In general – no matter who you talk to at TECO – service means making sure our nearly 730,000 customers have reliable electricity and natural gas whenever they need it.
For a select group within the company, it also means the sacrifices they made for their country as members of the United States Armed Forces.
Veterans Day, of course, puts a spotlight on those sacrifices. TECO is proud to add power to that spotlight with our participation in events like the Veterans Day Remembrance ceremony in downtown Tampa, in parades for Veterans Day and through personal commemorative displays at various company locations, including our Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach.
“Veterans at TECO and anywhere else have a special common interest that makes them a Band of Brothers within a band of friends or coworkers,” said Darryl Schumacher, supervisor of Energy Supply Fleet Services at Big Bend Station. “This is especially shown each year when TECO staffs the Veterans Day Parade float with veterans from across our company. We typically have no shortage of veterans willing to show up and participate.”
On Wednesday, Bill McNair, supervisor of Gas Control with Peoples Gas, gathered a small group from TECO to attend an event honoring veterans at Joe Chillura Courthouse Square. Like last year, the group embraced the opportunity to salute their country.
“The event was a great opportunity for everyone to come together for things we could all agree on,” McNair said. “It was a powerful experience to be in the presence of those who served their country and family members and friends there to remember those who lost their lives.”
In addition to regularly welcoming veterans into its ranks as employees, TECO participates annually in Operation Partnership, a program to bring service members from MacDill Air Force Base together with TECO team members for the enrichment of both groups. We also actively seek veteran-owned businesses to work with through our Supplier Diversity program – which last month saw Technology Transfer Services honored as Veteran-Owned Business of 2016 at the Minority Enterprise Development (M.E.D.) Corporation’s M.E.D. Week.
For Schumacher, Veterans Day comes down to one thing above all.
“Whether the veteran is young or old – and no matter what branch of the service they were in or what job they did – all should be remembered and all veterans should stand proud of their service to our country. I know I am.”
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