Since 2016, the American Public Gas Association (APGA) and natural gas utilities across the nation – including Lake Apopka Natural Gas District (LANGD) – have recognized March 18 as Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day. This key awareness date is a special opportunity for communities to celebrate the indispensable natural gas utility field workers who work hard 365 days a year to safely provide natural gas to the communities they serve.
In 2015, APGA’s marketing and sales committee noticed the lack of recognition for this group of essential workers and began brainstorming about how they could recognize them for their accomplishments. Ultimately, APGA decided an annual celebration – created to educate constituents about natural gas, all while celebrating field workers – was the best course of action. As a result, the APGA community voted to honor natural gas utility workers annually on March 18, as it commemorates the 1937 New London, Texas, school explosion that led to the widespread odorization of natural gas and an increased emphasis on industry safety.
At LANGD, the safety and well-being of our workers and customers is always top priority. We take that commitment seriously, and in 2020, earned the APGA System Operational Achievement Recognition Gold Award – the organization’s highest honor, which recognizes excellence in several areas, including employee safety.
The District has also received the APGA Safety Award for 10 consecutive years and counting. And, in addition to LANGD being in satisfactory compliance with the Florida Public Service Commission’s (FPSC) state and federal natural gas pipeline safety rules for several years, for the last five years, the FPSC has found not even one violation. We are so proud of these accomplishments and know success would not be possible without our hardworking field employees.
This year, to celebrate Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day, the District will host a “tailgate meeting” during the week of March 14 for its utility workers. Each field employee will receive a Chick-fil-A gift card as a “thank you” for their service.
On March 18, LANGD will celebrate its field workers with a company-wide barbecue lunch, provided by DevTech. At the lunch, utility workers who have met LANGD’s safety and performance criteria will be honored and awarded a $25 VISA gift card. During the celebratory lunch, LANGD will share a video presentation highlighting the contributions of its many utility workers.
Utility workers are truly the heart of the District, and without their careful and diligent work to bring clean-burning, efficient and safe energy to our customers’ homes and businesses, LANGD could never complete its mission of “being a good neighbor” in the Apopka, Clermont, and Winter Garden communities. Today and every day, we hope you will join us in celebrating our essential natural gas utility workers!
Ready to make the switch to natural gas? For more information on natural gas service for your home, business or vehicle, please contact the District marketing team at (407) 656-2737 x307, marketing@langd.org, or visit www.langd.org.
Advertisement
