Dominion Energy employee Ileana Fiegel describes Hispanic Heritage Month as an opportunity to honor the culture, diversity, achievements, and contributions of Hispanics. Fiegel believes Dominion Energy not only recognizes the contributions of its Hispanic employees but also has earned the trust of the Hispanic Community.

Most recently, Dominion Energy sponsored and participated, for the first time, in the Main Street Latin Festival, the largest Hispanic celebration in South Carolina, to engage with Spanish-speaking customers in person and let them know that assistance is available and to answer their questions.

Tucked in a long line of vendors, was the Dominion Energy table where Ileana was speaking with customers in both English and Spanish about available resources the company could connect them with if they were facing financial hardship and behind on their utility bill payments. 

“It’s an honor to serve our customers in two languages. Being bilingual brings an understanding of the shared experience of being immigrants. You’re not just a translator, you’ve been in their shoes,” Ileana says.

Ileana works as an Energy Customer Assistance Outreach Assistant in Charleston. Her colleagues work year-round, educating and connecting customers in need with assistance options. She is a native of San Jose, Costa Rica.

“In many Hispanic countries, for example, people don’t have heating or cooling systems and are unfamiliar with all the thermostat settings. It’s part of my role to educate them about how to maximize their savings by using their systems efficiently,” said Ileana. “Educación es poder. Knowledge is power.”

Ileana recalls a recent experience where a customer went to a customer assistance event because she was behind on her payments after her job in the hospitality industry was impacted. The customer was pleasantly surprised that Dominion Energy representatives spoke Spanish and was in disbelief that there were options available and was not only connected to utility assistance but learned of other programs that could help her with her other needs. The customer then wrote a thank you note in gratitude for the Dominion Energy representatives who compassionately listened and connected her with the assistance she needed.

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