudes in excess of 17,000 ft (5.2 km). His mountaineering skills took him atop scores of peaks, including the snows of Kilimanjaro at 19,336 ft (5.9 km).

In the early 1990s, Kneuer got into skydiving. “For me, skydiving was about overcoming a new set of fears,” he admitted. “It took me about 100 free-fall jumps to rid my mind of fear.” But Kneuer quickly established himself in the worldwide skydiving community.

During this time, the Thailand government was seeking to expand its tourism sector and decided to use extreme sports to showcase Thailand as an adventure paradise. The Royal Thai Air Force invited Kneuer along with other top jumpers from around the world to set, at that time, the Asian world skydiving record by building the first 100-way skydiving formation over Bangkok. Kneuer also had the opportunity to train and jump with the prince of Thailand and his military entourage.

Then in 1998, Kneuer was invited to be on a skydiving team that formed aerial Olympic rings over the Seoul Korea Olympic Stadium during the summer games.

Kneuer is also extremely passionate about his career in utility engineering and operations. After completing bachelor's degrees in biological and physical sciences, and a master's degree in radiation biology, he joined Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo; now Xcel Energy) in 1979 as a health scientist, where he was responsible for monitoring human and environmental health at the Fort St. Vrain nuclear plant.

PSCo's decommissioning of the plant led to the termination of nuclear positions. Kneuer asked to move into engineering and operations, but because he lacked an engineering degree, he went to work in electric line construction. After two years in the field, he was transferred into engineering.

Kneuer worked his way up through positions of increasing responsibility including electric and gas distribution engineer, commercial and industrial marketing engineer, and account executive for PSCo's single-largest customer. Kneuer strove to prove himself anew to each group, building a reputation of performance equal to any seasoned utility engineer or manager.

Kneuer received opportunities to contribute to PSCo's corporate growth. He served on the mergers and acquisitions team for the acquisitions of Southwest Public Service Company and Northern States Power. He also served as chairman in federal bankruptcy court, on behalf of PSCo, for the reorganization plan for CF&I Steel Corp., which included negotiating a United Steelworkers of America labor agreement for 2000 steelworkers, negotiating a five-year/US$24 million per year purchase power agreement for PSCo and, ultimately, leading a sale for approximately $300 million that ended the bankruptcy.

Always ready for the next challenge, Kneuer took the leap from performing to managing, becoming a metro engineering manager. “It was a great chance to apply my people skills and transfer what I had learned to others,” he said. “I also developed an expertise in streamlining work processes and optimizing utility resources.” For example, Kneuer reorganized the Metro Engineering department, which resulted in a 95% reduction in overtime and an increase in work productivity.

When he became the engineering and operations manager for PSCo's Front Range division, an area extending from the Foothill Mountains west of Denver to Colorado's Continental Divide, the company began significantly downsizing its management staff. “I found myself with the duties formerly held by four managers,” Kneuer recalled. “I pushed myself to learn the diverse areas of the business and to bring new efficiencies to my organization. When mandated to reduce stores inventory by 50%, I worked closely with all involved, from linemen to vendors, moving to just-in-time inventory techniques and exceeding the mandate.”

Over the years, Kneuer not only sought new challenges in his career, but he also continued to push the limits in extreme sports. “I asked myself, ‘What can beat the heart-pounding thrill and adrenaline rush of skydiving?’ On my 40th birthday, I took up paragliding. The views are incredible, the silence absolute, the cost and portability are right,” Kneuer observed.

As with his passion for paragliding, Kneuer has driven himself to learn all about the business and operational technologies of the utility business. Since leaving PSCo in 2000 and becoming a principal consultant with Enspiria Solutions, he has developed hands-on expertise in the application of utility technology. Kneuer travels around the United States helping utilities leverage technology to drive improvements in operational effectiveness, customer service and asset performance.

“There is nothing mundane about the utility business; I find it as exciting as skydiving and paragliding,” Kneuer noted. “What keeps me centered is knowing that I can go outside of my comfort zone and conquer new goals.”