Lending a Hand to Customers in Need 10 - Inside Edison

On August 2, (from left) Katrina Quan, Ann Lee,Daphne Ng and Scott Tran attended a Chinese Connectionemployee resource group-sponsoredluncheon, which raised money for the EnergyAssistance Fund. (Read more about EAF on p. 10.)(From left) Jacqueline Nguyen, Don Ro,Trinh Phan and Dina Do of the VietnameseAffiliation employee resource groupattended the ERG’s annual Hawaiianthemedpotluck luau and picnic inHuntington Beach, Calif., on August 4.tell us yourstorySubmit your photoor quotes of workrelatedevents, peopleand places to inside.edison@sce.com.On July 26, an SCE employee soccer teamwon a two-day tournament against other businesses,including the L.A. Department of Water& Power and the Metropolitan Water District, toraise scholarship funds for a local high school.As part of Southern CaliforniaEdison’s wellness initiative,Warehouse Clerk MarcosRamos and colleagueschallenged CharterCommunications employees toa friendly game of softballat Irwindale Park on July 18.Edison Mission Energy President Pedro Pizarro at the EME Leadership Meeting on July 26 in SantaAna, Calif.: “The idea is to challenge this leadership group to keep all our employees engaged in the difficultcircumstances our company is facing. We’re asking you to manage through uncertain times, and webelieve coming together like this helps us all help each other do that.” (See the related story on p. 14.)4 insideedison • http://inside.edison.com

Customer Hero:Paul GarciaJack K. HortonHumanitarian AwardSILVERSILVERThe customer who recommended CustomerSolutions Representative Paul Garcia forhis Customer Hero award was one he’s workedwith for several years. After the customer’s firstcall, she began requesting Paul“Paul and ourother creditadministratorsalways putthemselves inthe customer’sshoes.”WHO’S next?Find out how to submita nomination for theCustomer Championand Horton awards athttp://inside.edison.com.specifically for help in dealingwith a series of increasinglycomplicated circumstances.“She went through a verydifficult time with family problems,and she lost her business,”said Paul.Over the years, Paul workedwith the customer to set uppayment arrangements, investigatecosts and identify waysto save energy.“Paul found a way to listen and still get hisjob done,” the customer said. “So many collectorsfeel the only way to deal with latepayments is to be harsh and even6 insideedison • http://inside.edison.comunkind. Paul has never been either.”“Paul and our other credit administratorsalways put themselvesin the customer’s shoes,” said AidaDiaz, an account collections supervisor.“This situation shows what ourteam is made of.”Darrin HelmanBusiness AnalystOperations SupportDarrin was at lunch when acolleague began choking.Darrin immediately performedthe Heimlich maneuver, dislodgingthe food and enablinghis colleague to breathenormally.BRONZERandy CooperNuclear Security OfficerSan Onofre NuclearGenerating StationRandy insisted a coworkerwith chest pains seekmedical attention. They discoveredthe coworker had arteryblockages that could have ledto a massive heart attack.Margarita GevondyanAttorneyLawRita and her family weredriving in a blizzard whenthey saw that a car had runoff the road. Rita called 911and stayed with the driver, herdaughter and their dog untilhelp arrived.BRONZEEric DeanField Service RepresentativeCustomer ServiceEric saw a coworker trappedunder a heavy metal gate.He helped free her, askedcoworkers to call 911 andstayed on the scene until anambulance arrived.

A Day in the Life of aComputer OperatorTwenty-year Southern California Edisonemployee Robert Castellanos isused to working with tight deadlines.Every day, the Mailing Operationsteam is responsible for the productionof approximately 228,000 customer bills, accountspayable checks and customer letters.As a lead computer operator, Robert monitorsthe mailing production, from troubleshooting theequipment to scheduling shift support and materialsmanagement. “Above all, our first priority issafety,” said Robert. “If we have that and are upholdingquality, the production will follow.”The team operates out of the General Office 3building in Rosemead, Calif. Robert’s shift startsat 1:30 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday, so thatthe work produced is ready for mailing the sameday. Robert starts by checking his email for updates.He then goes to the production room floorto participate in group stretching exercises. Next,Robert leads a tailboard identifying the shift’s prioritiesand making any needed adjustments to thecomputer operator rotation roster. Throughouthis shift, he walks the floor to check for safety andmonitor production and the equipment. At shiftend, he gathers the daily production totals andwrites up a status report for the day shift.As Robert prepares for today’s shift, he learnsof a problem impacting the production schedule.After discussing with the team’s managers and supervisors,Robert quicklynotifies the rest of thevideoextraWatch Robert talkabout the job’srequirements andhis favorite sportsteams at http://inside.edison.com.shift to come in later.With the data due to arrivelate, Robert workswith the team to assigna small crew to the backupfacility in the IrvineOperations Center, sothe work can be doneComputer OperatorRobert Castellanos.Printed bills fold into stacks,ready for inserting.from both locations simultaneously, helping themgain back time. The strategy works. With teamwork,the day’s production goal is met on time,while also minimizing the need for overtime labor.“It can be tough sometimes having daily targets tomeet with changing conditions,” said Robert, “but Ilike the challenge of staying flexible and coming upwith solutions, and there’s nothing like ending theday knowing that our team met its goals.”http://inside.edison.com • august 2012 9

Susan HellerA Lakers fanin the making,Susan in herSpencer HighSchool basketballuniform.Susan Heller with husband Gordon and son Zack.videoextraThis month, Inside Edisoninterviews Southern CaliforniaEdison’s Corporate MedicalDirector Susan Heller.QWhat was it like growing up in Spencer,Iowa?It was great. Spencer is a small town in northwestIowa. At the time, I thought it was a big citybecause it had 10,000 people. I grew up therewith my mom, my twin sister—she’s five minutesolder—and my brother.Watch Susan talk aboutplaying basketball whilegrowing up and hear herlightning round answerson http://inside.edison.com.QDid you always knowwhat you wanted to dofor a career?I had no idea I would end upbeing a doctor. I was good atmath and science, so I pursuedan engineering degree in college.In my last year at IowaState University, a very goodfriend of mine got burned in afire. That was the first time I had even been in ahospital, and as I visited him and watched whatwas happening, I became intrigued with medicineand decided to go to medical school.QYou have your degree in medicine from theUniversity of Iowa. How did you make thetransition from there to California?When I moved out here, it was to work for Edisonin the Long Beach Clinic. Amazingly enough, alarge number of my patients were originally fromIowa.QYour 22-year anniversary at Edison is comingup in October. What’s something notableyou’ve learned about the company?You may not know, but Edison has been a majorinnovator in healthcare. Back in the ’30s in BigCreek, we had a company hospital, a company ambulanceand a company clinic. And today, we reallyunderstand the business value to having ouremployees be healthy and safe.QWhat kind of interests do you have outside ofwork and medicine?I love biking. I’m getting ready for a 50K in November,and I enjoy hiking because I can do thatwith my family. And I have a guilty pleasure—Ilove reality TV like “Project Runway.”QYou’re on the board of Partners in Care, anationally recognized nonprofit dedicated toimproving healthcare for those most at risk. Why isthis important to you?They look at the most vulnerable in our society,the elderly and the poor. The people in the organizationare some of the most dedicated individualsI’ve ever met. Their lives are consumed with tryingto make their constituents’ lives better.18 insideedison • http://inside.edison.com

PRSRT STDU.S. PostagePAIDSouthern CaliforniaEdisonThe Magazine for Edison International Employees and RetireesP.O. Box 800G.O. 1, Quad 4ARosemead, CA 91770Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inksScan thiscode with yoursmartphone toaccess InsideEdison online!Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inksGiving backOn July 14, Transmission &Distribution’s (from left) SamUyeno, Jenna Bees and RayVan De Walker planted fruittrees, shrubs and droughttolerantplants with otherEdison volunteers at a newHabitat for Humanity homein Jurupa Valley, Calif.send yourPHOTOTo have your photofeatured on our onlinePhoto Wall, email yourpicture of volunteer orfundraising activitiesto 501@sce.com.You could also befeatured in nextmonth’s print issue!Landscaping aHabitat for Humanity home