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A packed house of Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce members and guests are expected Tuesday at Bob Bowers Civic Center for a luncheon headlined by Entergy Texas President & CEO Eli Viamontes and Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan.

The Chamber Membership Luncheon is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Port Arthur.

Viamontes told Port Arthur Newsmedia that any opportunity to engage with the community is important because it allows him to share the Entergy Texas story.

“Being involved across Southeast Texas helps maintain and strengthen our partnerships in the communities we serve and call home,” Viamontes said. “Also, specifically in line with the mission for the Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, we too value economic growth in Southeast Texas.”

Viamontes said Entergy’s mission statement – We Power Life – inspired him to work for the company.

“Our stakeholders are not limited to only shareholders,” he said. “Entergy’s stakeholders include customers, communities, employees and owners. We are inclusive and address the needs of Southeast Texans across the board.”

He believes in the company’s mission around diversity, inclusion and belonging.

“I look at our leadership team and our employees across departments and see representation of the communities where we live and work,” Viamontes said. “Entergy recently earned a spot at the Billion Dollar Roundtable, which recognizes companies that spend over $1 billion with minority and woman-owned businesses, due to our commitment to having a diverse and inclusive supply chain.

“It’s inspiring to know that we focus on creating sustainable value to better serve stakeholders not only today, but for future generations.”

Those interested in learning more about Tuesday’s luncheon are welcome to call the Chamber at 409-963-1107 or email acct@portarthurtexas.com.

As we are in the middle of hurricane season, Viamontes acknowledged preparing for any significant weather event is a year-round commitment.

Entergy constantly evaluates its response to ensure it meets the needs of customers before, during and after any disturbance.

“After a weather event, we make sure it’s safe for our crews to start turning the lights back on for our customers,” he said. “When restoring power, we start at the source. If electricity can’t make it from the power station to your local substation, it can’t be delivered to your neighborhood or your street.

“Following a weather event there may be downed lines, and we always ask customers to avoid those and call us or 911. Customers can learn more about how to prepare for storm season by visiting the Entergy Texas website.”

According Viamontes, it is worth mentioning that Entergy’s grid resiliency efforts help the company improve reliability during extreme weather events and include projects such as the Montgomery County Power Station in Willis that started operating in January 2021 and the proposed Orange County Advanced Power Station in Bridge City that, once approved, will start up in 2026.