The Illuminating Company’s (CEI) Midtown Service Center was officially introduced to the greater Cleveland community during a March 19 ribbon-cutting event.

Well attended by public officials, police officers, area news stations and neighboring business partners, the event offered visitors a first-hand look at the new space –  featured in the Feb. 7 Dispatch. The facility was formerly a bus depot operated by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.

Midtown’s cable department, along with meter reading and meter services, collections, warehousing, facilities and fleet employees, have worked at the redesigned facility since Jan. 21. Previously, they were based at the East 24^th Street location.

Though the main building level has been occupied for several months, a recently renovated second floor is now complete. It is home to CEI’s newest area manager – Darnella Robertson, regional External Affairs consultant – while offering room for growth with additional office and meeting space.

“We take pride in being a major league utility serving a major league city, and we certainly have major league employees,” said CEI Regional President John Skory during his opening remarks at the event. “Cleveland has a very large underground system, one of the biggest ducted cable systems in the country with over 10,000 manholes, and our team handles a lot of the work. Being able to house our vehicles, cable reels, materials and equipment inside this new space will help us serve our customers even better.”