Company Spotlight: Engie

The Gazette and Corridor Careers bring you a week-long event spotlighting exceptional companies in Eastern Iowa. This virtual series will highlight each company’s professional skillset, relationship with their employees, and ideologies.

About Engie

Engie, as part of a P3 partnership with University of Iowa Energy Collaborative, entered into a 50-year agreement with the University of Iowa in 2020 to operate and maintain the UI campus and hospital's utility systems including the power, water and steam plants. Engie Iowa now has 150 local employees who work across the UI campus to not only maintain the current systems, but to enhance future projects with sustainability and energy saving focuses.

Describe your company’s culture in three words.

Safety. Hawkeye Proud. Appreciation.

What do these words mean in everyday practice?

Safety---Safety for our workers and contractors is our number one priority. Employees have the right to stop work if they feel unsafe. Hawkeye Proud--- We are an affiliate organization for the University of Iowa, and we take our Hawkeye Pride seriously! Appreciation--- We celebrate our employees in many ways, including great employee events throughout the year, recognition of outstanding performance, service awards, a summer BBQ, and an end-of-year party.

How can someone continue to grow their skillsets and professional path while working for your company?

Engie is a global energy company that offers opportunities to grow in your career across energy sectors (wind, solar, hydro, research, hydrogen, storage and more) in many different countries. We focus our employee benefits on career growth, including tuition support for professional development and opportunities to work with Engie partnerships in other states and countries. Not only do we help our clients move toward a zero-carbon future, but we are also leading the energy transition worldwide!

What does work-life balance look like for employees within your organization?

We value a work/life balance at Engie, including offering flexible hours to many employees and an excellent benefits package, including paid time off, sick time, volunteer hours, and company holidays. Our employees are our greatest asset, and we conduct an extensive annual employee survey where we dig deep into the work culture and working conditions and take improvement ideas.

Please share a recent employee success story. What set this person up for success, and what does their success mean for the company?

At Engie Iowa, we have more than 20 student interns working with us on campus in real-time situations to learn valuable and transferable skills. We pay our interns well and work around their school schedules. Over time, our interns choose to stay with us for full-time employment once they graduate. More than ten interns have stayed with us after graduation. We also incorporate our interns into employee benefits, such as company parties and appreciation events. Additionally, we have employees who have moved from our Iowa office to other offices in North America and beyond. If interested, we offer employees a unique chance to move around and experience new cultures

What is your company's position regarding philanthropy and community engagement?

Engie came to Iowa in 2020, so we are relatively newcomers to the neighborhood. We focused on UI student organizations, faculty support, and sustainability-focused work in those short years. We have support groups such as the UI Dance Marathon, the UI Food Pantry, the UI Homecoming Parade, and several lectures and panels discussing critical environmental issues such as the future of energy on campus and worldwide.

On the broader community level, we have supported RAGBRAI, the Iowa Women's Foundation, Greater Iowa City, Inc., Think Iowa City initiatives, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

What would be a typical response if asked why an employee enjoys working at your company?

We believe our employees want to be engaged at work AND in their communities.

Our employee engagement events include tickets to UI sporting events and community events. We also encourage and support our employees to serve on community boards and support local charities. Serving within the communities we work and live in is essential to us.

Learn more about Engie job opportunities.

Visit The Gazette’s Company Spotlight each day during the week of April 8-12 to learn more about area businesses.

– Monday, April 8 - All Company Showcase

– Tuesday, April 9 - Montessori School of Marion

– Wednesday, April 10 - Engie

– Thursday, April 11 - Greg’s Lawn & Landscaping

– Friday, April 12 - All Company Showcase

Join us to learn more about what makes each company unique and envision yourself fitting in with their team.