The Illuminating Company Adds New Line and Substation Employees from Power Systems Institute Training Program

AKRON, Ohio, July 25, 2022 -- The Illuminating Company, a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) utility, has hired 13 graduates of Power Systems Institute (PSI), the company's award-winning, two-year educational program that helps prepare the next generation of line and substation workers for FirstEnergy's 10 electric utility companies.

"Our Power Systems Institute develops top-quality, well-educated men and women for the electric utility industry," said Edward Shuttleworth, president of Ohio Operations. "We look forward to these graduates joining our workforce to help continue providing safe and reliable electric service for our customers."

The new Illuminating Company lines employees listed by work location and hometown, are:

• Brooklyn Service Center – Michael Grantonic, Cleveland
• Mayfield Service Center – Richard Adams, Willoughby; Jager Englemann, Conneaut; Jesse Garcia, Jefferson; Jason Mayes, Jefferson
• Middlefield Service Center – John Cortnik, Kirtland
• Solon Service Center – Branden Gonzalez, Lorain
• Strongsville Service Center – Steve Billak, North Royalton; Michael Boey, Rocky River
• Westlake Service Center – Dillon Aslaskan, Avon Lake

The new Illuminating Company substation employees listed by work location, with their hometowns, are:

• Brooklyn Service Center – Eric Barberine, Fairview Park
• Euclid Service Center– Keith Britton, Austinburg; Chris Miller, Cleveland

PSI students split time between classes at Tri-C and The Illuminating Company's training facility in Brooklyn. Since the program's inception, FirstEnergy has hired more than 2,400 line and substation personnel who completed PSI programs in Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

For information about the PSI program, call 1-800-829-6801, or visit www.firstenergycorp.com/psi.

The Illuminating Company serves more than 750,000 customers across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. Follow The Illuminating Company on Twitter @IlluminatingCo and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IlluminatingCo.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or online at www.firstenergycorp.com.

Editor's Note: Photos of FirstEnergy's Power Systems Institute training program are available for download on Flickr.