Ameren Missouri Chairman, President and CEO Warner Baxter is receiving the 2012 CEO of the Year Excellence in Leadership and Impact award at the American Cancer Society’s Summit held in Atlanta today. The award honors a corporate chief executive officer who has been engaged with the Society through personal commitments of time, talent or financial support, while also facilitating the involvement of their employees and others in support of the Society’s mission.
“I am humbled and very honored to receive this award,” said Baxter. “While this award is very special to me, I want to commend the real heroes in the fight against cancer – those stricken with cancer and their families, the caregivers, the entire medical and research community, the volunteers, and of course, the American Cancer Society. Every day, these heroes are truly committed to creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays.”
In 2011, Baxter founded the St. Louis Chapter of CEOs Against Cancer. Today, 35 area executives have joined the chapter and the fight against cancer; and the number continues to grow. In 2012, Baxter also helped lead activities that will significantly enhance the partnership between the CEOs Against Cancer Chapters across the country with NCAA coaches and their Coaches vs. Cancer organization. “The commitment and dedication of members and volunteers associated with the CEOs Against Cancer and Coaches vs. Cancer organizations are simply amazing,” said Baxter. “Working in a collaborative fashion with the American Cancer Society and the medical community, I am convinced that the private sector will make a significant difference in helping those in our community stay well, get well, find cures, fight back and ultimately win the battle against cancer.”
Baxter, along with his co-workers at Ameren, demonstrates a strong commitment to the fight against cancer. To help co-workers, their families and those in the community stay well, the company sponsors numerous awareness campaigns, as well as provides cancer screening and smoking cessation programs and benefits. In order to help those with cancer get well, Baxter and his co-workers engage in volunteer activities at several local hospitals and organizations, as well as at Hope Lodge. To help the medical community find cures, Ameren served as the first local corporate recruitment site for the Society’s Cancer Prevention Study (CPS-3) – a study designed to provide valuable insights that will lead to more lives saved much like the previous cancer prevention studies. And to fight back, the company and its co-workers provide significant time and financial resources to numerous fund raising activities, including the Relay for Life, Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout, and Real Utility Men and Women Wear Pink events.
“Warner Baxter shares the commitment of the American Cancer Society to help people stay well and get well, to find cures for cancer and to fight back,” says Dr. John Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. “Mr. Baxter continues to give back because he understands the importance of cancer prevention among his workforce and community – and he knows we have to take action to avoid a tsunami of unnecessary disease and suffering.”
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Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than a century, and our electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. We serve 1.2 million electric and 127,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. Our mission is to meet their energy needs in a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Our service area covers 63 counties and more than 500 towns, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit AmerenMissouri.com.
CONTACT: Rita Holmes-Bobo, 314.554.2182, missouricommunications@ameren.com