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Corporate Services - Communications/Public Affairs
Mission Statement The mission of the SGA Communications Committee is to provide support for SGA member-company professional communicators in their areas of responsibility, including both internal and external communications. On a timely basis, the Committee will offer educational forums where representatives can exchange ideas and techniques as well as hear presentations by other professionals from inside and outside the natural gas industry. These forums may include employee communications, media relations, crisis communications, public relations, investor relations, advertising, communications technology, opinion research, government relations, consumer affairs, community relations, and environmental affairs.
Communications/Public Affairs Roundtable (part of the SGA Fall Leadership Conference ) October 13-15, 2008 - Loews Hotel, New Orleans, LA. The SGA Leadership Conference provides timely information and insight on a wide range of important issues facing the natural gas industry. An outstanding lineup of general session speakers, joint sessions on issues of common interest, and focused round table sessions make this a valuable meeting for professionals involved in a variety of areas, including ; Communications/Public Affairs; Legislative; Legal; ; Gas Transportation; Gas Forecasting; and Rates; Regulatory Affairs . SGA Community Service Award Program The 2008 SGA Community Service Award was announced at the SGA Management Conference in April. There was a tie for this award between Piedmont Natural Gas Company and AGL Resources. Both programs were extremely worthy and the committee felt that both equally deserved the 2008 award. CLEAN AIR WORKS! Piedmont Natural Gas Company 2008 Entry Submitted by: Kevin O'Hara Program Summary Nothing is more important to the sustainability and quality of life of a community than the very air it breathes. Smog, pollution and high ozone days are a fact of life in many of the large--and not-so-large--metropolitan areas in the US. Beginning in 2006, the employees of Piedmont Natural Gas helped launch Clean Air Works!, an environmental stewardship campaign in Charlotte, NC. Through bicycling and carpooling to work, filling their gas tanks in the evenings, and avoiding driving at lunch time on high ozone days, Piedmont employee participation grew to 500 by 2007. Piedmont offers a variety of incentives and rewards for activities that reduce ozone emissions. Employees are offered complimentary CATS bus passes, preferential parking for carpoolers and drawings for $25 gas cards for after-hours gas fill-ups. Employees who stay in for lunch are treated to free meals on high ozone days. The company has also implemented new operational refueling practices and has instituted an anti-idling policy for company fleet vehicles. The value of this program and related activities goes far beyond simply reducing emissions and creating better air quality today. There is signigicant value in creating awareness for cleaner air among the entire employee base and within the community at large. By reaching out to others in both the private and public sectors, Piedmont has been able to share successes and learn from others. And Piedmont employees and the communities they serve are reaping the benefits.
IBERIA PARISH/VERMILION PARISH EMERGENCY GUIDE AGL Resouces 2008 Entry Submitted by: Keith Poston Program Summary Nothing can fully prepare a coastal community for the damage and destruction that a direct hit from a storm like Katrina or Rita can impart. But after experiencing the devastation in the Fall of 2005, management and employees of AGL Resources in coastal Louisiana responded with the creation of the most comprehensive hurricane preparedness guidebook that local emergency officials have ever seen. Included in the guide are a list of local and state emergency telephone numbers, a hurricane survival checklist, information on storm surge dangers and emergency evacuation route maps. "You can never be prepared enough for a catastrophic event," said one local official. "It's very thorough and very informative." The guide also contains information about what to do with pets and livestock. Demonstrating great care and concern for their neighbors, AGL Resources distributed over 40,000 copies of the 42-page books to libraries, firestations and government offices and ultimately to every family in Iberia and Vermilion parishes. AGL Resources operates the Jefferson Island Storage and Hub facility in the area of the two parishes. Producing and distributing the Ibera Parish/Vermilion Parish Emergency Guide was an act of community and public service outreach that has firmly established AGL Resources in South Louisiana as a corporate citizen that recognizes its responsibility to the local communities.
Participation in the Community Service Award Program shows your company’s commitment to the community you serve. All SGA member companies are eligible to compete for the annual SGA Community Service Award.
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