Alberta's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 44
44
ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS
EPCOR's development programs inspire employee growth
I
an MacNeill, senior vice
president, corporate services,
at EPCOR Utilities Inc.,
had a good job as a private
IT contractor 25 years ago.
But he knew he wanted to join
an organization where he could
be part of a team, build a career
and work for a company “that
does something positive for the
communities we operate in,” he
says.
He hit his perfect match with
EPCOR. “You can’t get much more
positive than providing power and
water,” he notes.
It was the relationships,
experiences and
learning from various
people that got me
where I am today.
— Phil Ramos
Manager, Distribution
Engineering Standards
Phil Ramos, manager, distribution engineering standards, at EPCOR Utilities.
That work is not always easy.
“When a storm rolls through
one of our communities, our
employees are out there restoring
power and making sure that the
drinking water is clean,” he says
from the company’s Edmonton
headquarters.
As part of this, EPCOR wants to
ensure all its employees get home
without incident. “Our number
one priority is safety,” he says,
whether it’s for customers or staff.
The other big priority at EPCOR
is making sure employees feel
“a sense of belonging, and that
they are respected, valued and
supported within EPCOR,” he
says. “We really want everyone to
be a member of the team.”
The utility, which has operations
in communities across Canada
and the United States, encourages
its employees to move into new
jobs and divisions — and to take
on more senior positions — with
support through employee
development programs.
MacNeill, for example, was a
systems analyst in an entry level
position when he started, then
became a team leader in that same
division, rising to director.
Later, he moved into EPCOR’s
electricity business unit where
he became a director of customer
operations, then director of
operations for the company’s
water and wastewater distribution
networks, and now senior vice
president of corporate services.
“I really am a product of EPCOR
programs,” says MacNeill. “I’ve
gone through the EPCOR School
of Business, I’ve taken the courses,
I’ve been in the succession
planning programs, and I’ve had
mentorship at EPCOR.”
Phil Ramos, EPCOR’s manager,
distribution engineering
standards for electricity services,
has experienced a similar sense of
belonging and progression with
EPCOR.
As an EPCOR summer student
in 2007, he was a utility worker in
construction and field operations,
digging holes with a shovel.
After that, he moved into design
and engineering, drawing where
power lines or underground cable
will go along a city road, then on
to a project manager position.
“Now I’m into the management
stream,” he says.
But it was working with a shovel
on construction teams that helped
him realize that what a designer
or engineer creates on paper may
not work in the field. So, when he
joined the engineering side, he
ensured his team met with their
co-workers in operations.
“It was the relationships,
