Leadership lessons from transforming a 100-year-old utility

Central Hudson Gas & Electric is in the middle of a major five-year transformation aimed at becoming what CEO Stephanie Raymond calls a “premium utility” — one that leads on performance, reliability, trust, customer focus, and innovation. But what exactly does that mean? In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker chats with Stephanie Raymond of Central Hudson and Josh Eife, Managing Director at Greencastle, to unpack how Central Hudson 2.0 came together, what sparked the need for a sweeping reevaluation, and what happens when a utility decides the status quo is no longer enough. Stephanie walks us through the six pillars shaping the transformation: Growth, Organizational Effectiveness and Optimization, Workforce Engagement, Customer Excellence, Grid Resilience and Reliability, and Work Transformation. The conversation also gets into the practical reality of leading change while keeping day-to-day operations running. Now about a year into execution, the conversation covers what has changed, what surprised leadership, and what lessons emerged early in the process. For utility leaders navigating their own change journeys, this episode offers a grounded look at what it takes to build a “premium utility” in practice, and what that future might mean for both customers and employees. Thanks to Greencastle Consulting for making this episode possible. For nearly 30 years, Greencastle has implemented critical initiatives in highly regulated, high-stakes environments—like utilities—turning strategy into real, measurable results. 100% veteran-owned and operated and headquartered in Pennsylvania, Greencastle specializes in strategy execution: aligning leadership, strengthening governance, and ensuring critical initiatives actually deliver. Whether you’re navigating enterprise-level transformations, grid modernization, or other complex technology programs and regulatory demands, Greencastle embeds with your team to drive clarity, accountability, and real outcomes. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe