Life at IGS: Meet Ella Sheppard
As we continue on the path toward a more sustainable energy future, we’re proud to have so many bright, innovative minds on board and helping lead the charge. In June, Ella Sheppard joined in this effort full time after taking part in the IGS Energy internship program during college.
“Sustainable energy was the main reason I wanted to work here,” said Ella, a development analyst on our commercial energy services (CES) team. “I was interested in the energy industry specifically because we all need and use energy, and it also happens to be a contributor to the climate change issues we're experiencing, and I saw a really big opportunity for change.”
CES is a newly restructured division that supports our Commercial & Industrial (C&I) business, providing innovative, non-commodity solutions that include commercial solar, LED lighting solutions, and many other products — with more in development.
An avid hiker, Ella spends much of her time outdoors and is passionate about the future of the planet. Here, she guides us through the trail that led her to IGS and shares how she’s progressing along her career path.
Charting her course
My interest in sustainability started when I was young, because I love to be outside. While in high school, I went on a work trip to Honduras with the nonprofit Montana de Luz, and we were building a bathroom for a family. We didn't have running water on site, and that brought up a lot of questions for me about systems and processes and how things would operate when we weren't there.
So, I knew I had that broad interest, and that's what led me to my program at Ohio State: Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability. That was perfect for me, because it was flexible enough that I could learn a little bit about a lot of different things and allowed me to choose the path I wanted.
When I joined IGS as an intern in the summer of 2022, I started as a commercial solar intern. I really liked the company, and I liked the work I was doing, but because it was the first position I had that was related to my degree, I wanted to make sure it was truly the right fit. For my second internship, I moved over to IGS Energy’s Office of Strategic Management (OSM) where I was able to get a broader view of the business processes and meet more people. I loved that, and I learned a lot, but I really missed having that tangible environmental impact in the work I was doing.
So, for my senior year, I moved back to commercial solar and, after graduating in May, I joined full time.
Supporting customers' needs
It's been really interesting to see the evolution of our products. There's so much potential for growth as we work with the IGS Labs team and with our commercial and industrial (C&I) sales team and as we connect with customers on what energy solutions meet their unique needs.
A thriving ecosystem of culture and work-life balance
The culture at IGS is a great mix of intentional action and adopting innovation in a motivating atmosphere with passionate people. I like the people, the flexibility, and the ability to live your life and be who you are and show up how you are. Not everyone's perfect every day, and that's OK. All the events IGS does, they say, “Bring your family, bring your friends.” And I appreciate that community-building aspect.
I work mostly at home, but if there's an event or meeting or hangout with a team member, I'll go into the office. I think IGS does a really good job of supporting work-life balance. I've never felt like work was taking over my life, or that I couldn't take care of my mental health or physical health because of work. I've always felt very supported in that way.
Outside of work, I enjoy anything with my dog. I like hiking, breweries, and ice cream. I was in a kickball league, and I volunteer at Columbus Humane, doing dog care for them. Dogs take up a lot of my free time.
The path ahead
I appreciate the approach the company has overall in supporting innovation and new products — but balancing that with doing it right and doing it intentionally, not just rushing into things. We take a long-term approach toward supporting customers' needs, and also toward investing in each individual employee and their development.
Starting out my career, it's nice to know I'm going to be able to keep learning, and that's what I like. I like new things. I like to be challenged. So, it's exciting to know I'm not going to be stuck in one place or one product because IGS values that innovation aspect of energy.