David Avellan thrives in taxing situations. His team at TECO knows it, his company knows it, and now industry peers from across the United States know it too. Avellan, manager of TECO’s Utility Tax team, is the winner of the PowerPlan 2016 Halley’s Comet for Tax, honoring individuals who increase their organization’s tax savings through limited risk exposure, automated processes and accurate forecasting.
Avellan received the honor at the Comet Awards, on May 24 in Orlando at PowerPlan’s annual national PLANET conference. About 30 of Avellan’s team members were in attendance.
“I was totally surprised and proud to be able to represent my TECO family,” he said. “This company has the best professionals you can imagine. In addition, TECO’s vision towards technology improvements – and most importantly, the support of TECO’s executive management has given us – helps us succeed in remarkable ways.”
He added, “What we’re able to do, through this team’s expertise, PowerPlan’s tools and more, is ultimately good for our customers. We take the opportunity to serve the community very seriously, and that’s reflected in how we oversee our tax and accounting efforts.”
PowerPlan provides integrated software platforms, including PowerPlant, that help companies like TECO manage repair costs, tax impacts and more for a wide range of assets, from fleet trucks to substations to power lines – and many things in between and beyond. Avellan and his team have put it to great use at TECO in Florida and at New Mexico Gas Company as part of the Enterprise Resource Planning project there to standardize systems throughout the organization.
Far from being “overtaxed,” Avellan also serves as a member, through PowerPlan, of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Tax Users Group, a subgroup of the EEI Tax Committee focused on PowerPlant-related topics with the goal to share issues and provide feedback to PowerPlan.
And while the Comet Award was a surprise to Avellan, it wasn’t to those who work with him.
“Since the company invested in PowerPlant technology solutions, David’s leadership, his endless hours, passion to excel and commitment to these projects have not only contributed to the success of these implementations, but also helped TECO become a clear industry leader in this area,” said Valerie Strickland, director of Corporate Taxes. “On behalf of the entire TECO Finance team, we are all just very proud of him winning this prestigious award.”
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