Why I’m proud of our natural gas utility workers | Opinion

March 18, was Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day. On this day, energy companies encouraged communities across the nation to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of the utility workers who keep safe, reliable natural gas service flowing to millions of homes and businesses.

The pride these workers take in doing their jobs in the safest, most professional manner possible cannot be understated. As chief operations officer of Piedmont Natural Gas, I witness the commitment of our hundreds of technicians, construction crews, operations teams and other teammates every day. For many of these workers, it’s more than just a job; it’s a way of life.

Our Piedmont teammates are willing to go above and beyond to provide quality service to our customers. I have seen our technicians, without hesitation, drop everything at a moment’s notice to come to the aid of their co-workers during an outage.

This even includes helping fellow natural gas workers at other utility companies during crisis situations, sometimes traveling across multiple states to lend a hand. These workers have missed holidays, numerous family events and major milestones to keep businesses running and homes heated so those customers can enjoy the benefits of natural gas service.

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This level of devotion to quality customer service is just one reason why Piedmont Natural Gas was named No. 1 in customer satisfaction with residential natural gas service in the South among large utilities, according to the J.D. Power 2022 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day is celebrated each year on March 18 in honor of a 1937 incident in New London, Texas, that led to an increased emphasis on safety, including the widespread use of mercaptan, an additive that gives natural gas its noticeable “rotten egg” smell. Safety is Piedmont’s top priority as a company, and it’s the top priority of all our employees. Not only do we want them to come home each day in the same condition they left, but we want our customers and our communities to be just as safe, too.

I’m immensely proud of the effort hundreds of Piedmont Natural Gas utility workers make to help bring safe, reliable natural gas to customers across the Carolinas and Tennessee. Please join me in showing appreciation for these hardworking men and women.

Brian Weisker is a senior vice president and chief operations officer at Piedmont Natural Gas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Piedmont VP: Why I’m proud of our natural gas utility workers