On March 16, 2020, Peoples was officially acquired by Essential Utilities Inc. Peoples will retain its name and identity and operate under Essential.
Paul W. Becker is Vice President of Construction and Engineering. In that capacity, he is responsible for the design and construction of natural gas facilities primarily related to transmission and distribution utility plant. He is also responsible for engineering, land and compliance functions.
Ed serves as Peoples first Vice President of Reliability, and is responsible for the overall optimization of Peoples assets involved with the procurement and delivery of gas to our customers, in addition to the company Safety & Training programs, and regulatory compliance with Pipeline Safety.
Ed earned a BS in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, and began his career in the natural gas industry at Washington Gas Light, before joining Peoples. He has worked for Peoples for more than 33 years with varying responsibilities in the Engineering, Operations, and Construction divisions of Peoples. In his current position, Ed will monitor growth opportunities and capacity constraints to ensure Peoples continues to provide the reliable service our customers expect while continuing to help the region grow by providing a solid foundation for business growth and energy needs.
“Peoples customers expect that when they turn on their furnace, cook in their oven, or take a hot shower that their natural gas service will be available whenever they need and want it,” said Palombo. “I’m truly excited to make sure that Peoples customers of today and tomorrow will continue to receive the reliable service they expect.”
Currently, Ed is a board member for the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce, a Trustee for the Community College of Beaver County, and also a member of the Advisory Board for Penn State Beaver Campus. He also served on the Aliquippa School Board for 26 years (from 1990 – 2016).
Lynda is responsible for all regulatory matters related to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as those pertaining to natural gas suppliers operating on Peoples pipeline systems. She is responsible for ensuring full recovery of the Peoples Companies’ costs and investments, the preparation and direction of all rate and regulatory cases — including base rate cases — and for directing and supporting the Companies’ regulatory policies.
Lynda earned a BS in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh. She has professional training on numerous industry topics including economic evaluation, the ratemaking process, benchmarking, and gas distribution and gas rate principles. Lynda is an active member of the Regulatory Matters Committee of the Energy Association of Pennsylvania.
Lynda has worked for Peoples Natural Gas for over 40 years and has more than 30 years of managerial experience. She has held supervisory positions in many areas including Gas Accounting, Planning and Budgeting, Gas Supply, Rates, Process Improvement, Operations, and Rates and Regulation.
Lynda is an avid supporter of autistic and special needs children which lead her to become a member of the Board of Directors for Pace School where she participates on several board committees. She has two grown children and lives in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. She enjoys all Pittsburgh sports teams and youth sports.
Luke is responsible for the company’s sales, marketing, communications and community relations activities.
Luke is a newcomer to the gas industry and joined Peoples in early 2015. Prior to becoming Vice President, Luke successfully helped lead the launch of the company’s Go With Gas expansion program. In less than two years, the program extended 25 miles of new pipeline infrastructure to provide thousands of new customers with access to natural gas service.
Prior to working at Peoples, Luke spent 10 years as an elected official in the City of Pittsburgh - serving 7 ½ of those years as the City’s mayor. During his time leading the City, Pittsburgh enjoyed great success and a renaissance. Some of the Pittsburgh’s major accomplishments under Luke’s leadership include:
Luke uses his experience and background in driving economic development in his role at Peoples to strategically partner with our customers in growing their businesses.
Luke is a lifelong resident of the City of Pittsburgh, an alumnus of Washington and Jefferson College, and remains very active in a number of local community organizations. He has one son, Cooper.