Month: August 2024

Covia highlights the dedication and leadership of Team Members who have made a significant impact on the job or in their communities by sharing their stories. Today we recognize Carol DeNure, Office Administrator at Covia’s Blue Mountain plant located in Havelock, Canada. Carol has been with Covia for 17 years as an administrator – supporting Covia Canada’s plants behind the scenes. Read on to learn more about Carol, how she got started with Covia, and how her continued support has helped the organization bloom.

An Environment of Growth and Support

Carol’s journey with Covia began back in 2007 when she was hired to work in accounts payable at our Havelock, Canada location. “I came from an insurance background,” Carol said. “When I started at Covia, it was far different than any job I had worked in before. I wanted to learn everything I could about the organization and how each department worked.”

An office administrator Carol was working with at the time saw her enthusiasm and empowered her to go to different departments to learn about their specific functions and how they contributed to the organization. “I realized then that Covia was really supportive of change – they don’t hold back people who want to learn and try new things.”

While exploring the various departments, Carol became particularly interested in health and safety. Carol began working in the safety department, where a mentor helped guide her through her first few years in the department and eventually passed those responsibilities on to her. “I started taking on more responsibilities within the Safety department – holding ergonomic meetings, joint health and safety meetings, and getting out into the plant more to work with other team members. I loved being more involved.”

After some time, an office administrator position became available, and Carol applied and received the job. “I’ve done a lot of administrative work in different roles over the years. I’ve been in this role for a long time, and I love how each day is different than the last.” Carol wears many hats in her position, playing a vital, behind-the-scenes role for several of our Canadian plants.

On any given day, Carol handles payroll, helps in contract negotiations, runs community events, monitors health and safety, manages a community garden at the Blue Mountain plant, and works alongside the environmental department for Wildlife Habitat Certification (WHC). “I’ve worked in so many different aspects throughout my career and I just love it. It keeps me excited to come into work every day.”

Gardening & Environmental Stewardship

In her free time, Carol is a passionate gardener with over two acres of garden she tends at home. “I take a lot of pride in my gardening work,” Carol said. “My hydrangeas are 8 to 10 feet tall and nearly tower over my gazebo.” Carol’s love for gardening has branched into her work life. For the last several years, Carol has helped design, plant, and maintain a garden at the Blue Mountain plant. Her work has started to blossom in recent months as perennials and other flowers are now starting to expand. “I find that my own garden is like a personal oasis,” said Carol. “When we started making plans for the garden at the plant, I figured it could give the community and team members their own oasis to enjoy.”

Outside of the garden, Carol noted that the Blue Mountain team is proud of the work they’ve done for the WHC and the environmental stewardship awards Covia has garnered over the years. “I really thrive on the company being number one when it comes to environmental stewardship. I feel accomplished that we can be recognized at such a high level with WHC.” One of Carol’s favorite programs involves turtle conservation. This program, along with several others, has received praise and recognition from WHC for its impact on the preservation and improvement of biodiversity at our sites.

Connecting with Community

Carol’s administrative duties include coordinating events and community days for the plants she oversees. Carol helps plan and execute open houses where members of the community can visit the plant, learn more about the important work Covia is doing in their area, enjoy refreshments, and participate in educational opportunities.

Carol concluded, “If I can offer the next generation one piece of advice, it’s to find joy in getting up every day. Find value in the work you do and the company you keep.”

Covia highlights the dedication and leadership of Team Members who have made a significant impact on the job or in their communities by sharing their stories. Today we recognize Carol DeNure, Office Administrator at Covia’s Blue Mountain plant located in Havelock, Canada. Carol has been with Covia for 17 years as an administrator – supporting Covia Canada’s plants behind the scenes. Read on to learn more about Carol, how she got started with Covia, and how her continued support has helped the organization bloom.

An Environment of Growth and Support

Carol’s journey with Covia began back in 2007 when she was hired to work in accounts payable at our Havelock, Canada location. “I came from an insurance background,” Carol said. “When I started at Covia, it was far different than any job I had worked in before. I wanted to learn everything I could about the organization and how each department worked.”

An office administrator Carol was working with at the time saw her enthusiasm and empowered her to go to different departments to learn about their specific functions and how they contributed to the organization. “I realized then that Covia was really supportive of change – they don’t hold back people who want to learn and try new things.”

While exploring the various departments, Carol became particularly interested in health and safety. Carol began working in the safety department, where a mentor helped guide her through her first few years in the department and eventually passed those responsibilities on to her. “I started taking on more responsibilities within the Safety department – holding ergonomic meetings, joint health and safety meetings, and getting out into the plant more to work with other team members. I loved being more involved.”

After some time, an office administrator position became available, and Carol applied and received the job. “I’ve done a lot of administrative work in different roles over the years. I’ve been in this role for a long time, and I love how each day is different than the last.” Carol wears many hats in her position, playing a vital, behind-the-scenes role for several of our Canadian plants.

On any given day, Carol handles payroll, helps in contract negotiations, runs community events, monitors health and safety, manages a community garden at the Blue Mountain plant, and works alongside the environmental department for Wildlife Habitat Certification (WHC). “I’ve worked in so many different aspects throughout my career and I just love it. It keeps me excited to come into work every day.”

Gardening & Environmental Stewardship

In her free time, Carol is a passionate gardener with over two acres of garden she tends at home. “I take a lot of pride in my gardening work,” Carol said. “My hydrangeas are 8 to 10 feet tall and nearly tower over my gazebo.” Carol’s love for gardening has branched into her work life. For the last several years, Carol has helped design, plant, and maintain a garden at the Blue Mountain plant. Her work has started to blossom in recent months as perennials and other flowers are now starting to expand. “I find that my own garden is like a personal oasis,” said Carol. “When we started making plans for the garden at the plant, I figured it could give the community and team members their own oasis to enjoy.”

Outside of the garden, Carol noted that the Blue Mountain team is proud of the work they’ve done for the WHC and the environmental stewardship awards Covia has garnered over the years. “I really thrive on the company being number one when it comes to environmental stewardship. I feel accomplished that we can be recognized at such a high level with WHC.” One of Carol’s favorite programs involves turtle conservation. This program, along with several others, has received praise and recognition from WHC for its impact on the preservation and improvement of biodiversity at our sites.

Connecting with Community

Carol’s administrative duties include coordinating events and community days for the plants she oversees. Carol helps plan and execute open houses where members of the community can visit the plant, learn more about the important work Covia is doing in their area, enjoy refreshments, and participate in educational opportunities.

Carol concluded, “If I can offer the next generation one piece of advice, it’s to find joy in getting up every day. Find value in the work you do and the company you keep.”

Cummins

by Tom Quimby, On-highway Journalist

Knowing the fuel used for hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2-ICE) is just as important as knowing the powertrains themselves. Fuel can impact not only performance but also a fleet’s green profile.

Several terms are used to identify hydrogen and for various reasons. Different agencies, industries and entities involved in the use and production of hydrogen have begun categorizing it either by carbon intensity or with colors such as green, blue, grey and pink.

While hydrogen is the most prolific element in the universe, it must be extracted from sources like water, methane and oil which require various production methods and energy needs.

Depending on the source of hydrogen and how it’s produced, undesirable emissions like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide can occur. The cleaner the source of energy used to produce hydrogen, the better its well-to-wheels carbon profile.

To help get a better grasp on the climate change impact of the hydrogen that will power H2-ICE and fuel cells, look at color codes and carbon intensity scores. Each has a role to play as industry and government stakeholders work to set standards for this emerging fuel which has been shown to slash emissions while meeting the challenging demands of medium and heavy-duty trucking.

Being aware of variations in hydrogen production through color codes and carbon scores can help fleets more effectively reach environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals which according to McKinsey & Company can reduce risk and attract investors.

“The color wheel has traction and those that have been using it default to it,” said Tom Swenson, Director of Global Regulatory Affairs at Cummins Inc. “But you need a number to do the math to say, ‘here’s my carbon score,’ for whatever you’re trying to calculate. If it’s for ESG you need a number.”

Isabel Castro, Electrolyzer Marketing Director at Accelera™ by Cummins, pointed out the value of categorizing hydrogen by colors while leaning on carbon intensity scores as the final arbiter.

“Color coding is helpful and easy to understand and thus makes it easy to spread awareness of the different types of hydrogen production,” Castro said.

While colors can be helpful to initially differentiate hydrogen sourcing and production methods, carbon intensity values provide a more precise evaluation since, as Castro explained, “color coding alone is not sufficient to provide the real carbon footprint.”

Contaminants in hydrogen are also a factor especially for fuel cells which require a purer fuel than H2-ICE. Failing to recognize contaminants will hinder fuel cell performance.

“There will be two different [hydrogen] fuel specs. Fuel cell will have a fuel spec, and the hydrogen engine will have a fuel spec,” explained Jim Nebergall, Executive Director of Market Strategy at Cummins. “The main difference is that fuel cells require very pure fuel, sometimes referred to as “five 9s purity” which means 99.999% pure. An engine isn’t as sensitive to those impurities as a fuel cell.”

Making sense of hydrogen’s colors 

Besides looking out for impurities in hydrogen, it’s critical to keep an eye on the fuel’s environmental impact.

Color coding can quickly identify hydrogen in terms of its sustainable value. Accelera has provided a look at some of the more popular colors used to categorize the fuel:

Green hydrogen: Obtained from water through electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower. This is the only type of hydrogen that produces zero emissions during production. High costs of manufacturing are expected to drop as innovations in the arena grow. Accelera focuses on green hydrogen production through both alkaline and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers.

Yellow hydrogen: A type of green hydrogen produced with solar power.

Grey hydrogen: Comprises 95% of hydrogen production in the United States. Natural gas, usually methane, is paired up with high-temperature steam under pressure (steam methane reforming, or SMR) which renders hydrogen. Greenhouse gas byproducts include carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide not captured during production.

Blue hydrogen: Similar to grey hydrogen except that carbon capture and storage (CSS) sequesters carbon dioxide underground. Methane and hydrogen leaks from storage pockets are a concern and there is still debate on whether CSS combined with SMR is actually a low carbon process.

Turquoise hydrogen: Falling between green and blue hydrogen, turquoise is produced through methane pyrolysis, a high-temperature process that converts methane into hydrogen gas and solid carbon like coal or biomass in the presence of a catalyst. No carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide emissions are created.

Pink hydrogen: Like green hydrogen except nuclear energy is used to fuel electrolysis either through electricity or from steam rendered through the production of such nuclear energy. That steam can also be used for SMR to obtain hydrogen from natural gas.

Brown and black hydrogen: Hydrogen obtained from either brown or black coal. Though black coal releases less carbon dioxide, the gasification of coal is the most environmentally damaging.

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen found in underground deposits. It’s also known as gold hydrogen when found in depleted oil wells where fermenting microbes produce the gas.

When numbers count 

As Tom Swenson noted there have been a growing number of colors being assigned to hydrogen. Some stakeholders have found the array confusing as it does not offer a value that can be accurately calculated for ESG. Access to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) clean hydrogen production tax credit also deems color coding unnecessary.

DOE does not use colors to define hydrogen. The department refers instead to carbon intensity values in its U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap.

“DOE does not use color definitions of hydrogen and focuses on enabling clean hydrogen from multiple pathways where the priority is to reduce carbon intensity,” an emailed statement from DOE reads.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) also uses carbon intensities to assess hydrogen. Through its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program, CARB has published monthly carbon intensity values of various transportation fuels including hydrogen.

Hydrogen has consistently posted some of the lowest carbon scores among the 17 fuels currently analyzed by CARB.

“LCFS does a fantastic job of doing that analysis and giving a number where everybody says, ‘okay, I understand what that means’,” Swenson said.

Cummins

by Tom Quimby, On-highway Journalist

Knowing the fuel used for hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2-ICE) is just as important as knowing the powertrains themselves. Fuel can impact not only performance but also a fleet’s green profile.

Several terms are used to identify hydrogen and for various reasons. Different agencies, industries and entities involved in the use and production of hydrogen have begun categorizing it either by carbon intensity or with colors such as green, blue, grey and pink.

While hydrogen is the most prolific element in the universe, it must be extracted from sources like water, methane and oil which require various production methods and energy needs.

Depending on the source of hydrogen and how it’s produced, undesirable emissions like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide can occur. The cleaner the source of energy used to produce hydrogen, the better its well-to-wheels carbon profile.

To help get a better grasp on the climate change impact of the hydrogen that will power H2-ICE and fuel cells, look at color codes and carbon intensity scores. Each has a role to play as industry and government stakeholders work to set standards for this emerging fuel which has been shown to slash emissions while meeting the challenging demands of medium and heavy-duty trucking.

Being aware of variations in hydrogen production through color codes and carbon scores can help fleets more effectively reach environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals which according to McKinsey & Company can reduce risk and attract investors.

“The color wheel has traction and those that have been using it default to it,” said Tom Swenson, Director of Global Regulatory Affairs at Cummins Inc. “But you need a number to do the math to say, ‘here’s my carbon score,’ for whatever you’re trying to calculate. If it’s for ESG you need a number.”

Isabel Castro, Electrolyzer Marketing Director at Accelera™ by Cummins, pointed out the value of categorizing hydrogen by colors while leaning on carbon intensity scores as the final arbiter.

“Color coding is helpful and easy to understand and thus makes it easy to spread awareness of the different types of hydrogen production,” Castro said.

While colors can be helpful to initially differentiate hydrogen sourcing and production methods, carbon intensity values provide a more precise evaluation since, as Castro explained, “color coding alone is not sufficient to provide the real carbon footprint.”

Contaminants in hydrogen are also a factor especially for fuel cells which require a purer fuel than H2-ICE. Failing to recognize contaminants will hinder fuel cell performance.

“There will be two different [hydrogen] fuel specs. Fuel cell will have a fuel spec, and the hydrogen engine will have a fuel spec,” explained Jim Nebergall, Executive Director of Market Strategy at Cummins. “The main difference is that fuel cells require very pure fuel, sometimes referred to as “five 9s purity” which means 99.999% pure. An engine isn’t as sensitive to those impurities as a fuel cell.”

Making sense of hydrogen’s colors 

Besides looking out for impurities in hydrogen, it’s critical to keep an eye on the fuel’s environmental impact.

Color coding can quickly identify hydrogen in terms of its sustainable value. Accelera has provided a look at some of the more popular colors used to categorize the fuel:

Green hydrogen: Obtained from water through electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower. This is the only type of hydrogen that produces zero emissions during production. High costs of manufacturing are expected to drop as innovations in the arena grow. Accelera focuses on green hydrogen production through both alkaline and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers.

Yellow hydrogen: A type of green hydrogen produced with solar power.

Grey hydrogen: Comprises 95% of hydrogen production in the United States. Natural gas, usually methane, is paired up with high-temperature steam under pressure (steam methane reforming, or SMR) which renders hydrogen. Greenhouse gas byproducts include carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide not captured during production.

Blue hydrogen: Similar to grey hydrogen except that carbon capture and storage (CSS) sequesters carbon dioxide underground. Methane and hydrogen leaks from storage pockets are a concern and there is still debate on whether CSS combined with SMR is actually a low carbon process.

Turquoise hydrogen: Falling between green and blue hydrogen, turquoise is produced through methane pyrolysis, a high-temperature process that converts methane into hydrogen gas and solid carbon like coal or biomass in the presence of a catalyst. No carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide emissions are created.

Pink hydrogen: Like green hydrogen except nuclear energy is used to fuel electrolysis either through electricity or from steam rendered through the production of such nuclear energy. That steam can also be used for SMR to obtain hydrogen from natural gas.

Brown and black hydrogen: Hydrogen obtained from either brown or black coal. Though black coal releases less carbon dioxide, the gasification of coal is the most environmentally damaging.

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen found in underground deposits. It’s also known as gold hydrogen when found in depleted oil wells where fermenting microbes produce the gas.

When numbers count 

As Tom Swenson noted there have been a growing number of colors being assigned to hydrogen. Some stakeholders have found the array confusing as it does not offer a value that can be accurately calculated for ESG. Access to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) clean hydrogen production tax credit also deems color coding unnecessary.

DOE does not use colors to define hydrogen. The department refers instead to carbon intensity values in its U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap.

“DOE does not use color definitions of hydrogen and focuses on enabling clean hydrogen from multiple pathways where the priority is to reduce carbon intensity,” an emailed statement from DOE reads.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) also uses carbon intensities to assess hydrogen. Through its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program, CARB has published monthly carbon intensity values of various transportation fuels including hydrogen.

Hydrogen has consistently posted some of the lowest carbon scores among the 17 fuels currently analyzed by CARB.

“LCFS does a fantastic job of doing that analysis and giving a number where everybody says, ‘okay, I understand what that means’,” Swenson said.

KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation announced an investment of $300,000 in Akron’s The Well CDC aimed at bolstering its Career Development Program.

Women enrolled in The Well CDC’s Career Development Program go through a 5-week cohort where they earn a customer service certification, write resumes, practice interviewing, discuss soft skills and engage in a variety of workshops (20+ hours) on mental health and emotional wellness. Before graduating from the program, participants have opportunities to meet 25+ community partners and address barriers to employment like childcare, legal backgrounds and the benefits cliff.

Grant dollars given by the KeyBank Foundation will allow The Well CDC to add a much-needed case management dimension to the program to better support students’ transition from training to job placement and long-term employment stability. The organization said they believe participants would achieve more sustainable success with seamless support – from the time they enroll until they develop the skills and habits to maintain employment stability on their own.

“At Key, we are dedicated to supporting local organizations and programs that help prepare individuals for thriving futures,” said Joe Daleiden, KeyBank East Ohio Market President. “The Well CDC has created a robust career program that is helping to meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable community members, and we’re so proud to support the expansion of the program. We value their work and are looking forward to the continued success of the Career Development Program in the years ahead.”

“We are really excited to work with the KeyBank Foundation to creatively develop workforce solutions alongside our neighbors and residents,” said Zac Kohl, Executive Director of The Well CDC. “The Well CDC is focused on building individual and family stability within a home and recognizes that also includes taking a holistic approach to Career Development. This generous grant from KeyBank will allow our team to continue to develop programming with a trauma informed lens and continue to remove barriers to support the whole person. We are grateful for KeyBank Foundation’s belief and investment into this work that will propel our programming to the next level of supporting women in finding stable, livable waged careers.”

Target outcomes from the program include:

Expansion of clients the program serves with post-graduation follow up, case management and resource coordination from 54 to 125 annually.Create and implement an Alumni Peer Support Group that would meet six times a year.Increase client placement at employer partners from 20% to 50%.Create data collection processes to collect retention and engagement information from employer partners and education providers.

ABOUT KEYCORP

KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at June 30, 2024.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit  https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.

ABOUT THE WELL CDC

The Well CDC invests in people through the built environment while seeking a holistic approach to address systemic issues in order to improve the quality of life within the Middlebury neighborhood by fostering choice in housing, job creation and community pride.

KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation announced an investment of $300,000 in Akron’s The Well CDC aimed at bolstering its Career Development Program.

Women enrolled in The Well CDC’s Career Development Program go through a 5-week cohort where they earn a customer service certification, write resumes, practice interviewing, discuss soft skills and engage in a variety of workshops (20+ hours) on mental health and emotional wellness. Before graduating from the program, participants have opportunities to meet 25+ community partners and address barriers to employment like childcare, legal backgrounds and the benefits cliff.

Grant dollars given by the KeyBank Foundation will allow The Well CDC to add a much-needed case management dimension to the program to better support students’ transition from training to job placement and long-term employment stability. The organization said they believe participants would achieve more sustainable success with seamless support – from the time they enroll until they develop the skills and habits to maintain employment stability on their own.

“At Key, we are dedicated to supporting local organizations and programs that help prepare individuals for thriving futures,” said Joe Daleiden, KeyBank East Ohio Market President. “The Well CDC has created a robust career program that is helping to meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable community members, and we’re so proud to support the expansion of the program. We value their work and are looking forward to the continued success of the Career Development Program in the years ahead.”

“We are really excited to work with the KeyBank Foundation to creatively develop workforce solutions alongside our neighbors and residents,” said Zac Kohl, Executive Director of The Well CDC. “The Well CDC is focused on building individual and family stability within a home and recognizes that also includes taking a holistic approach to Career Development. This generous grant from KeyBank will allow our team to continue to develop programming with a trauma informed lens and continue to remove barriers to support the whole person. We are grateful for KeyBank Foundation’s belief and investment into this work that will propel our programming to the next level of supporting women in finding stable, livable waged careers.”

Target outcomes from the program include:

Expansion of clients the program serves with post-graduation follow up, case management and resource coordination from 54 to 125 annually.Create and implement an Alumni Peer Support Group that would meet six times a year.Increase client placement at employer partners from 20% to 50%.Create data collection processes to collect retention and engagement information from employer partners and education providers.

ABOUT KEYCORP

KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at June 30, 2024.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit  https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.

ABOUT THE WELL CDC

The Well CDC invests in people through the built environment while seeking a holistic approach to address systemic issues in order to improve the quality of life within the Middlebury neighborhood by fostering choice in housing, job creation and community pride.