By Jerry Norcia, DTE President and CEO
People ask me from time to time why DTE Energy pushes beyond its well understood core mission – producing clean, affordable, and reliable energy for our customers – to serve many other community needs. The questions come with hint of skepticism and go something like this:
“Why did DTE give $1 million in grants to 45 domestic violence shelters across Michigan? Why did you give computers and free internet service to 51,000 Detroit public school students? Why did you order your supply chain team to locate and donate 2 million KN-95 masks to hospitals at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic? Why did you publicly condemn the murder of George Floyd, and why do you support voter rights?”
These are fair questions, and they deserve an answer: The are several reasons why we stand for what is right and good in the communities we serve.
First, DTE’s 10,000-plus employees live in those communities and they deserve DTE’s support outside the workplace. They are your neighbors, your family, and your friends; their children attend public schools and their families suffered through the pandemic; they are crimes victims and they own small businesses; they are voters, and they know people who are forced to choose between buying prescription drugs or paying their electric bills. Our committed and dedicated employees are one reason why DTE Energy and the DTE Foundation invests millions of dollars in programs that serve people in need.
Another reason DTE Energy strives to be a force for good is because a corporation must consider itself a citizen with all the responsibilities that come with citizenship. Most people don’t care about our bottom line – and they shouldn’t. But most people will judge us based on how well we serve our customers who need us the most.
For me, as DTE’s president and CEO, this is personal. My grandmother, who lived in a poor rural village in Italy and had no education and none of the comforts of heat or running water, often told me when I was growing up, “Doing good on to others opens doors and creates prosperity. Not doing these good things closes doors and reduces prosperity.” While far from perfect, we at DTE firmly believe that being good to our employees and our communities has been fundamental to much of our success as a company.
With those explanations, allow me to flesh out a few recent examples of how we strive to meet
our responsibility to our employees and our communities.
- During an intense six-week period, our public affairs and supply chain teams worked with the state’s county emergency relief agencies to buy and distribute 2 million KN-95 masks during a critical shortage of the life-saving gear.
- The DTE Energy Foundation invested $21 million to support COVID-19 relief efforts in 2020 alone. These efforts included supporting more than 500,000 families with basic needs; funding more than 3 million meals; working alongside 40 faith-based partners in more than 20 zip codes to support community initiatives, including COVID-19 testing; and matching $2 million in donations to the Michigan Association of United Ways and Michigan Community Action.
- The DTE Foundation awarded $1 million in grants to all 45 domestic violence shelters funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to help alleviate the significant financial and operational stress the shelter system has sustained due to COVID-19.
- Bridging the digital divide in America’s least-connected city, DTE worked with other corporate partners to raise the $23 million needed to equip Detroit public school students with free tablets and internet service. These students’ mothers and fathers quickly benefited from the connectivity, enabling them with the ability to apply for jobs, shop, and secure services that Detroiters without internet struggle to obtain.
- We found new, innovative ways to help vulnerable populations pay for their energy needs during the pandemic. In March, we suspended disconnects for non-payment. Then we went to work to create a Personalized Service Protection Plan to help at-risk customers reduce their arrears. We also worked closely with the State of Michigan to secure an additional $23 million in financial aid for eligible customers who needed energy assistance.
- We’ve launched and led several initiatives to keep businesses running – and people working – across Michigan. We led the development and launch of Detroit Means Business, an online resource hub through which small businesses can access valuable resources, including personalized technical assistance, small business loans and assistance obtaining personal protection equipment.
- Amid a national reckoning on police abuse and systemic racism, we knew we had a moral obligation to be part of the solution – to stand against racial injustice and oppression and take steps to build a more just organization, state and nation. That’s why we supported voters rights, and launched an internal campaign to improve our efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Should an energy company be a force for good? Should DTE Energy serve our employees in their communities and be a solid corporate citizen? These are good questions, and they deserve
an answer: Absolutely, unequivocally, yes.
About Post Author
