Business & Finance
Business and Finance
Business and Finance 
Tue, November 17, 2009
Mon, November 16, 2009
A Golden Anniversary: Dennis G. Lyons Reaches 50 Years With Con Edison
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - November 16, 2009) - Just days before the World Series celebration cascaded up Broadway, a somewhat smaller celebration was held in the vicinity of Union Square, when Dennis G. Lyons became the 20th active employee of Consolidated Edison Inc. to reach the 50-years-of-service mark. The longtime Law Department section manager has joined an elite group that together has provided the company with over 1,000 years of service.
While a number of new hires have replaced retiring employees around the New York-based utility over the last few years, Con Edison still benefits from a tradition of long-serving employees who combine both seasoned perspective and institutional memory, two valuable commodities for a company that must operate reliably in one of the world's most dense and complex electric, gas, and steam delivery environments.
"Dennis Lyons has been an invaluable asset to Con Edison for years, and we are fortunate to still enjoy the benefit of his acumen, judgment, and unparalleled negotiating skills," said Con Edison Associate General Counsel Richard Babinecz. "Dennis knows the law, he's involved in all aspects of the investigative business on a personal and professional level, and he has an intimate knowledge and historical perspective of the areas we serve. We've all heard the adage that no one is irreplaceable, but if there's anyone who falls into that category, it's Dennis."
Lyons began his Law Department career in the Property Protection Bureau, where his first responsibilities included theft of service investigations. In 1970, he was promoted to general investigator in the department before eventually rising through the ranks and ascending to his current position. His primary duties include investigating, evaluating and negotiating legal matters, at all stages of litigation, throughout New York City and Westchester.
He has served as president and chairman of the Society of Professional Investigators, and currently serves on the organization's Board of Directors. In 2008, he was honored as the New York State Investigator of the Year by the Associated Licensed Detectives of New York State, an organization that he presently serves as a regional director for Nassau - Suffolk.
He also is a three-time elected Fire Commissioner in his home town of Franklin Square, Long Island, where he lives with his wife Arlene, a longtime Con Edison Law Department employee and recent retiree.
Lyons's professional affiliations and awards received in just the last several years are enough to fill a Who's Who listing, with accolades from the International Police Association, among others. He also has received a Town of Hempstead award for "The Heroic Act of Saving a Life," in conjunction with his fire activities.
Even with 50 years at Con Edison, Lyons has 19 other colleagues with more service time at the company. The company's longest-serving employees, Edward Savage, Dolores Coote and Lee Romero, have 173 years of service among them, with each of the three starting their work for Con Edison while Harry S. Truman was president.
Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (