Over his 33-year career, Chris Braun, Vice President, Energy Operations, helped lead the Energy Division of the Trust to new levels of safety, operational excellence and teamwork.
Braun, who is retiring April 1, has been instrumental in ensuring the Energy Division provides safe, reliable and affordable natural gas, steam and chilled water services to the Indianapolis community.
“Each day Chris Braun has practiced the fundamentals for creating one company, one culture here at Citizens. He always considered our Vision, Mission and Values in his decision-making and modeled our core values of Safety, Teamwork, Quality, Diversity and Integrity,” said Jeffrey Harrison, President & CEO. “Chris’ leadership truly elevated the overall quality of service delivered by our Energy Division.”
Among the accomplishments of the Energy Division during Braun’s career are:
- More than $650 million of improvements to Citizens’ natural gas system which is now recognized as an industry leader for safety and reliability;
- Reducing the average residential natural gas bill more than 40 percent over the past decade through long-term supply contracts and effective use of natural gas storage;
- Completion of business review recommendations for the steam and chilled water systems, including conversion of the Perry K Steam Plant to natural gas, which resulted in a reduction in steam rates; and
- Retention of key steam and chilled water customers.
Braun also has been a leader in community service as a member of the board of directors for the Warm Heart Warm Home Foundation™ and Citizens Investment Collaboration on Neighborhoods, and he serves on the Advisory Board for the Red Cross.
In addition to his leadership at Citizens, Braun was instrumental in creating the Indiana Pipeline Awareness Association, which is focused on promoting Call Before You Dig awareness across the state to ensure the safety of the public. Braun also held various leadership positions at the American Gas Association focused on natural gas safety, construction and maintenance.
“We greatly appreciate Chris’ dedicated service to Citizens Energy Group and the people of Central Indiana. We wish him well as he enjoys his hard-earned retirement,” said Harrison.
