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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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From operator to entrepreneur: David Garcia applies outage management lessons
David Garcia
If ComEd’s Zion plant in northern Illinois hadn’t closed in 1998, David Garcia might still be there, where he got his start in nuclear power as an operator at age 24.
But in his ninth year working there, Zion closed, and Garcia moved on to a series of new roles—including at Wisconsin’s Point Beach plant, the corporate offices of Minnesota’s Xcel Energy, and on the supplier side at PaR Nuclear—into an on-the-job education that he augmented with degrees in business and divinity that he sought later in life.
Garcia started his own company—Waymaker Resource Group—in 2014. Recently, Waymaker has been supporting Holtec’s restart project at the Palisades plant with staffing and analysis. Palisades sits almost exactly due east of the fully decommissioned Zion site on the other side of Lake Michigan and is poised to operate again after what amounts to an extended outage of more than three years. Holtec also plans to build more reactors at the same site.
For Garcia, the takeaway is clear: “This industry is not going away. Nuclear power and the adjacent industries that support nuclear power—and clean energy, period—are going to be needed for decades upon decades.”
In July, Garcia talked with Nuclear News staff writer Susan Gallier about his career and what he has learned about running successful outages and other projects.
Educational Session|Panel|Sponsored by Business/Economic Performance
Tuesday, August 11, 2020|4:00–5:30PM EDT
Session Organizer:
Tim Schlimpert (MCR)
Knowledge Manager:
Amber Von Ruden (Exelon Corporation)
This session will analyze Capital investment data from the Fukushima response to current investments improving performance and as responses to industry threats. Capital investment trends will be evaluated in terms of industry responses to external and internal challenges. Maria Hernandez, Nuclear Corporate Finance Manager for Duke Energy and Timothy Schlimpert, Vice President, MCR Performance Solutions will complete and present the analyses. Supporting data is collected and provided for analysis by the Electric Utility Cost Group (EUCG); the only organization collecting robust industry cost data. All information is provided blinded to protect the confidentiality of all data contributors. For more on the EUCG visit: www.eucg.org
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