We are pleased to share the news that the MEA Energy Association (MEA) has honored 28 Miller Pipeline employees with Meritorious Service Awards.

MEA Meritorious Service Award is granted to recognize those who have performed actions in the service of another that are considered above and beyond. Applications for the Meritorious Service Award are included in the MEA Life-Sustaining Award application process and are reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee of MEA’s Board of Directors.

“MEA is honored to present Meritorious Service Award to these 28 deserving individuals,” said John Gann, MEA Vice President. “We are extremely grateful to these outstanding individuals who rise up and make a positive contribution to society. Their actions are a testament to who these individuals are and to the training they receive as Miller Pipeline employees.”

Meritorious Service award recipients:

Paul Dalton, foreman (Columbus, OH) – While on the job site, three carpenters needing help waved at Paul across the street. When he approached the group, he found a man lying on the ground. He quickly realized the man was having a seizure. Paul helped stabilize the man to keep him from hitting his head until he stopped seizing. After several minutes, the man was able to speak and told Paul that he had epilepsy. Paul stayed with the man until EMS arrived and assisted. Paul said he felt like the training he received at Miller Pipeline allowed him to help the man safely. Read More.

Brett Baker, foreman; Cole Mathews, laborer; Brock Hendrix, laborer; and Justice Woods, laborer (Franklin, IN) – After lunch, this crew was heading back to the job site in two separate vehicles. Brock and Cole came around a sharp curve and saw a vehicle on its side up against a tree. They pulled over in a safe location, got out to assess the situation, and found a woman passed out behind the car’s wheel. They tried to wake the woman so that they could get her out of the car and away from danger.

Shortly after, Brett and Justice arrived and started flagging traffic so the police and firefighters could reach the accident. The crew assisted with traffic control until the authorities could get everything cleaned up. This is an excellent example of putting safety first and foremost and commitment to the team. We do not just help each other; we help others in the communitieswhere we work. Great job to this crew! Read More.

Ben Barnhart, foreman (Dayton, OH) – While Ben and his wife, Dana, were out one evening, they noticed a FedEx truck driver slumped over and not moving in his truck. They immediately called 911 and found out the driver had a diabetic attack. If not for this couple’s quick thinking and care for someone they didn’t even know, things could have turned out a lot worse for this driver. Thank you, Ben and Dana, for showing your commitment to safety for members of our community. Read More.

Chris DeGrande, foreman; Darrel White, laborer; Cody Bloink, fuser; and Brad Depalma, laborer (Romulus, MI) – Darrel and Brad saw two young boys being attacked by a dog. The dog was latched onto one of the boy’s legs and had him on the ground. Darrel immediately started running toward and yelling at the dog with Brad right behind him. Cody heard yelling and started to head in the direction. The dog, frightened by Darrel running at it yelling, released the boy’s leg just before Darrel got to it. The dogs’ owner heard the commotion and got his dog inside. Cody came with water and rags for the boy’s wounds. After the boys calmed down, Chris walked them down to their house, spoke with their mother, and described what happened. If Darrel and Brad hadn’t intervened, the boy could have been injured more severely or killed by the dog. Cody did an excellent job with bringing items for first aid, and Chris made a good impact on our reputation with the neighborhood by making sure the boys made it home safe and their parents were aware of the situation. The boy with the bite on his leg was taken to the hospital by his mother for treatment.

Tommy Youngs, operator; Austin Raney, laborer; Chad Peters, foreman; Michael Cundiff, laborer (Clarksville, IN) – This crew was performing their daily huddle when they heard a woman scream for help. The looked down the road and saw a dog attacking the lady and her two dogs. The crew ran to her aid and pulled the aggressive dog off of the woman. Without their help, the woman and her two dogs could have been severely injured. Thank you, Tommy, Austin, Chad, and Michael, for being aware of your surroundings and possibly saving this woman’s life! Read More.

Nathan Leath, sewer tractor lead (Dayton, OH) – Nathan noticed a fire had started next door. Nathan grabbed his fire extinguisher and ran to the scene to help put out the fire. It took several fire extinguishers to put out the fire because it kept reigniting. The boys who started the fire admitted they had soaked some wood in gasoline, which is why the fire was difficult to extinguish. After safely putting out the fire and waiting around to make sure it did not reignite, Nathan took the opportunity to hold a fire safety class with the neighbor kids. The mother of the boys thanked Nathan for explaining the safety concerns surrounding fire and gasoline. Thank you, Nathan, for taking safety home with you and for preventing any injuries. Read More.

Trevor Hunt, sewer tractor lead and Caleb Scott, sewer locator (Columbus, OH) – Caleb and Trevor were traveling between jobs when they noticed an injured man sitting on the road. The man had been knocked off his bike by a vehicle and had been in the road for several minutes as multiple cars passed by him. Caleb and Trevor blocked traffic with their truck and built a work zone around the scene. They provided first aid and notified authorities. Thank you, Caleb and Trevor, for exemplifying our Reputation core value by helping someone in need. Read More.

Ryshen Dow, laborer and Mitchell Lyons, laborer (Franklin, IN) – Ryshen was working in a bell hole while Mitchell was raking the service ditch. They noticed a baby got out of a home nearby and was running straight toward them. Ryshen jumped out and Mitchell grabbed the baby before he fell in. They saw the parents running out of the house and returned the baby safely to his mother. Thank you, Ryshen and Mitchell, for keeping an eye out for others and ensuring they are safe! Read More.

David Shirley, Regional Safety Manager (Romulus, MI) – Dave has done a wonderful thing during the beginning of the pandemic. Dave has donated his recreational vehicle for medical personnel to use while isolating from their families during the pandemic. It takes a lot of heart and goodwill to be so generous. He even took the time to drop it off at a specified location. Hats off, Dave, for having such a big heart!

Mark Edwards, traffic control (Perrysburg, OH) – Mark was working traffic control in Toledo, Ohio. A young man from another contractor was removing storm grates, cleaning the environmental barriers, and then returning the grate. The man started yelling for help because one of the covers was so heavy that it was pulling him into the manhole. Mark ran over, grabbed him, and pulled him to safety. His quick actions saved the man from severe injury and kept it from turning tragic. Thank you, Mark, for helping this man in a time of need! Read More.

Joe Carey, foreman (Dayton, OH) – Joe Carey was on his way home on a Saturday evening when he saw a little boy walking towards the road. Joe slowed down and recognized the boy, as Joe had seen him playing next to the side of the road last summer. From speaking to the boy’s father last summer, Joe knew that the child was autistic and that the boy would slip out of the house without anyone knowing. So when Joe saw the boy on Saturday, he figured there is a good chance the parents did not know he was outside of the house. Joe finds a place to turn around so he can get the boy back to the house. Sure enough, the father had not realized the child was outside.

Joe could have easily driven past the child, thinking he was playing in the snow, but knowing the situation from a previous interaction, Joe stopped and made sure the child was safe. This is an excellent example of how our crews positively impact the areas we work in regularly. Not only by providing safe, quality infrastructure for communities but also by being good neighbors. Joe’s actions reflect a genuine commitment to safety.

Tyler Owen, foreman; Travis Russell, operator; Alexander Roland, foreman; Brad Russell, plumber; and Dustin Delozier, foreman (Kansas City, MO) – This crew was heading to the job site, and all of the roads were extremely icy. Once they got the job site safely, they realized that there was an older woman that had slid her car into a ditch. She lived on a very steep hill, and she was having difficulty trying to walk back up to her home. This crew walked over to her to make sure she was not harmed and helped get her car out of the ditch. They escorted her back up the hill to her house safely. She was very grateful and hugged all of the crew members. Thank you to this crew for keeping an eye out and helping those in the communities we work in! Read More.

(Photo taken pre-COVID)

Augusto Ribau, laborer (South River, NJ) – Augie stopped on the highway to help aid someone that was in a car accident. The driver lost control of his car and smashed into the guard rail. The road was very busy, so Augie positioned his vac-truck on the shoulder with his hazard and strobes on to alert oncoming traffic to slow down. He made sure the driver was safe and stayed on location until New Jersey State Police arrived. Thank you, Augie, for putting safety first and taking care of the injured driver! Read More.