“We have been a part of the fabric of this community for 100 years and we’re excited ,” stated Jimmy Staton, Chief Executive Officer for NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage, during a presentation in front of the Porter County Chamber Coalition at Strongbow Inn on May 17, 2012.
The NIPSCO CEO spoke in front of about 150 of members in Strongbow Inn’s Charles Room of their banquet hall. The Porter County Chamber Coalition includes the Chesterton/Duneland, Hebron, Kouts, Portage, and Valpo Chambers of Commerce.
The event, sponsored by the Porter County Community Foundation, touched on NIPSCO’s role in providing access to utilities to hundreds of thousands individuals, powering their lives and their businesses.
“I think it is a huge testament to any community when the people who run businesses in that community continue to invest. When you look at Porter Hospital, the Porter County Regional Airport, North Coast Distribution, and the great work that one of our biggest clients in ArcelorMittal is doing with their $60 million plate mill, it is just tremendous,” he continued. “I really do applaud you all. It doesn’t happen on its own.”
Barbara Young, President of the PCCF and Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council member, explained that bringing the five chambers that comprise the Porter County Chamber Coalition together gives the PCCF a great opportunity to shed light on an issue affecting Northwest Indiana in front of many business leaders.
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“Each year we select one of our Quality of Life indicators to highlight,” she explained. NIPSCO's CEO was asked to speak because of their recent environmental efforts to increase quality of life throughout Northwest Indiana.
“Our program today focuses on several the indicators. NIPSCO has been providing energy to homes and businesses in Northwest Indiana for the last 100 years,” Young told the attendees in introducing Staton. “NIPSCO is also a leader in environmental concerns as it works to create a community that is in balance with its environment.”
Staton, who joined NiSource in 2008, touched on a wide range of subjects, from technology to investment, and focused on NIPSCO’s efforts in teaching NIPSCO users how to use their products and services less.
He asked the audience, “How many folks get up every day thinking about how to enable their customers to use less of their product, rather than more?” He continued, citing NIPSCO as the rare exception, “In order to keep our energy costs as affordable as possible, we feel that is an obligation.”
“Over the past 12 to 15 months we have rolled out more than 12 energy efficiency programs. We went from not really having a program to having an extraordinary program,” Staton told the chamber members.”
To learn more about NIPSCO's energy efficiency programs, visit www.nipsco.com/save-energy!