"FOCUS. FOCUS. FOCUS."

Why is focus so important? Because without focus, companies tend to drift from the basics, get caught up in the latest trends, or become complacent and miss opportunities to improve. We won’t miss those opportunities. Our vision is to drive performance to industry-leading levels in all aspects of our business.

To achieve this vision, we have put together a talented and experienced senior management team with a strong track record of success. I’d like to tell you about some of the things they are doing to improve performance across our organization.

LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE

At Ameren, we continue to believe that cost control is a key to success in any business. Warner Baxter, Ameren’s chief financial officer, is the main force behind our commitment to controlling costs. He is a relentless cost cutter who keeps the rest of our team equally focused on this critical area.

For a mostly regulated electric and gas utility like Ameren, effective cost control allows us to succeed even while keeping rates low. Ameren now provides electricity to our retail customers at a blended rate, including AmerenIP, of 6.00 cents per kilowatthour, compared to average blended retail rates in the U.S. of 7.49 cents. That makes our rates nearly 20 percent below the U.S. average and among the lowest electric rates anywhere in the world.