The Illuminating Company Hires New Graduates from Power Systems Institute Training Program

AKRON, Ohio, June 10, 2019 -- The Illuminating Company has hired 24 new graduates of the Power Systems Institute (PSI), a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) program to train the next generation of line and substation workers.

"Our PSI program develops top-quality, well educated men and women for the electric utility industry," said Mark A. Jones, regional president of The Illuminating Company. "We look forward to these graduates joining our workforce to help continue providing safe and reliable electric service for our customers."

The new Illuminating Company line employees, with work location and hometown, are:

• Ashtabula – James Cline, Conneaut; Brian Williams, Farmdale
• Brooklyn – Samuel Getz III, Cleveland Heights; Jerrod Johnston, Norton
• Concord – Lance Butler, Kingsville; Andrew Kuharik, Painesville; Collin Lorenz, Chardon
• Cleveland/Miles – Mark Criss, Cleveland; Brandon Lindemann, Brunswick; William Scheffler, Parma
• Mayfield – Conner Cline, Cleveland Heights; Jacob Gregg, Strongsville; Andy Hespen, Sagamore Hills; Robert Mohney, Willoughby; Vincent Reynolds, Madison; Jason Thompson, Twinsburg
• Solon – Kevin Bacchi, Mentor; Nicholas Savol, Sagamore Hills
• Strongsville – Ryan Dybiec, North Royalton; Mark Polinko, Columbia Station
• Westlake – Benjamin DeBottis, Sheffield Lake; Matthew Kocisko, North Royalton; Logan Krieg, Amherst; Christopher Lockridge, Elyria

PSI is an award-winning, two-year educational program originally developed by FirstEnergy in 2000 to help prepare the company's next generation of utility line and substation workers.

PSI students split time between classes at our partnering colleges and The Illuminating Company's training facility in Brooklyn. Since the program's inception, FirstEnergy has hired more than 1,900 line and substation personnel who completed PSI programs in Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

For information about the PSI program, call 1-800-829-6801, or go to www.firstenergycorp.com/psi.

The Illuminating Company serves more than 750,000 customers across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. Follow The Illuminating Company on Twitter @IlluminatingCo and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IlluminatingCo.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or online at www.firstenergycorp.com.

Editor's Note: Photos of The Illuminating Company PSI training program graduates are available for download on Flickr.