Diversity of Thought

We know that, statistically, diversity of a team increases productivity. A study by McKinsey & Company concluded that productivity was 15% higher in gender diverse teams and 35% higher in ethnically diverse teams. Creating diverse teams can challenge preconceived notions with unique viewpoints. Prairie State’s Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee is not only focused on gender … More

2021 Trunk or Treat

On Sunday, October 24, Prairie State hosted a trunk or treat for employees and their families. Voting for the costume contest was conducted on our Facebook page. After tallying these votes, the winners for their age division or group were Kara, Sophia, Dayla, Keegan, and Rylan and Everly. Congratulations! Another contest we held was for the best decorated trunk, which was voted on by attende… More

Intern Update: Chandler Rhodes

Plant Maintenance Intern, Chandler Rhodes, has spent his summer at Prairie State replacing valves, probes, and conduit. His duties typically vary from day to day. Many of his projects include replacing large valves and working with limestone. One of his favorite tasks was to replace oxygen probes on the boiler. He has also replaced conduit and run new wire. Every project he has been involved wi… More

Intern Update: Mary Kathryn Deister

Mine Engineering Intern, Mary Kathryn Deister, has spent her summer at Prairie State completing time studies and analyzing data. These time studies include testing how long it takes to cut the coal, wait for a ram car, and load a ram car, along with any clean up or delay that might occur. These are important to determine the possibility of decreasing unproductive time or increasing production. … More

Intern Update: Noel Short

Mine Operations Intern, Noel Short, has spent her summer at Prairie State shadowing various aspects of mine operations. Some of the different groups Noel has learned from include the belts crew, mine managers, and safety and compliance. She also helped to complete a ventilation survey in her first few weeks. The goal of this survey was to assess the current ventilation in the mine and determine… More