Providing Support to Clients Weathering a Storm

A weather event like no other

A forecasted “snow day” quickly turned into a catastrophic storm that left millions without power. Power loss left families huddled in their cars just trying to stay warm. Weather conditions led to food supply chain problems, causing people to spend hours searching for food and water as store shelves emptied. The frigid temperatures caused pipes to burst, leading to water disruptions for roughly half the state's population.

Bursting pipes, building and facility power outages and rolling blackouts for over a week caused many of the client sites we provide facilities management services to suffer considerable damage. Nearly every person or family in Texas was impacted.

 

Rising above and mobilizing to support our clients

Despite the challenges our own teams faced personally, they rallied together to provide resources, services, and support to help clients and their teams when even basic needs like food and water were at stake.

 “Over the 20+ years I have been supporting Sodexo business in Texas I've had to deal with numerous weather events … I never expected to see what happened in February; temperatures that dipped below zero with wind chill, snow, ice, electrical and water issues. Our teams, while facing these challenges, really stepped up.”   -Wayne Dyer, Sodexo Senior Vice President supporting the Chevron account

Procuring basics like water was made difficult with supply chain issues and unpassable road conditions, but our teams figured out how to secure two trailer truckloads of bottled water and delivered them to our Chevron client’s employees in Houston.

The Sodexo team in Pasadena supporting Chevron worked in advance of the storm to provide the operations ride out crew at the refinery with 200 pre-packaged microwavable meals along with 150 boxed lunches, non-perishable items for breakfast, snacks, and beverages. Along with food, they provided cots to help support the client’s team with sleeping accommodations, and our Hard Services Team rotated shifts to allow for 24-hour onsite coverage for technical emergencies and fuel support. 

The support provided did not stop with supplies and onsite coverage. When a significant leak happened at a lubricant’s facility in Fort Worth, we were able to dispatch a team that worked diligently to remediate the space and get it operational again.

 

Recognizing our Texas teams

The COVID-19 pandemic had already proved challenging this past year, but when the Texas winter storm further stretched resources, our teams showed how they could meet the moment. 

“During this challenging year, our teams have been on the frontline mobilizing resources to ensure our clients stay safe, healthy and continue to operate their businesses. We, in Texas, faced yet another challenge with the crippling weather conditions that led to power outages, water scarcity, and broken pipes. I wanted to take this moment to recognize our teams for their resilience, commitment, and dedication during these difficult circumstances.” -Stephanie Hertzog, Sodexo CEO, Energy & Resources North America

Read how we've been able to improve Chevron's facilities management services while reducing their costs, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and quality.

This World FM Day, we recognize the ongoing service, support, and dedication our Sodexo teams showed our clients during these unprecedented times.