Award spotlights community-minded utilities
American Gas Association members CenterPoint Energy, DTE Energy and Entergy were recently named to the Civic 50, an initiative of Points of Light, which recognizes the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation as determined by an annual survey.
“In 2017, a large portion of CenterPoint Energy’s service territory was devastated by the flooding from Hurricane Harvey. The company immediately stepped in to not only ensure everyone was safe, but established the CenterPoint Energy Employee 1st Fund to provide assistance to affected employees,” Diane Englet, senior director of community relations for CenterPoint Energy, told American Gas.
Employee and company donations raised $744,000, and employees logged more than 2,000 volunteer hours. CenterPoint Energy donated $1.25 million in disaster relief to charities focused on recovery, Englet said.
At DTE Energy, “Our team focuses on people, places, planet, progress and philanthropy, and this Civic 50 award confirms we’re on the right track and acknowledges our commitment in these areas,” Nancy Moody, vice president of Public Affairs at DTE Energy, told American Gas.
DTE Energy and its philanthropic arm, DTE Energy Foundation, undertook an eight-year commitment to buy from vendors in Michigan and, in the past eight years, have spent more than $7.5 billion with local suppliers of goods and services, creating 16,000 jobs.
To foster education and employment, DTE Foundation also invested more than $2.5 million in a talent-to-trades pipeline, exemplified in 2017 at Detroit’s Randolph Career Technical Center. In addition, more than 3,500 employees last year contributed 56,765 hours volunteering for more than 567 local nonprofits and community service organizations.
In the Civic 50 analysis, Entergy Corporation was ranked No. 1 in integration, which measures how closely a company ties community stewardship to the success of its business objectives.
“We believe we have a responsibility to help our communities thrive and that our business is dependent on it,” Leo Denault, chairman and CEO of Entergy, told American Gas. “Through our support of economic development, philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy, we are creating value for our communities and our company.”
Entergy points to efforts such as its signature poverty solutions program, Super Tax Day Presented by Entergy. Last year, Entergy Corporation and its partners helped customers file 1,223 returns and sponsored more than 300 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites in four states, while employees logged more than 2,200 hours of volunteer service in the effort. In addition, Entergy Corporation’s contributions to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, combined with funds raised from employees, vendors and shareholder-matching funds, totaled more than $532,000, Denault said.