Volume 86, Issue 8
December 2024
2020 N. Meridian Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 www.citizensenergygroup.com
TRUSTEES Dennis Bland Jamie Merisotis Jackie Nytes Mel Raines Brian Williams
DIRECTORS
Anne Nobles, Chair Jeffrey Good, Vice Chair Daniel Appel Moira Carlstedt Christia Hicks J.A. Lacy José Martínez Maria Quintana Nichole C. Wilson
OPERATING MANAGEMENT Jeffrey Harrison
President & Chief Executive Officer
J.P. Ghio
Vice President, Energy Operations
Mark Jacob
Vice President, Capital Programs & Engineering / Quality
Jeff Willman
Vice President, Water Operations
Craig Jackson
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Sabine Karner
Vice President and Controller
Joseph M. Perkins, Jr.
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Joe Sutherland
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
Jodi Whitney
Vice President, Human Resources & Chief Diversity Officer
Mike Strohl
Senior Vice President, Chief Customer Officer
John Lucas
Vice President, Information Technology
2024 DigIndy Art Project Recap Citizens 7th annual DigIndy Art Project was designed to highlight the three major neighborhoods in the Neighborhood Ambassador Program (Near Northwest, Martindale Brightwood, and SOIndy,). Citizens partnered with Big Car Collaborative to identify an artist in each of the three neighborhoods to design two manhole covers that represent their community. Citizens then attended community-led events in the neighborhoods from August through October to fill in paint-by-numbers replicas. Most of the artists' designs were related to native plants and flowers specifically known to the area. The eight real manhole covers will be painted and deployed in their respective neighborhoods or along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail downtown, depending on availability and location. Examples include: Locally Bloomed by Dailyn Eades depicts flowers native to Indianapolis. It includes rueanemone (white flowers) and sharp-lobed hepatica (purple flowers), which bloom in the spring, as well as purple coneflower (appearing as pink flowers in the photo) and tickseed sunflower (yellow flowers), which can be found in the summer. Dai found inspiration for this piece from walking through Garfield Park. Purple Clematis – On the front is a linedrawing version of the Purple Clematis art piece by Indianapolis-based artist Justin Cooper. A resident of the Bean Creek neighborhood, Cooper created this piece inspired by the purple clematis flowers that grow in his family’s garden and can be seen in many yards and gardens around the city. A full-color version of Cooper’s artwork adorns a manhole cover in the Bean Creek neighborhood.
Curtis Popp
Vice President, Customer Operations
COMPANY VISION:
Enhance the well-being of our customers, communities, and employees by providing unparalleled service now and for generations to come.
COMPANY MISSION:
We fulfill the Promise of the Trust to provide essential utility services for our customers and communities, maintain the lowest possible rates with sound financial management, and create the greatest long-term benefit through a unique business structure.
ENGAUGE
Engauge is published by Citizens Energy Group, Corporate and Public Affairs Department, under the direction of Shannon Stahley, Director of Corporate and Public Affairs. It is distributed to the company’s employees and retirees, and to other interested parties upon request. The Corporate and Public Affairs Department welcomes any ideas, comments, or suggestions from readers on how this publication might better serve you. Please email the Corporate and Public Affairs Department at alowe@citizensenergygroup.com or call 317.927.4336.
Editor:
Adam Lowe
Contributors:
Ben Easley Shannon Frederick Alex Haberfield Susan Harris Joseph Ko Jennifer Mentink Meechelle Riley Terri Zaichek
Graphic Arts:
Wayne Stohs Joel Bustamante
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Engauge - December 2024
On the Cover Volume 84, Issue 8
December 2022
Guests tee off at the Warm Heart Warm Home Foundation ™ fundraiser at Topgolf in Fishers. The event raised more than $68,000 for the Foundation. Read more on page 11.”
Celebrating Diversity in Business Partners: Supplier Diversity Achievements & XBE Spotlight Expo At Citizens Energy Group, we believe that diversity drives innovation and fosters long-term business success. We are proud to share the significant strides we’ve made toward advancing our supplier diversity efforts. By embracing diversity across all levels of our supply chain, we are not only fostering inclusive business practices but also contributing to a more equitable and resilient economy.
2024 Supplier Diversity Achievements: A Year of Progress This year, Citizens Energy Group reached several key milestones in our supplier diversity journey. We’ve successfully achieved 28.9 percent addressable spend; this is our highest percentage to date, surpassing our annual goal of 26 percent spend with diverse partners. This achievement reflects our ongoing commitment to engage with 170 minority-owned, womenowned, and/or veteran-owned business partners within our supply chain. Through the Building the Future Together (BTFT) program, Citizens has also made great strides in developing diverse suppliers who have high growth potential to do direct business with us. The program launched in Fiscal Year 2022 and is designed to mentor and coach business partners to scale their businesses utilizing structured feedback and an assigned internal Citizens champion. Through the efforts of BTFT, the three participants (7NT, CMID, and VETS) have in total achieved a 15 percent increase in annual revenue, a 79 percent increase in Citizens direct spend (compared to FY2023), and more than 30 new employees since program launch.
Looking Ahead: XBE Spotlight Expo & Continuing the Journey While we are proud of the progress we've made, we recognize that there is always more work to be done. In Fiscal Year 2025, we are setting ambitious goals to expand and enhance opportunities for inclusive development of our diverse partners by focusing on the following: Expanding Outreach and Inreach: Citizens kicked off our fiscal year by hosting the first XBE Spotlight Expo on October 15, 2024. This event brought together more than 70 diverse suppliers, partners, and Citizens staff. Attendees heard from representatives of diverse organizations B.E. Reed LLC, Connor Painting, GroundBreakers LLC, FrontRunner Media, and Indy Data Partners. Each shared their company histories, the impact of diversity programs, and how they give back to their communities. The keynote address from Joy Mason, President of Optimist Business Solutions LLCand CEO of Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute Inc., set the tone for the event, offering invaluable insights on how we can align our efforts with purpose. The energy at the event was electrifying, providing the perfect launch for Citizens new fiscal year. Enhancing Supplier Development: We will continue to invest in supplier-development programs designed to help our diverse partners scale their businesses and strengthen their capacity to meet our growing needs, particularly through the BTFT program. A key focus area for us will be veteran-owned businesses, as Citizens has historically fallen short of our 3% addressable spend goal in this category. To address this, we will strategically identify highperforming or emerging veteran-owned businesses to help them qualify for the program. At Citizens, our commitment to supplier diversity is a company-wide initiative driven by the collective efforts of all teams, not just individual business units or individuals. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for your dedication in identifying and engaging diverse partners. A special thank-you goes to the Citizens Supplier Diversity Advocacy Team, our internal advisory group, for your ongoing support and tireless efforts in advancing our supplier diversity program.
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THE “PARTY PIZZA” OF
On Wednesday, October 30, employees from across Citizens dug into a “party-pizza pizza party” at the Langsdale facility to celebrate a major milestone in compliance with the federal Lead & Copper Rule Revisions for public water utilities. The “party pizza” metaphor had arisen across more than three years of collaboration meetings comprising more than 70 employees in nearly every department of the Trust, all working to prepare for the October 16, 2024 compliance deadline. With so many employees and departments cross-collaborating in newly formed teams to host meetings and sub-team meetings (and subsub-team meetings!), the grid-cut party-pizza concept was a delicious analogy to illustrate the lengths and depths of the cooperation needed to address the challenge. The origin of this collaboration came from a revision to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead & Copper Rule, which was promulgated in January 2021 and mandated that public water systems comply with several new drinking water requirements by the October 16, 2024 deadline, including: • Develop an inventory of all customers’ water service lines (customer-owned) and make the inventory publicly accessible. • Submit this inventory to the state regulatory agency. In Indiana, this is the Department of Environmental Management. • Prepare and send an annual notification to all customers, with lead, unknown, or galvanized service lines that require replacement. In Citizens service territory, these letters would go to more than 75,000 customers within 30 days of the October 16, 2024 inventory submittal deadline and then annually thereafter. • Develop a web portal and process for customer-requested lead tap sampling. • Optimize water quality to mitigate the potential for lead leaching in the future. After Citizens work to achieve these requirements had begun, an additional layer of complexity was added with the announcement in November 2023 of proposed Lead & Copper Rule Improvement (LCRI) regulation that would additionally require the following: • A plan to replace 100 percent of customer-owned water service lines within 10 years. • Lowering the action level at which (after recording a reading in a home’s service line) a water utility must take public steps to reduce potential exposure to lead, such as with a corrosion control program. [Note that Citizens Energy Group already has such a control program in place. See inset.]
A paper presented at the International Water Conference in November by Bowen Engineering Corporation and featuring the work of Citizens employees Bruce Cooley and Breanne Cooper highlighted a successful optimization of Citizens’ ongoing corrosion inhibitor program. While there is no lead in the drinking water Citizens produces nor in the pipes of our distribution system, adding a corrosion inhibitor is a common technique to proactively introduce chemicals into the water at the time of treatment to additionally limit any exposure that water may have to lead in customers’ own service lines. The paper and presentation described how new federal requirements on water testing methods provided the opportunity to rethink how the corrosion inhibitor was introduced. After testing multiple varieties and doses of orthophosphate, the team selected a new regimen – and a construction delivery method at three different water production sites between March 2023 and January 2024 – that would enhance this process for the protection of Citizens customers. Engauge - December 2024
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Against the backdrop of comments pouring into the EPA from water utilities across the nation about the LCRI proposal – along with uncertainty about how the timelines of these requirements would overlap – team leaders Ann McIver (Director of Environmental Stewardship) and Dan Moran (Director of Water Quality System Control and Planning) led Citizens employees in prioritizing what tasks needed to come first and then collaborating to make sure they were successfully completed on time. The work of fulfilling these interlaced requirements was technical (such as cleaning up data to build the service line inventory or mapping how customer account information will trigger various notifications) but it was also personal (such as drafting and translating language on this sensitive topic for widespread mailers or attending stakeholder meetings to present). Key to this effort were teams tasked with a specific new focus, filled with (often overlapping) groups of employees from various departments. These teams included: GIS & Inventory; Compliance Reporting; Customer-Facing; Customer-Requested Water Sampling; 5th Liter Tap Water Sampling; Grassroots Stakeholders; Corrosion Control Communications; School and Childcare Facility Monitoring Program; and General Communications Materials. These teams collaborated alongside continued efforts to implement the lead service line replacement program Citizens has been implementing since receiving IURC approval in 2022. To date, more than 2,400 lead service lines have been replaced by Citizens contracted crews at no additional cost to the customers who receive the upgrade. Finally, on October 14, Citizens submitted the required pieces of the Lead & Copper Rule compliance program, including the customer service line inventory. Mailed notifications regarding customers’ service line types began rolling out the following day, alerting all impacted residents, many of whom may otherwise have not known that they own a water service line made of lead. One message prominently included in public communications about the new service line inventory was the confirmation that the lead service line replacement program would target replacement of every single Citizens Water customer’s lead service line in the coming years. And indeed, on October 30, the EPA published its final LCRI rule in the Federal Register, formalizing the next set of requirements for water utility compliance as it relates to lead—and including the mandatory implementation of a lead service line replacement program to eliminate all lead service lines by November 2037. The formal announcement of this rule came on the same day as the “party-pizza pizza party.” And so, the idea of intensive collaboration on this topic in the future was well-received with a few speeches and commemorative stickers to mark the milestone—along with a tasty pizza square or five.
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Q&A Meet Karen Gee, Performance Assurance Training Supervisor Karen Gee joined Citizens Energy Group in August 1995 as Customer Relations Team Leader. For the past nine years, Karen has served in the role of Performance Assurance Training Supervisor. She works closely with the Contact Center, training their associates in necessary skills, and she leads development for new trainers, collaborating with the Citizens Training Developer as well as other areas of Customer Service. Prior to Citizens, Karen worked for Marsh Supermarket. “I started right after my 16th birthday. My hourly wage was $3.10, which was a big deal back then because minimum wage was $2.90. My weekly paycheck was around $40!” Karen plans to retire at the end of 2024.
1. What do you enjoy about your job? There are many things I truly enjoy here. The first thing that comes to mind is the people I work with. They truly brighten my day, and I hope I brighten theirs too. My favorite part of my job is watching employees grow within the company to pursue other jobs. I’m pretty lucky—I get them first as a brandnew employee, train them, and then guide them in different directions.
2. What is a typical day like for you? I wake up every morning around 3:00 a.m., drink coffee, respond to emails, send myself reminders, and arrive at work by 6:30 a.m. At the office, I prepare for the day, get things ready for training, and wait for employees to arrive for class. If time allows before leaving my home, I will make my famous brownies for my class. Word of mouth travels quickly and before I know it, they’re gone! Karen notes that when she retires, she’s looking forward to sleeping in!
3. How do you believe you’ve impacted the overall customer service experience at Citizens? I’ve enjoyed working with our customers both internally and externally. My mission and drive have always been for the sake of the customer. I preach it, teach it, and live it! Everyone knows how I feel about our customers and how I believe in our employees. I believe in being the best in your job and working hard to get there and to be part of the change and always growing.
4. As our trainer over the past several years, what have been your key takeaways from your training experience? Invest in your employees, hear their ideas, and reward their successes. A supported employee will always learn and gain self-value in their job.
5. What do you most want to see Citizens continue doing in our customer service training? Investing time and resources for continuous learning. Never stop teaching our employees. Bring them back through training to ensure understanding and accuracy of processes along with teaching communication skills.
6. What do you believe your personal legacy at Citizens is? I would hope my legacy would be how caring, dedicated, and hard working I was, along with my teaching style. Here’s what two of Karen’s coworkers shared when asked what they thought Karen’s legacy would look like: “Her honesty and reliability are unquestionable. She gives her all, never compromising on her efforts. She doesn’t just talk the talk; she walks the walk. She pours her heart and mind into everything she does. Karen Gee’s impact on Citizens is immeasurable, and her presence is and will forever be irreplaceable. She exudes self-assurance and competence without arrogance. She is so gracious and kind, particularly toward those in other positions.” – Sherri Watts, Customer Support Specialist III “Karen’s impact extends far beyond those of us she has personally trained; it reaches everyone who benefits indirectly from her expertise. She has instilled in us the importance of believing in ourselves and our work, embracing challenges that push us beyond our comfort zones, continuously improving in all areas of life, pursuing growth along our career journeys, and – of course – always having snacks on hand. Her legacy lives on in the confidence, knowledge, and drive she’s inspired in all of us. Thank you, Karen, for your invaluable mentorship and the lasting imprint you’ve left on our journeys.” – Caitlin McElwain, Customer Support Specialist I
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Benefits Corner FINAL REMINDER!
Well Points Deadline is Coming Up Reminder! Employees were given the opportunity to earn 1,000 Well Points between January 1 and December 31, 2024 to receive a $1,000 (for individuals) or $2,000 (for families) HSA contribution into their accounts. Employees can upload points until January 24, 2025. Scan the QR code for more information.
New Benefit Plans Start on January 1 If you newly elected or changed your benefits during Open Enrollment in November, they will go into effect on January 1, 2025. As a reminder, if you chose the supplemental vision benefit, it will be administered by DeltaVisionbeginning on January 1. If you are not sure whether you elected this benefit, you can check your list of current benefits in bswift. Remember to check your first pay stub in January to ensure that the plans you elected are reflected, with the correct premium and corresponding deductions.
DAYS OFF CALENDAR
PAY CALENDAR
New HSA/FSA Administrator Coming January 1! Reminder! Starting January 1, 2025, Chard Snyder will be replaced by Lively as our HSA/FSA benefit administrator. Employees will receive new debit cards from Lively by January 1 and will be able to log in to our new administrator’s website, www.livelyme.com, to view balances and transactions. Keep in mind any balances from Chard Snyder will remain and employees can continue to use their existing Chard Snyder debit cards for eligible expenses. Contact Lively Member Support for expert assistance at 1-888-576-5837.
Submit Volunteer Hours by January 15 Citizens Energy Group’s Community Volunteer Support Program recognizes employees and retirees for the time and effort they invest in the local community. Volunteers must meet certain requirements by January 31, 2025 to be eligible for a volunteer gift and/or a grant for a non-profit for which they volunteer. Gifts for volunteers: Each employee who annually volunteers 20 or more hours to any eligible organization or a combined four hours* for any projects sponsored by Citizens will receive a gift. Retirees must volunteer at least 50 hours annually. Grants for non-profits: Full-time and part-time employees may apply for one $250 award each calendar year for a non-profit organization for which they volunteered at least 50 hours. Retirees must volunteer at least 100 hours annually. Employees should use the Citizens for Good portal to submit community volunteer hours for calendar year 2024. From the iTrust home page, hover over the Corporate Support Services tab, then from the Corporate and Public Affairs menu, select Citizens for Good Volunteer Portal. Under Volunteer Quick Links, choose Community Volunteer Form. Complete this step for each organization for which you volunteered. To apply for a grant for a non-profit for which you’ve volunteered, click on the $250 Grant & Gift Program button from the Quick Links section. You’ll also need to ask the organization to complete the form on our external website: https://bit.ly/ citizensvolunteer. If you have questions about the volunteer program, please contact Shannon Frederick, Corporate Events and Philanthropy Coordinator.
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Citizens Honors Veterans at Annual Celebration Citizens Energy Group honored employees who are veterans of the armed forces at a luncheon held at American Legion Post 64 on November 6. Bolstered by a continued relationship with the Indy Hygiene Hub, employees in attendance once again took part in a service project supporting homeless veterans. The event was kicked off by Curtis Popp, Vice President Customer Operations, with the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance led by Indianapolis vocalist Leah Crane. Citizens President & CEO Jeffrey Harrison also welcomed the veterans to the luncheon and thanked them for their service. “It is truly a privilege to be here today, especially knowing that we will be able to make a significant impact on serving your fellow veterans. Veterans Day honors America’s heroes for their patriotism and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. At Citizens Energy Group, we are proud that veterans make up 10 percent of our workforce. You enrich our culture, and we are very grateful for your service to our country and for the great work you do each and every day. Together, we carry out our vision to enhance the well-being of our customers, communities, and employees by providing unparalleled service now and for generations to come.” This year, a surprise guest joined the event. Blue, the beloved Indianapolis Colts mascot, came on stage to recognize Citizens employee veterans. As part of Citizens ongoing partnership with the Colts, a group of veterans who volunteered at Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF) on October 17 were selected to take part in the flag presentation ceremony the Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills game on November 10. On being part of the flag presentation ceremony, Leo Sparks, Engineer III for Steam and a National Guard veteran, shared, “This goes down as one of the coolest opportunities I’ve had to not only represent my nation as a veteran but also as a member of Citizens Energy Group. The chills and excitement that rushed over me were tremendous as we entered the field with thousands of people watching.” Speakers at the November 6 event included John Harz, Construction Safety Administrator for Citizens and a Navy veteran, and Emmy Hildebrand, CEO of HVAF. Citizens employees in attendance were invited to assemble hygiene packs to be distributed directly to homeless veterans in Central Indiana, solidifying the luncheon as not just a celebration of Citizens veteran employees, but as an opportunity for veterans to help fellow veterans. In total, more than 200 hygiene kits were assembled. Sparks remarked about the impact of the service project, “As a veteran, I feel a call to duty to support and offer as much as I can to this outstanding organization. Many veterans are forgotten after returning from service, and HVAF is an organization committed to helping my armed forces brothers and sisters. I’m thrilled to contribute to this cause in any manner possible.” On October 26, there was a catastrophic fire at HVAF of Indiana’s Manchester Apartments on Pennsylvania Street in downtown Indianapolis. In response, Citizens donated $5,000 to HVAF via philanthropy funds to aid in their recovery. Engauge - December 2024
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CITIZENS FOR GOOD: VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Our volunteer spotlight is a chance to meet a Citizens Energy Group employee who is making a big impact in the community outside of their job. Citizens employees are encouraged to volunteer at Citizens-sponsored events, or at community organizations of their choice.
Meet Dan Koiro Dan Koiro joined Citizens in 2000 after the purchase of the Perry K Steam Plant from IPL (now AES Indiana). Today Dan serves as Manager Instrumentation and Electrical Thermal for the Steam division. Dan has been a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol since 2000.
Tell us a little about your role at Citizens. I’m over instrumentation for Thermal, primarily for Steam. I was previously over Steam metering and still oversee metering responsibilities today; making sure meters are working ensures proper billing for customers. I also oversee the electrical side in addition to metering. I supervise about 10 employees, including instrumentation electrical technicians and process control specialists.
Why is it important to you to volunteer? It’s important for yourself and for others. There are a lot of people in need, and a lot of people who feel the need to serve others. If you have time, or knowledge you can impart, or skills – and you can help to better the community – then it’s a mutual benefit to everyone. You’re helping someone, and it helps you. Coming from the military, that concept of serving has never left.
Tell us a little about the Civil Air Patrol. I got my pilot’s license in 2000 and joined the Civil Air Patrol that same year. The Civil Air Patrol is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, with about 65,000 volunteers across 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. They were formed six days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where I’m from. At the time, there were a number of ships being sunk by German U-Boats off the Atlantic coast, and civilian pilots took to the air to spot them and radio back their positions. The Civil Air Patrol has three missions: emergency services, aerospace education, and the cadet program. For emergency services, we’ll work with the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide damage assessment photography and work search-and-rescue missions. On the education side, we will visit classrooms and work with kids on STEM programs. Our squadron sponsors a classroom in Franklin, Indiana, at Custer Baker Intermediate School. Our cadet program helps young people develop skills to find careers in aerospace, or if they choose, join the Air Force.
You’ve volunteered for Citizens-sponsored events. What has been your favorite? I’ve volunteered for 10 Thousand Trees, Sharing the Dream, cleanup activities, and Habitat for Humanity builds, which may have been my favorite. This was because we got to meet the family who would have otherwise been without a home. I’d tell other employees to take the opportunity to volunteer if you have it. There’s a lot of need out there, whether you donate financial equity or sweat equity. It’s a rewarding experience, not just for yourself, but for the recipients of your service. I don’t think I’ve ever heard about anyone volunteering and saying “Oh, I wish I hadn’t volunteered.” 10 Engauge - December 2024
About Civil Air Patrol Visit https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/ to find your local squadron and learn more about volunteer opportunities. Though Civil Air Patrol is known for its flying missions, CAP adult members, known as Senior Members, do so much more than just fly. In fact, less than one-fifth of all CAP members are pilots or aircrew members. CAP adult members come from all walks of life including electricians, lawyers, educators, retail workers, clergy, truck drivers, retirees. Just about any career or background can be found in the ranks of the CAP adult membership. Adult members help out at the squadron with dayto-day operations such as managing the finances or keeping inventory of equipment. In emergency services and operations, members may help with communications, transportation of goods, taking photos, or distribution of water and food. CAP has more than 23,000 youth in its Cadet Program. Adult members help in all aspects of the cadet program, so it's a great opportunity if you want to be a positive influence in a young person's life. There are many opportunities to serve as a volunteer in Civil Air Patrol. Reach out to your local unit to find out how you can help.
Fundraiser for Warm Heart Warm Home Held at Topgolf In November, Citizens hosted 204 people from 36 companies for the 5th annual fundraiser benefitting the Warm Heart Warm Home Foundation™ at Topgolf in Fishers. Thanks to the efforts of the Fundraising Team co-led by Shannon Frederick, Corporate Events and Philanthropy Coordinator, Jennifer Mentink, Manager of Branding & Corporate Engagement, and Crit Crabtree, Manager of Engineering, Citizens was able to raise more than $68,000 to benefit Warm Heart Warm Home. All 33 bays at Topgolf were sold, resulting in $5,000 more for the Foundation compared to last year. The raffle prizes and bourbon pull raised an additional $7,315. The Fundraising Team includes Shannon Stahley, Paul Dicken, Diane Ashlock, Tracey Black, Abby Robbins, Ed Bukovac, Jeremy Kosegi, Steve Berube, Leo Sparks, Stephanie Tuvell, Mike Miller, Adam Lowe, Joseph Ko, and Jessica Small. Citizens Warm Heart Warm Home Foundation™ provides financial grants, utility line/appliance repair and/or replacement, energy management education, and case management to individuals and families experiencing short- and long-term economic hardship. The goal of Warm Heart Warm Home is to help customers by identifying a path to get them through difficult situations. You can help a neighbor by making a one-time or recurring monthly donation. Gifts are tax deductible and will go directly to those most in need. Learn how you can donate at http://CitizensEnergyGroup.com/WHWH
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Kenya Perkins Named Drive to Do More Winner Kenya Perkins, Compliance Analyst, has been selected as the 2024 winner of Jiffy Lube of Indiana’s Drive to Do More award, recognizing Hoosier volunteers who go above and beyond in their volunteerism. Kenya is a volunteer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis (BGCI) and was nominated by BGCI leaders Robert Shula, Chief Development Officer, and Pam Lozano, Marketing Manager. Kenya was highlighted in the January/February 2024 issue of Engauge for her volunteerism. Pam Lozano shared, “Kenya is truly invested in making an impact. She is an incredible mentor because she doesn’t hesitate to jump right in and get her hands messy. There is rarely a time that she has not supported programs, events, and activities without being a leader or incorporating incredibly fresh and fun ways to engage our youth.” As a Drive to Do More winner, Jiffy Lube of Indiana has awarded Kenya a year’s worth of oil changes and a AAA Hoosier Motor Club membership. Congratulations, Kenya!
Paul Riggins Giving Tree Program Supports Gleaners Food Bank The Paul Riggins Giving Tree Program is supporting Gleaners Food Bank again this year. Citizens Fundraising Team, which organizes the annual program, is challenging employees to raise $3,700 by January 5, 2025 through a virtual food drive. To contribute to the food drive, visit https://give.gleaners.org/ Citizens. (Feel free to invite your friends and family to contribute by sharing the link with them!) Every $1 Gleaners receives can be turned into up to eight meals for those in need. In the past four years, we raised close to $14,000—enough to fund about 107,000 meals. Families are provided with fresh, healthy produce; protein-rich meats and dairy; and shelf-stable items. Requesting financial donations instead of asking employees to buy gifts for local families as we have in the past allows us to go back to the roots of the Paul Riggins Giving Tree Program. Ten days before Christmas in 1992, Paul Riggins (seen in picture at left), who worked for Citizens as a machinist for 47 years, taped a $5 bill to the outline of a Christmas tree on the wall of the facility where he worked. Expecting that someone would take it, he vowed to give it to charity if it remained at the end of the week. To Riggins’ surprise, his coworkers began taping $1, $5, $10, $20, and even $50 bills to the wall to be given to charity. In the spirit of the original Paul Riggins Giving Tree, wooden trees will be displayed across the company (see top picture) with QR codes directing you to the fundraising website. Trees can be found at the following locations: • Langsdale 1A outside ATI’s office • White River Water Treatment Plant by the front door • Belmont outside the storeroom counter in the maintenance building • Perry K in the administrative area by Nick Kuntz’s office If you prefer to donate cash, please contact Steve Berube to arrange an online donation on your behalf. Gleaners also is seeking volunteers. If you’re interested in learning about opportunities, visit https://gleaners.volunteerhub.com
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FY2025
Short Term Incentive Pay Plan (STIP) Financial Trigger: > $443M This financial trigger is based on EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization). This threshold must be met before any Incentive is paid to employees.
25%
Customer Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction is measured by the outcome of our Customer Relationship Model (CRM) survey. This is a random survey that encompasses feedback from our residential and commercial customers. The survey is a key driver model and identifies Billing, Rates, and Services as the primary elements that drive Customer satisfaction at Citizens. These customers may or may not have called the call center. Ease of Use and Reliability have been identified as key sub-drivers of Customer satisfaction. The measures are On-Time Customer Appointments, Bill Exceptions, Non-Excavation Gas Leaks, and Lead Service Line Replacements.
CRM Element
25%
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
Bill (4.25%)
78.9
79.4
79.9
Rates (4%)
58.6
59.0
59.4
Services (4.25%)
79.0
80.4
81.8
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
Appointment On-Time Rate (3.125%)
94.2%
95.2%
96.2%
Average Daily Bill Exceptions (3.125%)
2700
2250
1800
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
Gas Non-Excavation Leaks per Mile (3.125%)
0.066
0.058
0.050
Lead Service Line Replacements (3.125%)
800
1000
1200
Results
Safety performance is measured by DART Rate calculations (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred due to recordable safety incidents) and chargeable company vehicle accidents. Employee Engagement in safe practices is the responsibility of all employees, regardless of the nature of their work. All employees are expected to identify and call out unsafe practices or conditions in any area of the company, not only their assigned work area. Safety Outstanding Trigger: To receive above a 100% payout in any area, that area must have an average annual attendance at safety meetings above 80%.
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
Company Wide (6.25%)
2.25
1.8
1.35
Operational Area (6.25%)
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
2.25
1.8
1.35
CSS Energy
2.25
1.8
1.35
SFS
2.25
1.8
1.35
Water
2.25
1.8
1.35
Wastewater
2.25
1.8
1.35
VEHICLE ACCIDENTS
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
Company Wide (6.25 %)
4
3
2
Operational Area (6.25 %)
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
4
3
2
CSS Energy
4
3
2
SFS
4
3
2
Water
4
3
2
Wastewater
4
3
2
Results
Results
Results
Results
Financial Integrity Financial integrity ensures we (1) can be there for our beneficiaries for the long-term and (2) can maintain the lowest possible rates for our customers. To achieve this, we must, among other things, maintain a cost conscious culture despite external challenges to our Operations and Maintenance (O&M) cost structure. O&M includes everyday activities such as, working efficiently, first contact resolution, purchasing of products or credit card expenses, and living a healthy lifestyle to mitigate rising health care costs, just to name a few. Each employee can positively impact O&M.
O&M
25%
Results
Employee Engagement
DART
25%
Results
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
$321.5 million
$312.2 million
$305.9 million
Results
Performance Excellence Utilizing Citizens Lean and Six Sigma (CLASS) principles is critical to providing safe, reliable, and quality services to our customers. Through the emphasis and continued growth of Citizens’ Continuous Improvement culture, employees are empowered to improve our processes and services to deliver measurable benefits impacting customer satisfaction, cost containment, safety, and day-to-day engagement of employees. Project Points: Belt Projects = 2 points and Just Do It Projects = 1 Point
CLASS Project Points Achieved
Threshold
Target
Outstanding
80
90
105
Results
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Quality Corner CLASS Belt Certifications YELLOW BELT
Paula Birdsong
• Data Transfer Between Kloudgin and Meter Reading • Project Leader: Paula Birdsong (Shared Field Services) • Team Members: Luke Long, Angel Brauss, Zach McHone, Joe Anthis • Paula’s project created a process that ensures meter readers are alerted when an issue has been resolved by Customer Field Services that had previously prevented meter readers from getting a read. Prior to the implementation, meter readers were not aware when the issues had been resolved and would continue to not get an actual meter read for the property. • Benefits: Read 75 percent of meters that had been skipped for more than 12 months. Without the project, these would not have been read the next month.
ADVANCED YELLOW BELT
Meechelle Riley
Supply Chain XBE Monthly Reporting • Project Leader: Meechelle Riley (Supply Chain) • Team Members: Carol Traylor, Brian Rupley, Staci Turner • Meechelle’s project addressed the time spent generating the monthly Supplier Diversity Report. The previous process would take an average of eight hours to complete each month. Approximately 30 pecent of the process relied on manual steps, and it included 45 charts and graphs. • Benefits: One hour and 21 minutes is the time saved while generating the monthly report after implementing the solutions. Additonally, 13 charts/graphs/reports were changed from monthly to quarterly or annually reported.
RECENTLY COMPLETED JUST DO IT (JDI) PROJECTS Just Do It projects are a great way to continuously improve something where the solution is already known. This doesn't mean it necessarily has to be a quick or simple project, it just doesn't go through the DMAIC process. But Just Do It projects can make a big impact in efficiency and savings. All completed Just Do It projects can be found on Quality’s CI Activities and Completed Projects page.
FY25 STIP METRICS AND LEVELS OF QUALITY The FY25 STIP metric for Performance Excellence consists of CLASS Project Points (Just Do It projects = 1 point and CLASS Belt projects = 2 points). The Threshold and Target levels remain unchanged from FY24 at 80 and 90 project points, respectively. The Outstanding level has increased to 105 project points. Each year, the criteria for the Levels of Quality are modified as the organization matures in its skills with Continuous Improvement (CI). This year, the Levels of Quality goals are structured to support success for the FY25 STIP metric for CLASS Project Points along with other CI activities. The FY25 Levels of Quality, or “stars,” are as follows: • Trust achieves the STIP Metric Target of 90 CLASS Project Points • Department leadership conducts an initial CI planning session with Quality to establish a CI Action Plan by December 20, 2024 with a mid-year check-in during calendar year 2025 • CLASS Projects (2 stars available, 2 points per star) · Just Do It (JDI) = 1 point · Belt Project = 2 points • The remaining 2 stars can be earned with any combination of points from the below activities (2 points per star): · CLASS Belt Sponsor Training = 1 point · CLASS Belt Project Team Participation = 0.5 point · Idea Generation = 1 point · After Action Review = 0.5 point · Just Do It project = 1 point · CLASS Belt project (Yellow Belt, Advanced Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt) = 2 points Details supporting these criteria can be found in the LoQ Quick Reference Guide on Quality’s iTrust site or by reaching out to a member of Quality or your CLASS Ambassador.
14 Engauge - December 2024
WINTER
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2020 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
In Memoriam We are saddened to report the recent passing of a Citizens retiree. John A. Thompson on December 15, 2024. John retired on March 1, 1996, after 32 years of service. James Jingles on November 4, 2024. James retired on April 1, 1999, after 32 years of service.
New Employees
Samantha Allen Corporate Support Services
Rodrigo Barbosa Corporate Support Services
Keisha Carter Corporate Support Services
Sierra Carter Corporate Support Services
Jeana Cox Corporate Support Services
9983 Tahira Douthit Corporate Support Services
Liveonah Duncan Corporate Support Services
9979 Luke Eichholtz Corporate Support Services
Katelin Ferrell Corporate Support Services
Christopher Higginbotham Water
Trenton Inglert Water
9982 Kevin Kyles Corporate Support Services
Kimberly Mitchell Corporate Support Services
Morgan Mosley Corporate Support Services
Jeremiah Nuckols Water
Brandon Overton Corporate Support Services
Somaraju Saladi Corporate Support Services
Service Awards December
Jeremy Barnes
Douglas Gladden
Troy Unland
Walter Wynn
25 Years Gas
25 Years Gas
25 Years Gas
25 Years Gas
Terry Kent
Nicholas Polley
Bridget O'Connor
Timothy Perez
25 Years Gas
5 Years Corporate Support Services
25 Years Gas
5 Years Wastewater