NEWARK,
N.J., June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2023,
PSEG is celebrating 120 years of powering our lives: home,
work, family and community. PSEG's long history has embedded the
company into the fabric of New
Jersey thanks to many generations of hard working, loyal
employees who often stay for their entire career, decade after
decade.
"120 years is a significant milestone for us, a testament to our
current and former employees and the customers, neighbors and
shareholders who have put their trust in us," said Ralph LaRossa, PSEG chair, president and CEO.
"Public service is not just in our name, it's what we do. Since
1903 we have rolled up our sleeves to deliver safe, affordable and
reliable services to homes and businesses across the region. We
look forward to doing the same for the next 120 years."
The company began in 1903 as the Public Service Corporation, a
combination of 400 gas, electric and trolley companies. The company
has been headquartered in Newark
since its founding.
PSEG is honored to celebrate this milestone and recognize and
give thanks to our employees, some of whose families have worked
here for multiple generations, even as long as the company as been
established. Here are just a few noteworthy generational
families:
- Przemelewski family of Newark and Burlington County, New
Jersey: Five generations of
Przemelewskis at PSE&G began
with Szczepan (Stephan)
Przemielewski who emigrated from Poland in 1906. The 1917 Military draft card
listed him as working for PSE&G in maintenance at PSE&G's
trolley/bus company. His son, Adolph J. Przemelewski, worked
as a machinist from 1939 to 1973. Adolph's son Lenard Przemelewski Sr. was a service consultant
from 1968 to 2010. Lenard Przemelewski
Jr. joined PSE&G in 2000 and is currently a chief relay
technician and his daughter, Marissa
Przemelewski, joined in 2022 and is currently a customer
service representative.
- Keller family of Burlington, Riverside & Mount Laurel, New
Jersey: At the end of the Great Depression, Clarence G. Keller Sr. started four generations
of Kellers at PSE&G working in electric underground
distribution and then as an equipment operator from 1939 to 1974.
His son, Clarence Keller Jr., was a
natural gas distribution operations manager from 1964 to 2001.
Clarence Keller Jr.'s son,
Joseph Keller, began his career at
PSE&G in 1990 and is currently a senior electric engineering
technician and his son, Jonathan
Keller, is an apprentice-engineering technician who joined
the company in 2022.
- Smith Family of Hamilton, New
Jersey: This family has four generations with a combined
120 years of service working for PSE&G. First was Jack C. Smith as a fitter service technician
from 1924 to 1957. Then his son, John A.
Smith ("John, Jack or Smitty"), worked as a mechanic and
electric substation supervisor from 1948 to 1990. Then came John's
son, John A. Smith Jr., who worked
for PSE&G in 1971 and 1979 to 2018 and retired as a principal
engineer for natural gas operations. John's daughter, Brielle L. Hamilton, started in 2017 and is
currently a senior billing supervisor.
- Trevelise family of Union City / Spagnuolo Family of Bellville and
Rochelle Park, New Jersey:
Four generations of PSE&G employees began with Giovanni (John) Trevelise who, after immigrating
from Vasto, Italy, settled in
Union City and worked as a welder
installing trolley tracks from 1915 to 1950. His granddaughter
married into the Spagnuolo family, whose family's PSE&G career
began with Fred P. Spagnuolo.
Fred's career from 1927 to 1950, began as a trolley car and
bus driver and later became a supervisor in the bus division.
Fred's son, Robert P. Spagnuolo, was
a generating station supervisor from 1960 to 1990, and Robert's
daughter, Lori Spagnuolo McElroy,
begin her career in 1983 and is currently a senior executive
assistant.
- Iurato family of Hackensack, Paterson, Ridgewood and Wayne, New Jersey: John Iurato started four generations at
PSE&G when he worked in gas operations from about 1920 to 1950
in Hackensack Gas District. His nephew, William Iurato, followed suit and also worked in
Hackensack Gas from 1937 to 1979. His son, James Iurato, who worked from 1978 to 2018,
started in Ridgewood Gas, followed by various gas union and
supervisory roles. Allison Iurato,
James's daughter, began her career in 2014 and currently works in
Business Customer Solutions.
- Kayes family of Glen Ridge
and East Orange, New
Jersey: Four generations of Kayes started at PSE&G
with Anthony Kayes, who worked as a
Towerman and Transmission supervisor from 1937 to 1970. His son,
William Kayes, started work as a
lineman in 1965 and retired as a supervisor in 1998. William's
sons, Stephan Kayes, who is retired
from the Palisades Division, and Michael
Kayes, who is currently the managing director of
Transmission and Substation Construction and Maintenance and who
began his PSE&G career in 1990. Michael's son, Brian, had
the opportunity to intern for the company while working towards his
Bachelor's Degree in the summer of 2022.
- Ledford family of Newark, New
Jersey: Calvin Ledford (Great Grandfather)
"unofficially" started the family's connection to PSE&G as a
day laborer, digging by hand to fill in and extension of the Morris
Canal which is now known as Raymond Blvd in the 1920's into the
30's. His grandson - Calvin Ledford
Sr. - met his wife, Elizabeth
Ledford (maiden name was Hall), while they were working at
PSE&G in the early 1960's. Their son, Calvin Ledford, Jr, started at PSE&G in 1983
as a meter reader and is the current President of the PSEG
Foundation & Director Corporate Social Responsibility. Their
daughter, Kim Ledford Collier, is
currently a service representative in the call center.
- Biernacki family of West
Deptford, New
Jersey: Zigmund Biernacki,
Jr. started his family's multi-generational career with
PSE&G in 1956, working for natural gas operations until he
retired in 1998 as a machine operator. His son, Zig Biernacki, started in 1980 in Burlington Gas
District and will retire at the end of 2023 as a senior
distribution supervisor in gas asset management. Zig's wife,
Catherine Dandrow, worked at PSEG
Nuclear in information technology from 1985 to 1995 and retired as
a lead system analyst. Zig and Catherine's children both also work
for the utility. Their daughter, Lauren
Biernacki, started in 2017 in Trenton Gas Operations and is
now a staff engineer in electric and her brother, Paul Biernacki, started in 2022 as a mechanic
operator for natural gas operations. Both Lauren and Paul were
summer interns at PSE&G during college.
A Flickr site with photos of the families throughout the years
at PSE&G can be found here.
In addition to multi-generations of PSE&G employees'
families who have helped build our expansive electric and natural
gas infrusturcture over the past 120 years, PSEG works hard to
engage and support the communities where we live and work. Over the
last 25 years, the PSEG Foundation has awarded over $125 million in grants through strategic
partnerships, various programs including the Neighborhood Partners
Program (NPP), and a robust employee-matching gift and volunteer
grants program to help address social challenges at the root cause
and positively impact the communities we serve.
PSEG also delivers energy to many historic and iconic locations
and customers across the state. Read more about those businesses
here, "PSEG Powers Campbell, Marcal Paper, New Jersey Transit, The
Okonite Company, the Statue of Liberty and 65% of the State's
Electric Vehicles."
About PSEG
Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG)
(NYSE: PEG) is a predominantly regulated infrastructure
company focused on a clean energy future. Guided by its Powering
Progress vision, PSEG aims to power a future where people use less
energy, and it's cleaner, safer and delivered more reliably than
ever. PSEG's commitment to ESG and sustainability is demonstrated
in our net-zero 2030 climate vision and participation in the U.N.
Race to Zero, as well as our inclusion on the Dow Jones
Sustainability North America Index and the list of America's most
JUST Companies. PSEG's businesses include Public Service Electric
and Gas Co. (PSE&G), PSEG Power and PSEG Long Island
(https://corporate.pseg.com).
CONTACTS:
Media
Relations
Rebecca
Mazzarella
908-447-8126
Rebecca.Mazzarella@pseg.com
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SOURCE PSEG