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ICE Awards honor top thinkers

Some of Southern Company's top thinkers, tinkerers, problem solvers and innovators gathered together recently for the fifth annual Innovate, Create and Educate (ICE) awards.

The gathering is a part of Everyday Solutions' reward and recognition program, which honors employees who strive to make our company better, faster and safer through their innovations and ideas. Their impact on our company is reflected in this year theme, "Reinventing the Future." Lonnie Johnson, best known for his invention, the Super Soaker, served as the guest speaker.

"Inventions are a reflection of our world and how we are in constant change," said Christopher Savage, intellectual property manager. "Everyday Solutions' mission is to educate our employees about the benefits of protecting company innovations and work products and encourage our employees to submit their ideas and derive value where possible."

During the ceremony, 12 recipients and team efforts were recognized, with the innovations ranging from a fall-arrest belt that allows the user to climb transmission poles with bird wire with greater ease, freedom and safety, to an Energy Decision Management System (EDMS) that gathers data realtime and then makes decisions based on fuels, as well as environmental and societal impacts.

Travis Watts, crew leader, and Tim Anthony, methods and training specialist, were creators of the fall-arrest belt, which is currently being utilized by 150 employees in the system. A conventional patent has been filed in the United States as well as Canada, and licensing is pending.

The EDMS was created by Ed Harmon, area sales executive, and Ted Gaillard, customer choice team leader. The program will assist the CEO, CFO, plant manager, plant engineer, plant operations, operator and facility manager in their decision-making. A U.S. provisional patent has been filed by Everyday Solutions on the company's behalf.

"Ed and Ted are great examples of the innovative employees that we have at Southern Company," said Doug Jenkins, Customer Choice manager. "They paid careful attention to what our customers were asking for in terms of energy management and had the vision to create a type of EDMS system that doesn't exist in the market today. The Everyday Solutions process worked perfectly to help them take this from an idea to commercial reality. We are proud of their innovative spirit and efforts."

All employees who submitted an innovation this year received an Innovative Thinkers medallion. Other awards included plaques and cash awards to those who receive a patent. In addition, if the employee's innovation is marketed outside the company, he or she will receive a percentage of the fees generated from the first three years of sales.

"I'm glad to work for a company that supports its employees' innovations 100 percent," said Anthony. "It shows our company's forethought as a leader in safety across the industry."

Since the program's inception, Southern Company has received over 500 submissions into the Everyday Solutions Web site and protected over 70 innovations and trademarks.