WPPI Energy team members helped Sun Prairie West High School students learn to manage expenses during their Reality Rocks event. The company is part of the Sun Prairie Business and Education Partnership.
An ethic of committed community service runs through the workplace at Sun Prairie-based WPPI Energy.
That shouldn’t be too surprising, since WPPI — which serves 51 primarily small-town electric utilities with electric supply, utility technologies and services — deals with its member utilities every day.
“Our mission statement is about helping member utilities working together to be better places to work, live and play,” said Mike Peters, WPPI’s president and CEO. “We emphasize service respect, service collaboration. It’s what we preach, and when we interview potential employees, that’s part of the interview process.”
WPPI, this year’s top-ranked midsize company, stresses community involvement at home, too. It provides funding and outreach to each of its member communities for scholarships, charitable organizations and community events.
Closer to home, WPPI and its employees team up with the Sun Prairie Business and Education Partnership, volunteer for local home meal delivery, donate time and fundraising support to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, and provide holiday gifts through the Spirit of Giving program.
“We’re here to serve,” Peters said. “We serve member communities. It’s not the other way around.”
Employees responding to the Top Workplaces survey echoed the theme of community services and stressed that the organization values new ideas and supports and respects its staff. Said one: “I work with smart, respectful people who are always helpful and open to hearing new ideas.”
WPPI boosted paid time off for employee this year, revamped its bereavement policy to be more inclusive of various family structures and strengthened its employee assistance program. It also offers paid parental leave, educational reimbursement, professional development and wellness programs.
Employees seem to respond to the culture and benefits offered, and employee turnover remains low, Peters said.
“We have a number of employees who have 30 years, 25 years of service. Twenty years is not unusual,” Peters said. “It’s about treating people fairly.”
WPPI Energy team members helped Sun Prairie West High School students learn to manage expenses during their Reality Rocks event. The company is part of the Sun Prairie Business and Education Partnership.
