How long has Ameren served Macon County?
We have delivered electricity and natural gas to Decatur and Macon County for more than 100 years as Ameren Illinois, and before that, Illinois Power.
What makes doing business in Decatur/Macon County unique?
Decatur is a great place to do business for many reasons, namely:
Centralized Location. Decatur is at the center of our service territory and is in close proximity to some of our largest customers. Ameren Illinois’ Division III operations, headquartered in Decatur, serves 105 communities with approximately 156,000 customers in Decatur, Bloomington, Lincoln, and Springfield alone. From our base of operations here, we can quickly mobilize personnel, equipment and supplies to respond to severe weather events or other emergencies.
Workforce. Decatur/Macon County offers a highly-skilled and diverse workforce. This is important in a labor-intensive industry like ours, where you need personnel in areas ranging from technical fields and skilled trades to customer care.
Key Assets. There are great educational institutions in Macon County, with Millikin University and Richland Community College, as well as quality training programs that are helping to equip students for a career in the energy sector. The Midwest Inland Port is positioning Decatur as a key transportation and distribution hub and will make the community more attractive for new industries and businesses.
Community Support. We value the great relationships we have with the people of Macon County, including the elected officials and community organizations. Our co-workers are active on non-profit boards and volunteer their time and talents with organizations throughout the area. We annually support organizations such as the Big Brothers, Big Sisters; United Way; Girl Scouts; Decatur Public Schools and more.
Does Ameren have any news, recent victories or accomplishments to share such as an expansion or remodeling?
Decatur is a key operational hub for Ameren Illinois, and is home to four Ameren facilities: an Operations Center that houses our regional gas and electric crews, an administrative building where our Customer Care team is also located, a training center and Gas Control Center.
In Sept 2016, we relocated our Gas Control Center from Springfield to Decatur. The approximately 12,100 sq. ft., state-of-the-art facility provides real-time monitoring of Ameren Illinois’ natural gas delivery system. It also serves as an important link in our efforts to monitor and control the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to Ameren Illinois customers throughout our territory.
In addition, we’re continuing to invest millions of dollars each year to strengthen our energy delivery infrastructure and create jobs in Macon County and throughout our service territory.
Is Ameren offering a new product or service?
As an energy delivery company, our primary mission is to deliver safe, reliable natural gas and electricity to our customers. We are excited about the changes that are underway in our industry, and at our company, that will help us continue to provide superior service to our customers. Here are just a few examples:
- Legislation passed last year in the Illinois General Assembly is stimulating new investment in renewables and energy efficiency that will benefit customers across our service territory.
- Under our electric Modernization Action Plan, Ameren Illinois has installed storm-resistant utility poles and power lines, outage detection technology, and more than 1-million smart meters throughout our service territory. The enhancements have resulted in a 19 percent reduction in annual electricity service interruptions on average and we’re restoring power on average 17 percent faster. We’re also replacing older natural gas pipelines and facilities, and adding new gas distribution equipment and technology which will further enable us to provide a safe, reliable natural gas system for years to come.
- We are improving the customer experience by offering new pricing structures, text alerts and real-time data to help customers control their energy and save on their monthly bill.
Ameren Illinois is our featured business in the Decatur 2018 newsletter’s “Industry Highlight” section. Would your business like to be featured in an upcoming issue? Contact Brandy by email at bbockewitz@decaturedc.com or by phone at 217-422-9520 for more details.