With tours, demonstrations and occasional giant blasts of safely controlled natural gas flames, Columbia Gas of Virginia celebrated the opening of a new training facility for employees who operate and maintain the company's natural gas distribution system across the Commonwealth.
"The new leading-edge center helps Columbia's more than 400 Virginia employees develop the knowledge and skills needed to deliver safe, reliable and efficient service to the company's more than 270,000 natural gas customers," the company said in a press release. "The $9 million, 22,000-square-foot facility in Chester is the third of four new training centers being built by Columbia's parent company, NiSource Inc. The other new centers are in Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.