Many of these employees’ families have lost nearly everything, and PIC is determined to help take care of its own in this time of need.  The company is asking for donations from employees and is going to match all contributions received over the next two weeks.  This money will be used to help get our people and their families back on their feet by helping to provide the necessities such as food, water and even rebuilding homes.

Just one account of the situation they are facing comes from Marco Olave, the EH&S Supervisor at the San Lorenzo Power Plant in Diego de Almagro, Chile. His wife’s family essentially lost their home in the earthquake.  They don’t know exactly how much it will cost to rebuild their house but they, like so many others, have no insurance and have only family to turn to for support right now.  They will live in a temporary shelter for at least the next six months.  Marco will use any donations to provide immediate supplies and support to his family as well as to help them and their neighbors rebuild their homes and shattered lives.

Guillermo Pena also works at the San Lorenzo plant in Diego de Almagro.  He shared the following pictures of the damage his family experienced from the earthquake.

Again, any donations made by March 19 will be matched in full by PIC.

Employees can donate the following ways:

Cash - Give to Katy Colvin or Tressha White in HR
Check - Make payable to PIC Group, Inc. and give/send to PIC HQ Attn: HR
Money Order - Make payable to PIC Group, Inc. and give/send to PIC HQ Attn: HR
Payroll Deduction - Request the Payroll Deduction form from Katy Colvin or Tressha White

Any money you can provide will really make a difference to the employees and their families affected by this disaster.  Thank you in advance for your support.

Power Plant Personnel: The Outsourcing Option

Last year PIC completed over a million safe work hours worldwide with a 0.0 Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR) and a 1.7 Recordable Incident Rate (RIR), well below the national industry RIR average of 4.2.

“I want to thank everyone at PIC for their dedication and commitment to our safety program,” said Beverley Rodgers, director of Environmental Health & Safety at PIC.  “Safety is a team effort.  This could not have been possible without the cooperation of the entire organization.”

PIC is now eligible for additional awards sponsored by the Georgia Department of Labor which will be presented at the annual Georgia Safety, Health and Environmental Conference held September 7-10, 2010 in Savannah, Ga.

PIC Group, Inc., headquartered in Marietta, Ga. and established in 1988, is a global provider of service solutions to the power generation industry.  PIC’s comprehensive portfolio of services supports all aspects of power project development including start-up and commissioning, installation, operations and maintenance, outage, documentation and training, and project support. As of March 2008, PIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with $41.1 billion in revenue.  For more information on PIC Group, Inc. or Marubeni Group, visit www.picworld.com or www.marubeni.com.

“This was a team effort and we are very proud of each and every PIC employee,” said Beverley Rodgers, director of Environmental Health & Safety at PIC. “Safety affects the entire organization. It is essential for everyone from front line workers to senior management to support safety initiatives and promote safety awareness.”

Achieving zero injuries remains the ultimate goal for PIC in 2010.  Program improvements include additional OSHA training as well as a mentoring program for all new field employees.

“Our recent performance indicators showcase the high-level of importance that PIC places on safety.  While the nature of the power industry causes many potential hazards, we will continue improving our policies and providing our employees with the safest and healthiest working environments possible,” expresses Rodgers.

PIC Group, Inc., headquartered in Marietta, Ga. and established in 1988, is a global provider of service solutions to the power generation industry.  PIC’s comprehensive portfolio of services supports all aspects of power project development including start-up and commissioning, installation, operations and maintenance, outage, documentation and training, and project support.  As of March 2008, PIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with $41.1 billion in revenue.  For more information on PIC Group, Inc. or Marubeni Group, visit www.picworld.com or www.marubeni.com.

“We are excited to be back at POWER-GEN this year.  Each year POWER-GEN brings the best and brightest industry experts together under one roof.  We intend to take full advantage of this opportunity by promoting PIC and learning from others,” said Todd Grzech, PIC’s vice president of sales and marketing.

For 21 years PIC has emphasized “The PIC Advantage” at POWER-GEN and to each of its customers.  While much has changed during this time, PIC’s commitment to its clients remains the same.  Built with strength and sweat, PIC has grown from a small consulting company to a global power generation service provider.  Its complementary service lines span the entire project life cycle, supporting plants both large and small. 

“PIC recently launched a new campaign highlighting the energy, experience and stability that seperates PIC from its competitors.  PIC strives to develop long lasting and successful relationships by focusing on our customers and providing the solutions they want.  Our clients are more than just projects, they are our partners,” said Grzech. 

POWER-GEN International, this year entitled SHOW POWER, continues to be the most recognized power event in the world.  Each year the show serves as a tool for building new relationships and strengthening existing ones.  With over 18,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors expected, everyone is looking forward to sharing ideas and making lots of new friends. 

PIC Group, Inc., headquartered in Marietta, Ga. and established in 1988, is a global provider of service solutions to the power generation industry.  PIC’s comprehenisve portfolio of services supports all aspects of power project development including start-up and commissioning, installation, operations and maintenance, outage, documentation and training, and project support.  As of March 2008, PIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with $41.6 billion in revenue and approximately $5.9 billion in gross profit.  For more information on PIC Group, Inc. or Marubeni Group, visit www.picworld.com or www.marubeni.com.

ATLANTA (October 9, 2009) - At PIC, safety is a top priority.  Occupational and environmental hazards are abundant in this industry, so it is vital that every PIC employee possesses the knowledge to identify potential hazards and prevent accidents.  The theme for this year’s annual safety campaign is “My Reason for Working Safe.”  This campaign aims to heighten awareness and re-commit each team member to achieving a productive, environmentally-friendly and zero-injury workplace.  

As part of this campaign, the ”Stickin’ 2 Safety” sticker contest was designed to put safety on everybody’s minds (and hard hats.) All of the winning stickers will be produced and sent to PIC projects worldwide.  With so many fantastic entries, this was no doubt a tough decision for our judges.  Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who participated!                                                                       

Grand Prize

Steve Konisky

(Artwork by Hailey Konisky, Age 10)

O&M Plant Manager at Castleton Energy Services

Second Prize

JaJwana Forbes

Corporate - Accounts Payable           

Third Prize

Kevin Anderson

Field Services - Staffing Coordinator

Honorable Mention  

George Goodyear                              

Documentation and Training - Graphic Designer/Tech Writer          

*Will be used during Eye Injury Prevention Month 2010

Honorable Mention

David Kazanow

Documentation and Training - Animator

*Will be used during National Safety Month 2010

Designed to meet every expectation for reliability, safety and performance, PIC’s start-up and commissioning programs have been refined for over 20 years. PIC’s experienced personnel and field-proven processes will uncover and correct any deficiencies before the units begin operation.  PIC’s start-up and commissioning team will work closely with GenConn’s construction crew to deliver completely tested and commissioned equipment, systems and plants.

NRX Asset Hub^TM, a web-based asset information management software platform, will also be employed for these projects.  PIC utilizes NRX to develop content rich turnover packages from a vast technical library developed by PIC throughout the years.  NRX will allow web-based access to all turnover and operational information throughout the duration of these projects for GenConn. 

GenConn Energy is a 50-50 joint venture between NRG Energy, Inc. and The United Illuminating Company (UI), a subsidiary of UIL Holdings Corporation.  The new units will support Connecticut’s growing electricity needs by providing power to over 160,000 homes and businesses during peak usage periods.  These projects will be located at NRG’s existing sites in Milford and Middleton, Conn.

PIC Group, Inc., headquartered in Marietta, Ga. and established in 1988, is a global provider of service solutions to the power generation industry.  PIC’s comprehensive portfolio of services supports all aspects of power project development including start-up and commissioning, installation, operations and maintenance, outage, documentation and training, and project support.  As of March 2008, PIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with $41.6 billion in revenue and approximately $5.9 billion in gross profit.  For more information on PIC Group, Inc. or Marubeni Group, visit www.picworld.com or www.marubeni.com.

While concerns about carbon emissions have put a damper on the development of new projects, coal continues to fuel most of the electricity production in many countries - including the U.S.  To comply with new environmental laws and standards, firms are modernizing existing plants and building “clean” coal facilities.  Events such as Coal-Gen offer the perfect setting for PIC and other companies to discuss and learn from each other.

PIC is currently working on several “clean” coal projects in the U.S. For instance, PIC’s Installation Services division is installing a boiler at Wygen III, a 100 MW power plant owned by Black Hills Corporation.  Like its predecessor plants, Wygen III will include mercury reduction controls.  PIC is also completing the environmental documentation for several plants adding scrubbers.  These scrubbers will reduce up to 95 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions.

PIC Group, Inc., headquartered in Marietta, Ga. and established in 1988, is a global provider of service solutions to the power generation industry.  PIC’s comprehensive portfolio of services supports all aspects of power project development including start-up and commissioning, installation, operations and maintenance, outage, documentation and training, and project support.  As of March 2008, PIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with $41.6 billion in revenue and approximately $5.9 billion in gross profit.  For more information on PIC Group, Inc. or Marubeni Group, visit www.picworld.com or www.marubeni.com.

At PIC, safety is a top priority.  Occupational and environmental hazards are abundant in this industry, so it is vital that every PIC employee possesses the knowledge to identify potential hazards and prevent accidents.  With over half a million safe work hours accumulated to date, PIC recently launched its 2009 safety campaign, “My Reason for Working Safe.” This annual campaign is intended to heighten awareness and re-commit each team member to achieving a productive, environmentally-friendly and zero-injury workplace.  As part of this campaign, the “Stickin’ 2 Safety” sticker contest is designed to put safety on everybody’s minds (and hard hats.)  So grab a pen and paper and get creative.  You could win a cool prize and bragging rights!  For contest rules and details visit www.picworld.com or contact Jessica Parvin at jessica.parvin@picworld.com.  Good luck!

PIC Group, Inc., headquartered in Marietta, Ga. and established in 1988, is a global provider of service solutions to the power generation industry.  PIC’s comprehensive portfolio of services supports all aspects of power project development including start-up and commissioning, installation, operations and maintenance, outage, documentation and training, and project support.  As of March 2008, PIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with $41.6 billion in revenue and approximately $5.9 billion in gross profit.  For more information on PIC Group, Inc. or Marubeni Group, visit www.picworld.com or www.marubeni.com.