MLGW Wins!

MLGW received the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Community Service Award Tuesday, June 16 at APPA’s national conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The award recognizes “good neighbor” activities that demonstrate the commitment of the utility and its employees to the community. The creation of a Community Conservation Day was a significant innovation in the various services offered to the MLGW community.

MLGW organized a Community Conservation Day on October 10, 2008 simultaneously at 38 Memphis-area Exxon “On the Run” convenience stores and five MLGW community offices to inform customers about conservation methods that can help them lower their energy usage and utility bills. MLGW employees answered customer questions about energy conservation and MLGW programs and services while handing out free energy-saver kits and other conservation materials and information. MLGW partnered with Exxon “On the Run” stores to take its conservation message to customers at the gasoline pump. More than 225 MLGW employees – some of whom are bilingual – were trained to discuss energy conservation with customers. In four hours, MLGW distributed approximately 9,000 conservation kits, as well as energy conservation information customers can utilize in their homes. Building on the positive customer experience of the initial Community Conservation Day, MLGW has made the conservation days a monthly event.

“This award illustrates how MLGW employees constantly give back to the community,” said Jerry Collins Jr., MLGW President and CEO. “Community Conservation Day was organized not only to inform and educate our customers about energy conservation, but also to give MLGW employees and volunteers the opportunity to interact with and reach out to the community they love and serve.”

The American Public Power Association (APPA) is the service organization for the nation’s more than 2,000 community-owned electric utilities that serve more than 45 million Americans.