Meet Our Owners
We are owned and operated by Eric Rivers. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Birmingham in December 2013 and brought several years of bonafide experience in the industry.
Eric's wife and co-founder of Rivers Electrical Services, LLC, Rhiannon Rivers, completed her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2009 and earned her Master of Business Administration degree in 2013 from the University of Alabama. She started her professional career in 2006 and has since worked for several reputable organizations in the engineering sector in Alabama.
Relevant Job Experience - Rhiannon
Rhiannon brings over 17 years of hands-on experience as an electrical engineer, having handled a wide variety of projects related to power transmission and generation, substation engineering, etc.
Jackson Renfro & Associates EE Consulting Firm – Intern/ Engineer
- Worked with clients to coordinate designs; supervised a drafter to assist in completing projects.
- Managed schedules of projects to ensure completion within timeframe designated by clients.
Southern Company Services – Transmission P&C Design - Engineer
- Led the Protection & Control design of distribution & transmission substations.
- Successfully managed the designs of APC substation projects as the Schedule Coordinator.
- Effectively estimated project durations & requirements to balance the department’s resources.
Alabama Power Company – Transmission Project Mgmt. & Customer Service – Project Controls Analyst
- Created, updated and maintained project schedules & budgets for T&D capital projects.
- Served as the lead to train new analysts in the group as well as develop new training tools.
- Collaborated across groups to ensure feasibility of estimated timelines and budgets.
Southern Company Services –Transmission Planning - Engineer
- Performed analysis to identify projects needed for the transmission system; provide justification and communicate results to seek approval from decision makers.
- Led solution team meetings to discuss cost effectiveness and feasibility of project options.
- Served as the co-op lead by providing training, managing workload, and providing feedback.
Southern Company Services – Substation Engineering – Control Design Supervisor
- Led a team responsible for the electrical control scheme design and associated work for substation projects including: material specification, the engineering & design of single lines, schematics and wiring diagrams for substation equipment.
- Ensured the team provided excellent service and a fast response to customers; led the team to complete 13 emergency equipment failures; all were completed within the required time frames, over half of which were requested the same day for system needs.
- Provided performance management for direct reports, including individual contributors and one team leader with direct reports.
Southern Power Company – Transmission & Markets – Project Manager
- Provided oversight for strategic project development and evaluation by coordinating with siting, business development and acquisitions to provide transmission service plans.
- Supported commercial operations and trading in the assessment of power delivery options and congestion hedging from a transmission perspective.
- Provided transmission support for existing ~12GW power plant fleet to ensure reliable operations of power plants and that IA requirements are fully met.
Southern Company Services –Transmission Planning Generation & Strategic – Project Manager
- Led a team responsible for performing transmission planning studies and analysis related to a variety of processes such as: new generation siting options, generation designations, unit retirement evaluations, Integrated Resource Plan support, and renewable & capacity RFP generation procurement programs.
- Served as the main point of contact for System/Resource Planning for transmission study requests, provided input/guidance, and communicated study results and implications.
- Provided technical oversight on study scoping to ensure all study assumptions were captured as well as reviewing study results for accuracy and consistency. Ensured study results were coordinated as needed among key stakeholders within Transmission.
- Provided performance management for direct reports including: develop goals, meeting frequently to discuss progress as well as giving real-time feedback.
Rivers Electrical Services, LLC – Business Owner
- Manages the day-to-day operations of the business by monitoring cash flow activities from accounts payable and receivables; determines the best use of resources as well as ensuring adequate capital needed for planned projects and ongoing expenses.
- Maintains organizational schedule for all current and upcoming projects; looks ahead at high potential future projects to ensure adequate resources for those projects; identifies when additional resources are needed.
- Acts as a liaison between the financial function of the organization and the production group.
- Provides oversight on project quotes and costs; monitors project costs to make sure that labor rates are sufficiently covering all costs and providing the desired profit.
- Performs engineering surveys and studies, such as arc flash studies, using SKM and Etap software.
Relevant Job Experience - Eric
Eric has worked as a senior engineer for multiple organizations with expertise in project design, management, and implementation.
Drafter & Designer, Whitaker and Rawson Consulting, Inc., Homewood, Alabama
- Worked self-sufficiently on projects by coordinating all aspects of design
- Performed site inspections and created sketches in the field for design verification
- Sized and selected equipment based on load calculations for commercial use
- Utilized AutoCAD daily for design
Co-op Engineer, Valspar Coatings Corporation, Birmingham, Alabama
- Worked independently on a range of projects covering multiple Engineering disciplines
- Created corporate appropriation requests for capital projects based on plant needs
Senior Field Service Engineer, Eaton Corp, USA
- LV and MV control design, installation, and troubleshooting
- LV, MV equipment maintenance, installation, and troubleshooting
- Power quality analysis, breaker coordination, Arc Flash evaluation, and Mitigation
- Project leader, technical resource for employees, customer training, and product sales teams
Principal Engineer, South East Switchgear, Birmingham, Alabama
- Act as a technical leader for Southland Group
- Manage local Engineering/ Field Service Division – 6 Team Members
- LV, MV equipment installation, retrofit, and design for custom switchgear
- Acquisition of new accounts, Sales Support role as needed
- Responsible for development of all safety policies, technical procedures, and administrative practices for Engineering/ Field Service Division since inception in 2018
Senior Engineer, Plant Power, and Control Systems, Alabaster, Alabama
- Design LV and MV Switchgear Protection and Control Schemes
- Design, build and commission MV Motor Control Packages: Synchronous and Induction
- Complete onsite installations and commissioning for custom-designed switchgear
- Complete Arc Flash, Coordination, and Power System Studies