JEA HEADQUARTERS

Acuity Design Group (ADG) was instrumental in driving successful outreach and construction communications for JEA’s New Construction project, particularly in engaging local Minority, Women, Veteran, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (MWVDBE) and Jacksonville Small and Emerging Businesses (JSEB). In alignment with JEA’s ambitious goal of dedicating 20% of the project’s eligible spend to MWVDBE and local businesses, ADG’s expertise in the local vendor market proved invaluable. With their established connections and extensive knowledge of the Jacksonville community, ADG facilitated six in-person outreach events, bringing together vendors and project opportunities in a strategic and impactful way.

In collaboration with the Ryan marketing and Economic Business Inclusion (EBI) teams, ADG supported the development of a user-friendly, project-specific bidding portal, ensuring MWVDBE vendors had easy access to opportunities. ADG’s targeted outreach helped address initial concerns from local vendors who felt overlooked, fostering trust and transparency throughout the process. The result was not only meeting but surpassing JEA’s participation goals, with MWVDBE engagement exceeding by 35%, JSEB participation reaching 249%, and local business participation exceeding by 36%. Through thoughtful outreach, relationship-building, and seamless communication efforts, ADG helped create a lasting impact on the local economy and empowered small businesses to thrive in the Jacksonville community.

Acuity Design Group plays a crucial role in supporting JEA's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for 2023 by focusing on stakeholder engagement and ensuring the community’s input is integral to the plan's success. In collaboration with JEA, Acuity is responsible for fostering relationships with a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, including residential and commercial customers, community leaders, environmental groups, municipal representatives, and more.

This engagement aims to:

- Educate stakeholders on JEA's energy plans and decisions.

- Enhance transparency in the utility's decision-making processes.

- Facilitate opportunities for community members to provide valuable feedback on the IRP.

- Promote informed dialogue around resource planning to better meet the needs of the community.

- Reduce regulatory risk by building understanding and support for utility decisions.

- Encourage stakeholders to share insights with their networks, widening the scope of input.

JEA has set ambitious goals for 2030, including achieving 35% clean energy, retiring inefficient power assets, powering all JEA facilities with 100% clean energy, and enhancing energy efficiency programs to address growing demands. Acuity’s efforts in collaborating with stakeholders throughout this process will be essential to achieving an 80% reduction in JEA’s overall carbon emissions since 2005.

This ongoing, transparent dialogue with the community will ensure JEA’s energy future aligns with both environmental goals and the needs of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.