Life at IGS: Meet Lindsay LaSala
Talent Relationship Partner Lindsay LaSala shares what makes IGS Energy the right workplace for her.
A few years ago, in an effort to broaden our reach to include talent we may have missed using only traditional recruitment channels, IGS Energy created a new role to help us connect with a new group of potential IGS-ers. Lindsay LaSala had heard great things about the IGS culture and, when the opportunity was presented, jumped on it.
“My role with IGS is to help manage our external talent partnerships with universities, community colleges, tech schools, and other nonprofits, with the goal of increasing talent pipelines for the company,” said Lindsay, talent relationship partner. “We look at each of these partnerships through the lens of: ‘Are they helping us increase diversity within the company? Are they helping us increase skills-based hiring?’ ”
Under Lindsay's guidance, we recently kicked off the second year of our Co-Op Student Cohort, a program that connects students from The Columbus Promise, Columbus State Community College's IT Flexible Apprenticeship (ITFA) program, and Southwest Career Academy to real-world job experience. Since the program's inception, four students have decided to return to IGS for a second year, two students joined IGS full time, one student wrapped up high school and began his studies at The Ohio State University, and four students have earned associate degrees.
A passionate community builder, Lindsay's helping us find skilled prospects that may have been overlooked in the past. She helps the students who join us through our partnerships get ready for what's next, whether that's furthering their education or continuing to explore their career options with a major energy company that puts people over profits.
“Our HR team is called the PAW team, and it stands for ‘People Are Why’,” Lindsay said. “That speaks to how we put people first here, including our employees and our customers. It's about doing the right thing by our people, and I think that's pretty special.”
A big Yogi, Lindsay spreads positive energy to the company, our co-op students, our talent partnership communities, and our customers with mindfulness and a focus on helping everyone achieve their goals. And, here, she shares her IGS Energy story.
The start of something new
I started with IGS in January 2023. I was with my last company for over 13 years. I was comfortable there, but I’d heard such good things about IGS that I decided to come try it. And I've been really thankful that I did. I love it here.
I think it was two months after I started that I was on a stage in front of 500 kids from Columbus City Schools, talking about IGS and encouraging them to be a part of the Columbus Promise and work for us. I was so new to IGS, but even at that point, I just really believed in the company, in what we stood for, and was excited to talk to students about joining us someday.
When I started, I stepped into a newly created role. There was a lot of opportunity to make it what I wanted — and I love that type of challenge and adventure. I worked hand-in-hand with my manager, Alissa Durbin, on creating our co-op program. We started with a blank slate. I love the idea of taking our learnings each year and improving upon the program.
Expanding opportunities with the student co-op
Our co-op program is for students who are working part time with us while going to school part time. It's for students attending a technical school, a community college, or another university who need to work to support themselves while they're continuing their education. We're giving them real-world, hands-on experience that relates to what they're learning in school.
These are students who are so talented, so hungry, so interesting and diverse. But their resumes — because nobody's given them a chance before — might have fallen to the bottom of the stack just because they don't have the four-year college degree. These students don't come to us with fancy internship experience. They don't often have a long list of clubs of which they're members. And so, we're giving them a chance, an opportunity, and they're totally qualified for it, and they're doing great.
A day in the life of talent relations
Every day is a little different, but I’m typically meeting with our partners. I might go visit a school to talk to students about how IGS is a great local employer. I might be helping a nonprofit partner do mock interviews with their student population.
I’m definitely answering emails, texts, and calls from our co-op students, helping them navigate their journey at IGS. I check in with each of our students once a week, so I do a lot of meetings with them, just making sure that they're okay, that they feel supported, and have what they need to be successful at IGS. Lots of interactions with people and partners, which is fun. I love that.
The importance of community and conscious purpose
Before joining the company, I’d heard about the IGS culture, which I think speaks to how we're such a purposeful company. I've never worked for a company that has such kind, authentic, caring, thoughtful people. People just want to do good work. They want to be nice. They want to be kind. It’s just incredible. I feel like in the corporate world, you just don't see it.
I didn't know much about our green energy purpose, and I had never heard of Conscious Capitalism before joining IGS. But understanding Conscious Capitalism and seeing how IGS lives it every day has been incredibly inspiring. It makes me feel like I'm in the right place, like I'm working for a company that's committed to doing the right thing, that they value me, and that I feel empowered to do the right thing in my work every day.
Work-life balance through flexibility
I'm usually remote. I come into the office one or two times a month, really whenever needed. The last couple weeks I was in the office every day because we were doing some onboarding with our new, second year of co-op students.
Working here definitely supports work-life balance. I'm a mom. I have two kids. And it just helps me feel like I'm better at both worlds. It makes me feel really balanced. My manager marks her kid’s stuff on her calendar. She always wants you to feel like your mental health, your family comes first. At IGS, I feel like that's across the board. There's no question asked if you need time for something personal. It’s amazing.
I'm a big Yogi. I love to do yoga. I love to be outside in general: I love to garden, love to go to local parks, and spend time with my kids, so we're always outside going for walks. I have the sweetest Yellow Lab, too, so we take her for lots of walks. And then I love to read, and I love podcasts, usually true crime — I’m in deep to all that stuff.
Future vibes
What really excites me is we're this hidden gem of an employer in central Ohio. The fact that we practice Conscious Capitalism, we are a special place. We are different than most companies. As more people, especially younger generations, want to do business with good companies that have values that match their own, I think there's tons of potential for our company to continue to grow and reach new talent and new customers. And show people what it's like to be a company that values people over money. That really gets me excited.