Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:23 Good morning, LinkedIn community. Welcome ladies and gentlemen to another riveting episode of coffee with Jim and James today. Let me take us a step back when I think of Atmos and West Texas division Atmos, I think back to my days, James, do you remember my days when I used to travel out there to see the folks, the buggy, the wheels, I had the horses,
Speaker 2 00:00:48 Even Becky shaking you off, she's like, Nope, that happened.
Speaker 1 00:00:52 Let me bring James in. We'll get, we'll get back on track. My brother, my partner, James Cross, sir. How are you? This fine and beautiful morning.
Speaker 2 00:01:00 Excellent. Check out the new swag. Boom. It's a little much. I think it's, uh, my camera keeps focusing on it and then my face gets blurry. So it may be a perk. It might be a new zoom feature.
Speaker 1 00:01:13 I might need that.
Speaker 2 00:01:15 I am, uh, excited for our guest today. Uh, she, she, even in the pre-show it was awesome. Just sharing a laugh this year, this past year has been weird for all of us. And so when we're able to be around our friends, that really, we were around probably four times a year, at least. Um, and then now don't really get to see it's the pre show ends up being the best part and sometimes the post show, depending on what time it is. Um, but Becky would, can't be any more excited for you to be here. Thank you for joining us. And if you wouldn't mind, just because Jim always does such a terrible job of that when you give just a little bit of an intro of yourself and, um, and why you're here.
Speaker 3 00:01:58 Sure. I am thrilled to be here with you guys. Like you say, I miss getting to visit with everybody. I don't get to talk to a lot of non Atmos folks these days, so it's fun to be here. Thanks for the invite. Um, yeah, so I'm Becky Palmer. Uh, I'm in Lubbock, Texas, and, uh, I lead the West Texas division of Atmos energy. Uh, yeah. Got to get your guns up when you come to Lubbock. So, um, so I'm thrilled to be here. Um, uh, yeah, I don't know if you want to know anymore, but I'll tell you
Speaker 1 00:02:28 And you are also, you have a very prominent position on the Texas gas association.
Speaker 3 00:02:35 Yeah. So I'm chair of the Texas gas association this year, um, and, uh, thrilled to be with that group. And that's where I usually see these guys. So, um, uh, we've, we've done some with gone virtual, the Texas gas association has officially gone virtual, so, um, we're doing well. And uh, we get to see these folks when we do that, but you don't really get much chat time in the virtual world. So, uh, but, uh, but yeah, so TJ is doing great and, uh, uh, lots of participation and, and good times. Yes, lots of, for a minute, you guys continued on, correct. That's right. Virtual zone professionals.
Speaker 1 00:03:36 It's the world we live in. So, um, you know, it is what it is. So if, if I didn't miss much, I do want to take that last little bit that we talked about. We talked about Atmos and TGA, and I want to connect a few dots here and want to bring it into a subject that's kind of been near and dear to our heart in the energy industry. And that's the environment. Um, you know, Becky, the environment and the energy industry have been in the headlines or in the papers, whatever you want to call it for a long time. And it's really heated up a lot lately. Um, what are your thoughts, uh, do you have, uh, you know, what's been, what's been picking at your brain in that regard.
Speaker 3 00:04:13 Yeah. I mean, it's something that we have, obviously we've talked about for a long time. Um, but, but it has, it has, like you say, it's heated up a little bit. Um, and I think that, I think a couple of things, my thoughts, a couple of things, one, I think it's important to really step back and take a long view. Right. Um, industry's been around a long time. Um, you know, if in the, I don't know, late seventies, there were a lot of opinions about our industry that, um, I think we look back on now and, and are very different from where we are. Um, you know, I think it's important to take a long view over industry. We're, we're still here, we're stronger than we've ever been. Um, so I think that's one thing is just everybody take a deep breath. Um, but I, I think it's also really important and, um, that we don't, we don't get defensive.
Speaker 3 00:05:01 Right. Um, I think, you know, it's important that when somebody starts talking about climate change or greenhouse gases or all those things that you don't, we don't, we don't need to get defensive. Right. W we're all here. Um, you know, I'm, I'm not a scientist. Uh, I send the intro, I'm an accountant, but I do believe in science. And, um, and I also, you know, I think it's important for us to take care of our planet. I think that as you know, w we're all here, we're all here together. I, I, you know, I have two other boys. We, we go camping, we go hiking. I like all the outdoor stuff like outdoors except skiing. I'm not a winter sports kind of girl, but otherwise, you know, I love the outdoors and it's important. I think we need to protect our worlds, you know? And so I, we don't have to argue about that.
Speaker 3 00:05:48 We don't have to get defensive about that. Um, conservation is good. This is good. This isn't bad. This is good. Right. Of all, there's no need to be wasteful. Um, and diversification is good. And technological advancement is good and innovation, all of these things, there are so many fantastic things going on in the energy space right now. Um, but, but so where does that leave us? Right? Because, because sometimes you get in conversations with folks and it's all bad, right? It's all bad. It's not all bad. Um, I think that, you know, we, the natural gas industry, Texas gas, acidity, Texas gas, is I know our associates. We know how to innovate and we know energy, right. I mean, we, we know how to make it work. And so, um, you know, we had, we also understand the economics of energy. It's not free and innovation isn't free.
Speaker 3 00:06:47 And, you know, not only are natural resources limited, but so are our financial resources, right? So there, there's, there's good things that we need to keep in mind and we need a seat at the table because of all of those things. And so I think it's really important. If you get defensive, you don't get a seat at the table, right. You make everybody mad and you don't get a seat at the table. We need a seat at the table because we know what we're talking about. And so I think, you know, in, in the near future, long-term all of those things. We need to be part of the solution. We need to keep an open mind. Again, efficiency is good. These are, these are good things. Um, but there's also, you know, R and G renewable natural gas. Um, it's been around for a while, but I think we're really starting to see more and more of that.
Speaker 3 00:07:36 Those are good things. Those are good projects that we need to be focusing on, um, that are also good for the environment, right? And, and it's, it's a place that we can, we can all get on the same page and work together on other things. I mean, longer term, even, you know, hydrogen and, and how that could be, you know, w we are uniquely placed as an industry with our assets, with our knowledge, um, and with our ability to innovate and be creative in those things. So, you know, I think, I think it's exciting. I mean, it is a challenging time, but man, that's exciting, right?
Speaker 1 00:08:15 Becky, you turn that subject into what could have been a, whatever you want to say into a very positive. I mean, after let's feel better and, um, we're on the same page, it takes not having blinders on big picture diversity, multiple different things. Again, you know, we have a few people in the world, you know, billions of people and that takes energy to run billions.
Speaker 3 00:08:42 Absolutely.
Speaker 2 00:08:44 I mean, Becky, we tell people all the time, this is, this may be a new conversation for some, but this isn't a new conversation for those of us that have been at the table like that. It says like we just cracked open the book to figure out the problem. Um, that's why we beg people to come sit with us at the table is because we need more people thinking about how we get over this gap and there's other gaps. This isn't the only ones. So, uh, Becky, that's a great answer and very passionate. You know, our workplace is more diverse than ever before I spoke on it at the TGA O and M this past year virtually about managing and leading people, not like you. Um, it's something that we we've got to get good at. And so I wanted to talk to you. Number one is, you know, Atmos and, and you personally, but also as an industry, talk a little bit about diversity and inclusion, uh, and how you're seeing a positive impact there. Diversity
Speaker 1 00:09:56 Illusion, um, women in leadership. We actually just got done with a subject on that too. We had some guests, James will, we picked up for your brother. We had a little bit of a glitch with you, but we carried right on with
Speaker 2 00:10:08 That crows
Speaker 1 00:10:11 That tell you, you know, we got a
Speaker 2 00:10:14 German, Becky.
Speaker 3 00:10:16 Yeah, there you go. We got it. We got it.
Speaker 1 00:10:18 We need a new, no, we can't do that. You can't replace James. No.
Speaker 2 00:10:26 Who had to wear the hoodies to the zoom meetings.
Speaker 3 00:10:28 There you go. There you go. So, you know, I think inclusion and diversity. So I put those in a certain order on purpose. I think inclusion diversity is, you know, is a topic that, um, that we've, I spent quite a bit of time on over the last several years. Um, you know, Atlas, we have a culture council is what we call it. And, uh, one of the, you know, kind of things that fall under the culture council is, is that inclusion and diversity. Um, and, and I'm, I'm a sponsor of the culture council. So that's something that I've spent a lot of time talking about over the last few years. And so, you know, I think that, um, inclusion and belonging is something that's, it's a real key, um, to that I think that most have come to recognize that diversity is a good thing that, um, we, we want diverse viewpoints, right?
Speaker 3 00:11:17 And diverse life experiences brought to the table. And, you know, that can be, that could be race, ethnicity, gender. That could be lots of different things. Um, and, uh, all those things inform those life experiences. Right? And so I think one of the things that I think is important for us to all remember is that having a diverse team where that diversity is not respected or appreciated or understood leads to a very ineffective team, it doesn't, it doesn't help things. Um, and so, you know, in an effective team, everybody has a voice, right? Everybody can raise their hand if they see something wrong, if they have a, you know, we talk a lot about safety, this is a big part of our safety culture. We need people to be willing to say, Hey, I saw something, I have an idea. This isn't safe, you know, stop or all the things.
Speaker 3 00:12:12 And if, if we don't have an inclusive work environment where everybody feels welcome and comfortable people aren't comfortable to do that. Right. So, um, you know, I think, I think that that's a big part of it. I also think, you know, one of the, one of the things, one of the arguments, one of the reasons that diversity is so important is because when you have those diverse viewpoints, you get innovation and creativity and you get new ideas and you get different ways of looking at things. And, you know, we just talked about environmental challenges and the innovation mission that we need. Right. I mean, that's a perfect example, it's as important. And so, you know, I think when we talk about from an industry from an Atmos perspective, um, you know, I think that at least at Atmos, I think this is true in a lot of our organizations like ours, but, you know, we have very long tenures, right?
Speaker 3 00:13:12 Our average tenure is, I don't know, over 12 years, that is not normal. That's not normal, but what that also means is change is slow. Right? And so, um, I think we have to be really intentional as we look to build our teams. Um, and when we hire, we need to make sure that we have really diverse intentionally diverse candidate pools. Um, you always want to pick the right candidate, but you want to make sure that you're looking in all the right places to make sure you get the best candidates. Um, you know, when we hired, when we promote, when we develop looking at the makeup of teams and how they work together, that's, that's a part of it. Right. Is how does, how does, how would that hire affect the overall team and does it make it better? You know? And so I think that a lot of those are, you know, are things that as an industry, we, we need to work on. And I know as a company at Atmos, I mean, we have, have really seen, um, progress in that area. And it's, it is intentional, but it is also not always fast. Um, but, but it has been a journey that we have been on for, you know, 20 years. So I, you know, I've been with the company for 15 years for almost 16, actually. Uh, but, but well before that, um, but, but you're starting to see the fruits of that, um, show up. So,
Speaker 1 00:14:26 No, and that's a great point. And again, I'll use a micro example, James and I we've been referred to as ying and yang Abbott and Costello, you know, I mean the whole bit, but in a, and I'm not gonna tell you which one's Abbott and which one's Casella, but anyway, that's a whole nother story, but it began serious though. When you talk about the ideas, you know, sometimes I'll bring up ideas and James will look at me, goes, uh, that's close, but what about if we take it and we do this and this and this to it, you know, so maybe the core idea was had some merit, maybe some of my fringe ideas weren't there, but then, you know, James runs with it or vice versa, he'll throw something at me. And I'm like, well, let's do this and this and this. And together as a team, his thought process is very different than mine, but we're very synergetic, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1 00:15:12 And again, we mesh. So as far as the team, we're really good, we're different, we're unique, we're, we're diverse, but we're, you know, we still have the same goals and aspirations, you know, to, to succeed. So it's a very good point. Let me, let me hit on something that you hit on. You talked about diversity and inclusion and diversity, and you also mentioned safety when we are in the energy business. And safety is not a six letter word only. I mean, it is a way of life for us in the industry. We live, eat and breathe it, everything from contractors to operators, to the whole gambit, give us some, some thoughts about safety. You could take that to the next level or expand on that. And also if you, if you have any thoughts about COVID, I mean, COVID has really done some tricky things to us this year and has it impacted safety or brought more heightened safety and with those three or four questions, I'm going to give it to you because I'm sure there's enough there for you to go with it.
Speaker 3 00:16:12 Yeah. I mean, you know, I think as an industry, um, yes, safety is, is our top one of our top priorities, our top priority, right. And it Atmos energy. I mean, it's the same way, right? I mean, that is our top priority. We are not, we are a safety company. That's one of the things that when we bring folks on, as the first thing we talk about, we're not, you know, we're not just, we're not just a gas company, we're a safety company. And, you know, we talk about safety and in a few different ways, you know, there's employee safety, there's system safety and there's, um, you know, safety of our, our, uh, our communities. Right. And so I think that those are all interrelated. Um, and, and that's really what we focus on. And, you know, when we talk about COVID, you know, and I mean, that really does have a impact on our employee safety.
Speaker 3 00:17:03 Um, but you know, I mean, it can also have an impact on our system safety and things like that. I think that, um, you know, as far as Atmos goes, we in March, we, 95% of our workforce basically went, remote, went digital, um, and we've stayed that way. And, and so, you know, our, our field, our frontline field folks in a lot of ways, their jobs have not changed drastically and that they're still going out every day and all those things, but, you know, they're not, um, they're going to the warehouse to get supplies at scheduled times. They're not all going at the same time. Um, you know, we made sure that everyone had their own individual vehicle to drive. Whereas before some of our crews, our construction crews would, you know, maybe, you know, pair up in a crew truck and that kind of thing, as soon as we, as soon as this all started, we made sure that everyone had their own vehicles drive because that, that was not a safe space.
Speaker 3 00:17:57 Right. I mean, who would have ever thought that being in the cab of a truck with somebody, it was not a safe space, but, but it wasn't right. And it's not. And so, you know, that was one of, one of the things that we did right away. Um, and so, you know, masks and, um, we're, we're w this is a, we're a little unique in this, but we're not going into customers' homes, um, right now. So we are partnering with plumbers, you know, our, our guys, our folks, men and women that go into customer homes are also our first responders. And so when you talk about systems safety and community safety, you know, we have had to be concerned about making sure that we had enough healthy first responders in every area that we serve at all times to be able to respond to emergencies.
Speaker 3 00:18:43 I mean, that, that's our highest priority, right? That is our highest calling. And so, um, so we made the decision, you know, at the beginning that we weren't going to go into customers' homes because we felt like we needed to take that extra step to protect those first responders. So we've partnered with plumbers and, you know what, it's, it's actually, we've developed some really great plumber relationships that I think we'll continue to look to lean on, um, to help us in, in some of those situations. And, uh, so we're still in that mode. Um, you know, culture is something that's really important to us. We have a safety culture. I think that is something that we've talked about, but, but, but we also, our culture is, you know, one of respect and togetherness and working together and collaboration and, you know, eating and we, we, we like to eat a lot.
Speaker 3 00:19:30 And, um, and so, you know, that's always been a big part of what everyone is thought of as our culture, right. Is we get together, we have lunch, we like to have parties. We, you know, and so that's part of it. But I think that it's, it's been interesting. I think we've proven even to ourselves, um, that our culture is really a lot deeper than that, right. Because we're not getting to eat together. You know, I mean, I've said snacks to people's doors and things like that. And, you know, but, but we're not really eating together. And, um, and you know, when we haven't been able to get together and have a party and, um, but in a lot of ways, we're more connected than we've ever been. And so, you know, again, it goes to our culture. It's deeper than that. It's more than that, right.
Speaker 3 00:20:19 It's not just getting together to eat together. And so I think that that has been, has been really good, but it's, it's also easy to look back and kind of think that COVID is all we've done. Right. And, and that we've just gotten by. And I think that it's true for the industry. It's true for you guys. It's so much more than that. Right. And we've in the last year, not long before we went, went home, before we implemented kind of code protocols, we actually implemented a, a new damage prevention program that we call our damage prevention ambassadors, which, um, empowers our field or anybody. But, you know, it's mostly our field employees that are out and about to stop if they see an excavator, um, that if, you know, an excavator is, does it have markings out and they see somebody digging and, you know, whether it's a full-on professional crew or a homeowner with a, you know, a little, um, you know, excavator behind the house or whatever, to stop and ask them questions.
Speaker 3 00:21:20 Right. Um, if they see somebody, even if they maybe do have a marketing, so they know their close to one of our big, you know, our main, main lines, high pressure, you know, stop talk to them safely at a distance with masks on, but to stop and, you know, and kind of say, Hey, you know, how's it going? Do you have your ticket? Let me know. You know, there's a gas line here and just stop and do that across our enterprise. We had made over 30,000 stops in 2020 and, you know, handing out literature and some of those and just engaging with, um, ex excavators. And we have seen a decrease in our hit while we've seen an increase in our little kids. Right. And so I think that, you know, there's, COVID in safety and employee. It's been big, it's been big, but, um, we've continued to move that ball on safety and other areas, um, through the year too. So it's, yeah, there's, there's a lot going on. It's very exciting.
Speaker 1 00:22:16 That's exciting. I mean, it's, it's shocking though. 30,000 stops. If I've heard that's a lot, but think about how many positive things happen because of that. Yep.
Speaker 2 00:22:32 So, cool. So cool. Well, um, we're getting to the end and one of the last things we ask people are surprised, but if you watched our show, it's not really a surprise anymore. I don't think, but Becky, we're going to ask you one question ready,
Speaker 3 00:22:51 Ready? I don't know. You've made me nervous.
Speaker 2 00:22:54 Becky, do you love what you do?
Speaker 3 00:22:57 I do. I do. You probably couldn't sell that, but I do. I love what I do. And you know, I mean, I think that, um, we work with such great people. Our employees are second to none and you know, they go out every day and they work their tail off and they, um, prioritize safety over anything else. They take care of our customers. They take care of our communities and, um, you know, that, they're what makes it worth it. Right? I mean, I, I'm here to help, help folks, you know? I mean, what, what can we do to make your job work better? What's broken. I actually had an employee, a conversation with a group of six or eight employees yesterday afternoon. Okay. What what's broken, what are we not doing that we need to do? You know? And so I think that's the fun part of, of my job, um, is, is really getting to try and figure out how can we make it work better? And, um, because we, we work with, we work with great employees. We work with great folks in the industry. Like you guys are associates, you know, TGA members and associates, and that we get to work with and learn from. And, um, it's just, that's what makes it great. Right?
Speaker 2 00:24:13 Such a great Becky. You've been an amazing guest today. I hope maybe if I'm ever replaced and it may be by you.
Speaker 3 00:24:24 Oh, there you go. There you go. I don't think I could do that though. I don't, I don't think it would work. What does that game Ninja turtles?
Speaker 1 00:24:42 Absolutely. Again, uh, on behalf of James, I Becky, thank you so much. It was not just fun. It was ready for this James funner than the last, uh, it's what I do that all the time. I do it seriously. It was great having you on. It's great to see you. Um, we hope we can get back to our new norm at some point, but until then, you know, this is a great way for us to connect and reach out to the community. Uh, you know, tell some of the great things that Atmos and you all are doing. I've been in the energy industry for 20 years and I've known Atmos for 13 years and 364 days. So it was like day two that I got to know Atmos and have so much respect for the company. Audio audience, please connect with Becky, please connect with James. And I please follow us on coffee with Jim and James without the audience. We are all we're canceled. So no, we need you guys to follow us. So
Speaker 2 00:25:36 Basically just talk to ourselves.
Speaker 1 00:25:39 Well, we do that anyways. So, you know, we, we gotta, we gotta keep this going, but being serious also filed a Texas gas association, follow Atmos energy, follow all the great safety initiatives. Think about that. The 30,000 stops were done and those stops. Aren't a bad thing. That's a great thing because somebody could have been helped by not getting hurt. So see something, say something, uh, Atmos lives, it breathes it. They walk the talk so much respect for Atmos. You, Becky, the TGA, everything that you're involved in. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. And till next time, James and I bid you all a fair a do we want everybody to stay safe and we will see you next week on coffee with Jim and Jay take care. Hi,
Speaker 0 00:26:25 Bye y'all.
