Reimagining how design work is done across a large organization
Dominion Energy, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, serving over 2.7 million customers across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Pennsylvania. With 60,000 miles of electric distribution lines and a system that’s 99% smart-meter enabled, Dominion operates at a scale that demands efficiency, accuracy, and adaptability. Facing the limitations of legacy design tools, the company launched a major initiative to modernize its electric distribution design workflow. The goal: to increase productivity, streamline processes, and prepare the organization for deeper integration with GIS and enterprise asset management systems.
To lead this transformation, Dominion selected Automated Utility Design (AUD) from SBS, bringing in a modern, model-based design environment to replace its legacy ArcFM Designer system. What followed was an ambitious, multi-state implementation that reimagined how design work is done across the organization from headquarters to privatized military base operations.
Building the Foundation for Change
“Most of our designers weren’t used to working in a CAD environment,” said John Terpay, Design Engineering Supervisor at Dominion Energy. “They were GIS designers. But with AUD, we saw an opportunity to introduce automation and consistency in ways that weren’t possible before.”
The AUD deployment covered 35 offices for both internal teams and design vendors, and drew in more than 30 dedicated project contributors across IT, GIS, standards, training, and design operations. Dominion developed a phased rollout plan, targeting subdivision design teams for early training and scheduling 30 comprehensive courses to support the transition.
Harry Canaday, Business Systems Analyst at Dominion Energy, noted that configuration was central to the implementation’s success. “We were able to structure the tool around our workflows, not the other way around. That’s huge. AUD let us tailor the interface so designers could move from primary to service connections in a logical, top-down flow. That’s what made adoption realistic.”
Automation That Delivers
One of the most immediate wins came from automation. Previously, placing a single pole with associated hardware and labor components could take 10–15 minutes using Dominion’s legacy tools. Now, it takes one click.
“AUD automatically places the pole, cross arms, insulators, tie wire, and everything else the designer needs,” said Canaday. “That alone is going to save us enormous time. And the designers are excited about that.”
SBS also worked with Dominion to configure advanced features like:
- A grid reservation tool for GIS integration
- Custom annotation tools that meet strict internal standards
- Support for SpidaCALC integration to streamline engineering analysis
- Pre-loaded design details for underground facilities that previously required manual drafting
All of this contributes to faster, more reliable construction packages with reduced errors, rework, and field miscommunication.
A True Partnership
“Once we started working with SBS, it was clear they knew utilities. They understood our problems without us having to explain every detail. They felt like an extension of our team. Everyone we’ve worked with has been very professional; responsive, knowledgeable, and passionate,” said Terpay. “I don’t think of them as a vendor anymore.”
Canaday echoed the sentiment. “The way AUD functions in a design environment, it’s friendly, logical, and easy to learn. SBS made sure we weren’t just buying software; we were getting a solution tailored to how we actually work.”
Preparing for the Future
As Dominion moves toward full AUD adoption, several key transitions lie ahead. The company plans to integrate AUD with SAP and implement a two-way data exchange with its GIS, eventually migrating to the Esri Utility Network model. “We’re thinking long-term,” said Terpay. “We want our designs to feed reliable, detailed data back to GIS, and vice versa.”
For Dominion Energy, AUD is more than just a new tool, it’s the foundation for a more efficient, accurate, and forward-looking design environment. The utility is already seeing improvements in design cycle times and anticipates stronger integration across systems as the rollout progresses.
“We’ve learned a lot,” said Terpay. “This isn’t just about replacing software. It’s about building a better way to work. And with SBS, we have the right partner to make that happen.”