Donald “Blue” Jenkins, who became CEO of South Jersey Industries on Aug. 3, started out as a numbers guy. He earned an accounting degree at Brigham Young University and spent a few years in public accounting, “long enough to tick that CPA box.” He later earned an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
He also has worked on a trading desk.
During 13 years at BP, he traded commodities, ran parts of the trading business and traveled all over North America, rising to Senior Vice President, North America Gas and Power. Next came eight years as Chief Commercial Officer at EQT in Pittsburgh and seven years leading Washington Gas.
“I’ve been blessed to work in this industry for nearly 30 years,” he said.
Here are 12 other things to know about Blue:
12. He got into energy by happenstance: After public accounting, he took a job on the unregulated side of a small utility in the Northwest. About 18 months later, BP bought the business, and him with it.
11. He shipped propane around the world: “In a previous life, I exported a lot of LPGs,” he said, meaning liquid petroleum gases like propane and butane. Much of the world heats and cooks with them. “That was a serious upgrade” from gathering fuel to cook on.
10. He helped build the last big new pipeline in the U.S.: At EQT, the company grew its production tenfold and built the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which he called “the last greenfield pipeline built in the U.S.”
9. He beat the Beltway: While leading Washington Gas, he lived in D.C., then Maryland, then Virginia. “I tried all the jurisdictions,” he said. He always stayed inside the Beltway: “I couldn’t take the time in the car.”
8. He knows what water costs: Jenkins grew up out West and spent time in southern Utah. “There’s a reason that you hardscape your yard,” he said. “You put rocks and paint it green.”
7. He carries the grid in his pocket: Jenkins regularly pulls up PJM Now, the regional grid operator’s app, to show people what’s powering the grid. On peak days, he said, that includes coal and oil.
6. He doesn’t sit still: “I’m in Folsom today. I’ll be in Linden tomorrow. I’ll be at one of our operating sites on Wednesday,” he said during a recent interview. “That’s just what we do.” Expect to see him on the business-event circuit, too.
5. He loves hearing about SJI employees by name: SJI has 1,200 employees, and Jenkins said customers tell him about them. “‘Hey, I met Sally, and she was so nice,’ or ‘I met Steve while he was fixing something, and he was very professional.’ I love that.”
4. He wants you to know SJI doesn’t profit on gas prices: “We make zero money on the commodity we sell, and people don’t think that,” he said. “We pass that through. We want it to be as low as you do.”
3. He’s falling for the Garden State: His commute to SJI’s Folsom headquarters takes him past 7,000 acres of blueberry fields. “I appreciate the Garden State a bit more,” he said.
2. He has a favorite energy-waste story: A friend walked down to his basement and heard the air conditioner cranking. His son had turned the AC way down, gotten cold and lit the fireplace, and was sitting in front of it. “Thoughtful energy usage matters,” Jenkins said.
1. How he got the nickname ‘Blue’: “It’s a nickname my dad gave me as a kid,” he said. “It was his best friend’s name from college.” It has its advantages, Jenkins said. “It is super convenient. People remember it. If I get a phone call for Donald, I know it’s somebody I’ve never dealt with. If I get a phone call for Blue, I know we have a relationship. So, honestly, it’s been a great marketing tool.”
