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Engaging our customers where they are

As your community energy company, we seek to engage all our customers in a variety of ways. We work to ensure all customers experience us as “their” community energy company. Understanding the barriers our customers may face and meeting them “where they are” is at the core of our mission.

We recognize that customers have varied needs and that the communities we serve are continually growing and becoming more diverse. We work to develop culturally competent initiatives, communications and services for our customers. Our dedication to understanding our customers and meeting their unique needs is reflected in how we engage, support and partner with those we serve.

MGE has two departments, Residential and Community Services and Business Customer Relations, dedicated to specific customer segments and community relationships and partnerships within those segments. Each department has employees assigned to specific customer segments, including Latino customers, Hmong customers, neighborhood associations, advocacy organizations, communities of faith, lower-income customers, multifamily customers, agricultural customers, nonprofits, state and local governments, hospitals, major customers and others.

MGE maintains relationships with more than 20 specific sectors in our community and works closely with more than 200 local organizations and community stakeholders to reach customers who may be more difficult to reach directly due to either language or cultural barriers or other reasons. MGE seeks to engage all customer segments by having account managers and Residential and Community Services managers to build relationships.

Connecting with our diverse customer base
MGE is committed to serving and connecting with our richly diverse communities through a myriad of partnerships and engagement strategies. To help us stay connected with our evolving multicultural customer base, MGE’s Residential and Community Services team develops culturally competent digital resources that integrate social media, web content and videos to serve our communities of color. MGE also partners with local groups to connect with Spanish- and Hmong-speaking customers.

At livinginbalancemadison.com, MGE shares stories and videos from our Residential and Community Services team, community leaders, customers and local businesses about what it means to be sustainable and how MGE is working together with customers to meet shared sustainability goals.

MGE is committed to supporting family-friendly activities that help us engage with our customers directly and create enriching experiences for all those we serve. Residential and Community Services team members staff these various community events and host energy workshops to engage and connect with customers about energy and our resources and tools. One example is MGE’s Día de Fútbol in the fall at Madison’s Breese Stevens Field. The partnership among MGE, Forward Madison FC and La Movida Radio provides the community a chance to enjoy free youth soccer clinics and scrimmages and safety and energy-saving information from MGE’s energy experts.

Advancing diversity through future generations
MGE works to advance diversity in the energy industry by partnering with local organizations to provide educational career-oriented programming for area youth. These events, programs and partnerships help to introduce energy-related careers to students with backgrounds underrepresented in the utility industry.

MGE Career Ambassadors
Each summer, several Madison high school students spend six weeks at MGE as part of our Career Ambassador Program, now through its seventh year. The Career Ambassador Program is a pre-college program for local high school students from partnering organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Centro Hispano, the Urban League of Greater Madison, 100 Black Men of Madison and Maydm. Students learn about the utility business and utility-related career opportunities and gain experience in the workforce. After being mostly virtual in 2021, MGE hosted the Career Ambassador Program fully in person in 2022. The students learned about renewable energy, electric vehicles, sustainability, compliance, engineering, marketing, human resources and operations careers.

STEAM Camp
Since 2017, STEAM Camp has become a summertime activity at MGE. Dozens of middle school students participate in the weeklong camp typically held at sites across Madison. STEAM Camp engages the students in educational pathways that lead to careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). After being held virtually in 2021, STEAM Camp returned to an in-person format in 2022.

MGE employees helped STEAM Camp participants learn how MGE is growing our use of renewable energy and how we keep the lights on and the gas flowing for our customers. They also learned about STEAM careers in the utility industry. Strang Architects of Madison partners with the Urban League of Greater Madison to bring STEAM Camp to MGE and other local organizations.

Upward Bound
As part of our partnerships with area schools, MGE hosted a group of students in summer 2022 from the Upward Bound Math and Science Program at Madison East High School. Students learned about wind energy and built their own model wind turbines. They also had some fun with our Pedal Power display, learning how much energy it takes to power different types of light bulbs, to charge a cell phone and to get a blender to make a milkshake.

College internships
MGE hosts college interns throughout the year in a variety of departments, providing them with valuable skills to advance their careers. Giving local students exposure to careers in energy also benefits MGE. Several past and present MGE employees started their careers with the company as college interns.

Community education outreach
MGE connects with thousands of students annually through various programs, events and other activities, providing utility-based education to students across our service territory, both inside and outside the classroom. Topic areas range from energy efficiency and sustainability to safety and careers. 

We also support opportunities for teachers through Wisconsin’s K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP). KEEP was established in 1995 to improve and increase energy education in Wisconsin. The collaborative effort offers professional development opportunities for certified teachers in the state. Teachers whose schools are located in MGE’s gas and electric service area can receive partial scholarships from MGE to offset the cost of coursework. 

MGE also offers several popular loaned educational resources including our Pedal Power bicycle, Solar Oven, Watts Up electricity consumption meters and a mini photovoltaic kit. These resources are designed as supplemental classroom aids or are used at community events to engage young people in energy efficiency, conservation and clean energy. They are promoted through our Powerline teacher newsletter, which provides information about MGE’s resources, tools, programs and presentations for area schools.

Arbor Day tradition
MGE celebrates Arbor Day annually with students in our service territory. In 2022, we marked the day with students at Shorewood Hills Elementary School. MGE helped purchase a few trees to be planted on and near school grounds. Students helped plant trees and shrubs and were treated to a tree climbing and pruning demonstration. MGE has helped plant more than 80 trees around the school since 2005.

Earth Day celebration
MGE works with local students every year to celebrate Earth Day. In 2022, we celebrated by exploring energy, art and sustainability with students at multiple Madison schools. With our Pedal Power bicycle, students created energy to power a blender and turn on light bulbs. They also painted a mural to highlight the importance of water conservation and planted some apple trees. A partnership with Badger Rock Middle School was a natural fit because of the school’s focus on sustainability and energy conservation.

A number of MGE employees also commemorate Earth Day by participating in the company’s annual Adopt-a-Highway event. In 2022, a number of employees collected garbage from a two-mile stretch of highway within our service territory. Within a couple of hours, they picked up about 50 bags of trash.

 

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