Jim Munroe

Jim Munroe began his professional career in the U.S. Navy. During his 10 years of service, Jim underwent extensive training in electronics and also submarine school to become a missile technician in the submarine service. His service included deterrent patrols, in a shipyard repairing launch equipment and shore duty at a missile processing facility. After completing his Naval commitment, Jim had a friend at church who worked as a foreman at a local power plant and introduced Jim to what would be his first of many jobs in the energy industry at Santee Cooper, a utility in South Carolina. While at Santee Cooper, Jim spent several years working in operations and later worked in the calibration lab where he performed various tasks to improve the plant’s performance. Eventually, Santee Cooper and two other electric utilities merged their power marketing functions to become The Energy Authority (TEA), which is when Jim’s career in power trading began. His career in power trading eventually led him to ACES’ East Regional Trading Center (RTC) in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2015.

When asked about his role as an Hourly Trader, Jim shares what a unique position it is, especially with rotating day and night shifts. “Hourly Traders need to be mindful of all ACES’ Clients’ needs on a real-time basis and quickly resolve those needs by buying and selling power throughout the day,” explains Jim. “You start to trade with a lot of different people and I’ve always enjoyed that. You have to be a people person,” Jim adds. Jim noted that he has kept notes about almost all the traders he has ever worked with; “I got to know the names of everyone’s family members and what was going on in their lives. In this business, it’s all about building great relationships.”

Recently, Jim has become a published children’s author with his book titled, The Sneezing Toucan. Jim shared the struggles he initially encountered when searching for a publisher for his book, but when a friend introduced him to Parson’s Porch, a small publishing company in Cleveland, Tennessee, he knew it was a perfect fit. Parson’s Porch was founded by a retired minister who donates a loaf of bread and gallon of milk to families in need for every book sold. Jim explains that Parson’s Porch, “isn’t one of those publishing houses in it for the money… and I think it’s great because everybody wins.” To learn more about his journey and the experiences that led him to becoming an author, you can visit Jim’s website at https://rhymes4life.com.

When asked what advice he has to offer new ACES employees, he emphasized the importance of forming meaningful relationships and getting to know the people you work with. “Don’t be afraid to try new things. Step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself,” Jim advises.

Jim does more than offer great advice, he also sets a great example of what it looks like to take his own advice, try something new, and find success along the way.