LETTER: EATEL?does it right

I want to say kudos to one of our local companies, EATEL. It should be a shining example of how to run a company.

I would like to say first that I am not an employee of EATEL, but my son-in-law works for them.

After Hurricane Gustav hit our area, they told their guys to be at work at noon on the day after the hurricane. They went out and assessed the damage and to see what it would take to get us, the customers, back in service as quickly as possible.

From the start of this disaster relief, EATEL began by showing their employees that they were much more than just employees, but that they valued their service to the company. The owners, CEO and president of EATEL did a lot of things for their employees.

Let’s start with gas. They had every employee of EATEL come to the shop every day with a 5 gallon gas can and themeslves filled those cans to help out the employees with gas for their home generators. They also purchased a washer and dryer and told them that if they needed uniforms washed, that they could bring them in and they would wash them for them. Yes, we are still talking about the owners, and CEO.

They also paid crews to go to employees’ homes and clean up debris from the hurricane and mow their yards, since they are all working 10-12 hours a day to restore our services. They also fed them hot lunchs and supper every day and are continuing three weeks later.

Oh, did I mention the LSU game? They treated their guys to luxury box tickets to the LSU game last weekend and provided transportation via party bus. This is just a small example of things that EATEL has done to show their employees that they appreciate and value their service to the company.

EATEL, in my opinion, is a shining example of how more businesses should treat their employees. It made the employees want to work harder to show their appreciation.

The employees were also examples doing things in the community for people. One example is what my son-in-law did for an elderly couple. He had a service call at their home and saw that the couple was elderly and the husband had suffered a stroke and was in a wheelchair. He offered to go to their home that evening - on his own time -  and fill their generator with gas and start it for them. The couple was very appreciative. It is my understanding that other employees were doing these kinds of things for citizens in our community.

Maybe some other large companies could learn from EATEL.

Felicia Wilson

Prairieville