Help for Battered Women

In the spirit of giving, Pittsburgh Senior Operations Analyst, Terri Moore found a way for ABARTA Energy to help members of our local community.  With an abundance of outdated cell phones and unused mini-laptops on hand, Terri contacted the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh to ask if they could make use of our cast offs.  The response was a resounding, “Yes!” 

The Women’s Center sends gently used phones to the Shelter Alliance Program which results in a monetary donation to the Women’s Center to help defray their operating expenses.  Terri spent several days cleaning seven cell phones and restoring five mini laptops to an “out of the box” state for the shelter residents to use to find employment, alternative housing and further education.

Founded in 1974, the Women’s Center provides shelter for abused and battered women and their children.  They also provide a 24-hour hotline, children’s programs, support groups, legal and medical advocacy, a men’s group and education.  Take a look at their website (http://www.wcspittsburgh.org) to learn more about domestic violence, the risks, the warning signs and the resources offered to make a change. 

Performance Improvement Process Gets Results

Reduce, Improve, Simplify, Eliminate (RISE).  This is the criteria used when the PIT Crew (Performance Improvement Team) considers submissions for performance improvement.  In 2014, managers were required to generate ideas that incorporate the RISE technique and the result was 18 submissions, 7 of those being generated during brainstorming sessions.

Some examples of those submissions include:

• West Virginia used flex time (4 – 10-hour days) to reduce overtime by 39%.
• The gas plant moved turnaround up three months when the Martha refinery unexpectedly shut down for 30+ days to avoid further production loss.
• Field offices replaced ATVs with newer, safer models.
• We built treated wood steps by the Altela meter in Clarion, PA to improve footing at the meter site.

The system is working, so keep those submissions coming!