Warner L. Baxter succeeded Thomas R. Voss as president and CEO of Ameren on April 24. Baxter previously held the executive positions of CEO of Ameren Missouri, president and CEO of Ameren Services Company, and executive vice president and chief financial officer of Ameren, among other senior positions. He joined Ameren in August 1995 as assistant controller.
Baxter now leads some 8,500 employees who provide energy services to approximately 2.4 million electric customers and 900,000 natural gas customers across 64,000 square miles in Illinois and Missouri. More than half (53 percent) of Ameren Missouri’s electric customers are located in the St. Louis and St. Louis County.
In May, the company announced first quarter 2014 net income of $97 million, or 40 cents per share, compared to first quarter 2013 net income of $54 million, or 22 cents per share. The increase in first-quarter earnings from continuing operations reflected much colder winter temperatures, increased revenues for electric transmission service and lower interest expense, the company announced.
The St. Louis American spoke with Baxter about best practices in diversity at Ameren and what, if anything, is new now that he has the top job.
The St. Louis American: Our publisher wanted me to talk to you for our Diversity edition, and being a newspaper, we’d like to know what’s new in diversity at Ameren.
Warner L. Baxter: What’s new is we were named No 1. recently by DiversityInc., which named us No. 1 in the top five utilities in the country for diversity programs. We’ve made that top five list in four out of the last five years. What’s especially new this year is that our Employee Diversity Council – it’s not a board council, it’s an employee council – was ranked in the top 10 in the country among all companies. So that’s news.
What is not new is our focus on diversity. That’s not new. That’s something my predecessor Tom Voss and I strongly believe in. We believe diversity strengthens the company and benefits our customers and the community. So it’s not new that we are doing diversity programs and doing them successfully.
The American: What best practices in diversity would you recommend from your experience at Ameren?
Warner L. Baxter: One of the best practices we have here is a thing called employee resource groups. Our resource groups focus on minority co-workers, veterans and people with disabilities, among others (see sidebar). It’s actually something we put in place several years ago. It’s important to have employee resource groups that give co-workers the ability to engage with each other and also engage with the company.
From my perspective, diversity is all about inclusion, so doing things to make co-workers feel included and part of the team can generate a higher level of engagement, which delivers real value to the company and the community. Employee resource groups are among the best ways to achieve that. The nice thing is, these groups get out and work in the community, they do a lot of special community projects throughout the area. So, again, it strengthens the company and the community.
We also have a supplier diversity program here, where we partner with diverse suppliers who work with us on several important projects. It gives diverse companies opportunities to partner with us and drives employment and economic development.
The American: What was an eye-opener moment for you on diversity issues?
Warner L. Baxter: I’ve worked in the business sector here, as well as grew up in the St. Louis area. I have been here all my life. I remember, as a young boy, my brothers played basketball. They played on a special all-star team, and one of their teammates was African-American. I remember my parents took him to a game with us one day, and when we walked in with this African-American young man, the looks we got. I remember thinking, “What’s the big deal?” It struck me then. I was a young boy, so I took it in stride. But to see those looks, I said, “Hmmm …” I started to realize we are all one people. As I continued to grow up in the St. Louis area and went into the business sector here, it became clear that diversity is a strength.
The American: Have you had to mentor anyone at Ameren on diversity issues or give anyone else a wake-up call?
Warner L. Baxter: We’re very fortunate here at Ameren. Diversity is something we take very seriously here. I can’t say there is someone who really missed that point. Certainly, under Tom Voss’ leadership, diversity was the way, and I am following up in his footsteps. There will be no change on this issue, from my perspective.
The American: Talk to me about the company’s philanthropic efforts and your board commitments.
Warner L. Baxter: Through philanthropy, we touch the community in so many different ways. United Way, of course – we continue to be a huge supporter, because we know in many respects those dollars touch the under-served. Youth and education are areas we focus greatly on, because they will dictate our future. Personally, I am involved extensively with wellness. For the American Cancer Society, I am chair of CEOs Against Cancer. We’re trying to raise awareness in under-served communities.
The American: What’s changed since you took the top job?
Warner L. Baxter: At Ameren, we’re not seeing anything significantly new. We are staying focused on delivering value to our customers and delivering safe, clean energy at a fair price. A lot is driven by investments we are making across our energy infrastructure. We also have a robust energy-efficiency program, the largest in the state, which truly benefits our customers by giving them an opportunity to manage their bills better. And we take seriously the need to be disciplined in cost management. In all those things, our strategy hasn’t changed. Personally, I am honored and humbled to lead the company and a terrific group of co-workers.
The American: City and county – better together?
Warner L. Baxter: Big picture, it’s absolutely worthwhile for the city and county to be talking about this. As always, the devil is in the details, but it’s a good discussion for us to have for the city and the county.
