PESA

employees who are new hires or perhaps they worked in one sector of the company where they didn’t need to have much industry knowledge, but moved into a new section where they do need that knowledge. So, it’s a great way for them to get that training.” PESA also has a long- term contract with the U.S. Department of State to train its Foreign Service officers before they are deployed to an energy-intensive country. Another valuable program offered by PESA is its Credit Interchange Division (CID), a cooperative venture among PESA member companies that facilitates the confidential exchange of up- to-date ledger experience among its member companies and divisions. CID currently maintains a database of more than 300,000 ledger entries on nearly 50,000 existing and potential customers. “If they choose to participate, members can check out the creditworthiness of other companies they might want to do business with,” Tarpley notes. “Many of our companies are members solely because of that program.” Current topics on PESA’s agenda include analyzing how the new United States-Mexico- Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) is going to affect its members, and how companies can upgrade their ESG scores. ESG, or Environmental, Social, and Governance, refers to the three central factors in measuring the sustainability and societal impact of an investment in a company or business. These criteria help