Gas District earns another National Award

The Lake Apopka Natural Gas District received a Silver SOAR award from the American Public Gas Association (APGA). The District had previously earned a Bronze SOAR Award in 2015.

According to the APGA, The System Operational Achievement Recognition (SOAR) recognizes those public gas systems that have achieved excellence in the operation of their natural gas utility.

A team of experts from the APGA Operations & Safety Committee review all gas systems applying for the award, and base their selections on excellence in four important areas:

• System Integrity
• System Improvement
• Employee Safety
• Workforce Development

There are three SOAR Award levels:

• The Bronze designation is awarded if the utility scores 80-89% of the possible points
• The Silver designation is awarded if the utility scores 90-96% of the possible points
• The Gold designation is awarded if the utility scores 97-100% of the possible points

The Silver SOAR award was presented to Lake Apopka Natural Gas District’s General Manager and CEO, Samuel Davis, Jr., on July 26th at the annual APGA conference held in Newport, Rhode Island. The District was a recipient of the Bronze SOAR award in 2015.

Samuel Davis, Jr., center, with Terrill Booker and Dahlia Rochell

“I am proud to receive the award on behalf of the District,” said Davis. “The award is a testament to the high emphasis District employees at all levels strive for excellence in their service to the public.”

The SOAR recognition continues for 3 years, at which time the utility may apply again to maintain recognition, or, if a system feels it can demonstrate a higher level of achievement, it may apply at any time for consideration to be recognized at a higher level of SOAR.

Lake Apopka Natural Gas District was one of only six gas utilities to earn the Silver SOAR award this year.

Lake Apopka Natural Gas District serves over 18,000 customers in West Orange and South Lake Counties.