Helping Complete the Circuit in West Florida
Entergy Employees from Louisiana Share Their Mutual Assistance Experiences
Entries by David Freese
A Community Endeavor
Pictured is the Lorio family: from left, are Sydnie, 8; Mandy; Brody, 1; Thomas; and Laynie, 5.
‘Hoss, you need to go buy some lottery tickets because you’re not supposed to survive this.’
Peavy and Carroll Recount Day Port Allen Crew Rescued a Man Dangling from Power Line
Climbing on Up
Line Worker Program Graduates Taking Roles with Entergy in Louisiana
Borne Receives Vic Weston Award
Louisianans “know what’s below” thanks to forward-thinking, damage prevention pioneers like Robert Borne, Entergy gas and compliance manager.But Borne will downplay his role in helping create a standardized program for locating underground utilities in Louisiana. Humble by nature, he’ll only say he played a small part in what three decades ago was a daunting task to decrease damage to utilities, increase job productivity and, ultimately, save lives.“At the time, there was a movement to get a dig law passed in Louisiana. It was truly a collaborative effort involving many, many interested parties,” Borne said. “I’m proud to have played a role in helping advocate for — as well as help craft language for — the Louisiana Damage Prevention Law. Call Before You Dig is a benefit to all.”Other pioneers included David Frey, Louisiana One Call executive director, and Vic Weston, who has had a storied career in the construction industry. Both know Borne well as he currently chairs the Louisiana One Call Public Awareness Committee.“Robert’s been part of damage prevention ever since I can remember and even helped bring the Damage Prevention Summit to Louisiana,” Frey said.At this year’s summit, an annual and competitive event to help further awareness of safe digging, Frey and others recognized Borne as being the recipient of the inaugural Vic Weston Award. The award, Frey said, was given to Borne for his many contributions to damage prevention and gas distribution. Pictured, at left, is Robert Borne, Entergy gas safety and compliance manager, standing with David Raymond of Atmos Energy and chair of the Louisiana Damage Prevention Summit.“Robert’s a valued employee of Entergy and he’s a valued individual in the industry,” Weston said.A BENEFIT TO ALLOne of the drivers behind creation of The Dig Law was a 1976 pipeline tragedy that killed several people in Cartwright, Louisiana. The accident, Frey said, was used to show lawmakers the importance of passing a dig law in Louisiana. A Louisiana Dig Law Committee was formed in the mid ‘80s, with Dewey Lytle and Tom McBride representing Gulf States Utilities. Borne and Kyle Todd, a former Gulf States Utilities engineer, supported Lytle and McBride in crafting technical language for the bill.It took a few tweaks in the language and a few tries with state lawmakers before it passed, but “it’s one of the best pieces of legislation that I’ve been involved with and one that I think is good for all folks, excavators as well as facility owners,” said Ken Naquin, Louisiana Associated General Contractors CEO. Pictured, from left, are Vic Weston; Robert Borne, Entergy gas safety and compliance manager; and David Frey, Louisiana One Call executive director.The Louisiana Underground Utility and Facility Damage Prevention Law was signed into law on July 26, 1988. It has been refined over three decades thanks to the Dig Law Advisory Committee.Some changes, for example, have been related to enforcement while others clarified technical language when “modern ingenuity brought us into the future,” Weston said. Technology, he said, has not only warranted changes to strengthen the Dig Law but has also made work safer for diggers and facility owners alike.The Dig Law, Frey added, necessitated the incorporation of the non-profit Louisiana One Call Center, formally known as Dial One Time To Inform Everyone, or DOTTIE. Louisiana One Call has headquarters in Baton Rouge and takes thousands of locate requests daily.Today, Frey said, we Know What’s Below after calling 811 and a locator marks the approximate location of underground utilities.WHAT’S NEXT?The public awareness committee is seeking ways to expand the Louisiana 811 brand by targeting specific stakeholders, including excavators, contractors, homeowners and even the next generation, Borne said.“We’re thinking long-term. The goal is to not only reach those currently in the workforce, but also those using a shovel for the first time,” said Borne.The public awareness committee, Borne said, is also considering forming regional nonprofits called “Damage Prevention Councils” to expand public awareness efforts locally. Louisiana One Call, he said, would help facilitate regional initiatives and oversee the brand statewide.As for the next generation, Borne and other committee members would like to make the slogan “811 – Know What’s Below. Call Before you Dig” as second nature to young people as the “Click It or Ticket” campaign.“If we can introduce the 811 slogan early and often to our children, whether it be through a cast of cartoon characters, messaging in coloring books or presentations at schools, then calling before you dig will become as common as putting a seatbelt on. It might prevent the next service disruption and, most importantly, save lives,” Borne said.
LaHouse Celebrating 10 Years
Interested in learning how to keep your home cool during the summer, warm in winter and save money at the same time? The LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse Resource Center has exhibits and information resources that can help.
Rock and Rolling Volunteers
Entergy employees in Louisiana team up to help communities during National Volunteer WeekAaron Lodge could hear the melodies of a guitar as he and other Entergy employee volunteers worked in rhythm to sort boxes and pack food at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank during National Volunteer Week, April 15-21.
New Employees Learn How They, Entergy Power Life
Orientation offers newcomers a chance to meet leadership and others within Entergy operating companies in LouisianaNew Entergy employees in Louisiana now have a chance to meet company leaders and peers from across the state thanks to a new orientation program created by employees who are members of the Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans’ Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Councils.This new orientation – which follows the long-standing, corporate-level orientation – offers participants insight into the histories, business functions and values of Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans.Michelle Bourg, gas distribution director and executive sponsor of the Louisiana D&I Council, set the tone for the inaugural day-and-a-half long program recently held in Baton Rouge by informing participants that they came to a more than century-old organization that not only deeply respects the past, but also has its eyes on the future.Further, Bourg described how she powers life in the community in which she lives and works, including her role in maintaining and enhancing the gas distribution system and volunteering at Entergy-sponsored events.“Each one of you brings your own story to Entergy,” Bourg said. “A good exercise while you’re here is to ask yourself, ‘How do I power life?’”“It’s very important that new employees understand not only their job functions but also have knowledge of what Entergy has to offer them and the communities in which they live and serve,” said Deanna Lafont, an Entergy Louisiana customer service representative.Approximately 50 participants interacted with Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May’s and Entergy New Orleans President and CEO Charles Rice’s executive leadership teams, heard from representatives of various departments, and toured an interactive electric and gas distribution resource fair.“The resource fair gives our employees an opportunity to see both our electric and gas distribution equipment up close and ask questions about operations to senior linemen and others,” Lafont said.There was also some fun between sessions, including a marshmallow challenge, a storm scenario simulation where participants took on crisis response roles and a demonstration where participants acted out the various steps (or processes) required to deliver electricity and gas to meters.“The interactive sessions, hands on experiences and networking opportunities with peers and leadership across the state really make this orientation unique,” said Ana Gale-Orellana, an Entergy Louisiana economic development project manager.Phillip Bakker, a gas engineer based out of the Magnolia office in New Orleans, was among those that connected with someone from a location he does not frequent.“I befriended a lineman that was based out of Tulane (Avenue location) that I probably would have never met had I not been to the orientation,” Bakker said.“I’m a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) engineer for the gas department and learned something about the gas system that I work on and wouldn’t have otherwise known because it was related to the supply side,” he said.Sam Asevado, a gas measurement technician with Entergy New Orleans, said he enjoyed learning about regulation during the regulatory and public affairs segment of the orientation. Meanwhile, Dylan Easley, a pipeman with Entergy Louisiana and based in Baton Rouge, and Bentley Eddins, a lineman with Entergy Louisiana and based in Lake Charles, said they enjoyed the opportunity to talk with company leaders.“We got to talk with them one on one and it didn’t have to be about business. There was no pressure. We ate together, we hung out together,” said Easley.Eddins said there was a response from Rice during a question-and-answer segment that resonated with him as a lineman.“He said there’s no one more important than the person in the field picking up the wire and climbing the pole,” Eddins said. “To come to Entergy and hear someone in a leadership role say that – it means a lot. Everybody has their part. There is a degree of danger that comes with being a lineman and it’s great to hear management respects the work that we do.”
Entergy Employees Go Green by Helping Clean
Armed with gloves, garbage bags and grabbers, Entergy’s Louisiana employees and volunteers descended on areas around Lake Pontchartrain Saturday to help clean up and protect some of south Louisiana’s most precious green spaces and waterways.
Tips and Tricks to Help Manage Winter Energy Usage
Louisiana’s normally mild winters don’t typically result in high energy bills. However, in parts of Entergy’s service area, temperatures recently reached 20 to 30 degrees below average. In fact, temperatures in our region were consistently lower than normal during the past month.