CES Stories | Early Women of CES Series | International Women’s Day
Harveyetta Stone has spent nearly two decades ensuring the people of CES are seen, supported, and cared for — because that’s simply who she is.
Long before Harveyetta Stone had a title or a corner of the org chart to call her own, she had a purpose. As a child, she was always the one who noticed when someone needed help — and moved toward them. That instinct never left her. It just found a bigger stage.
Today, as CES’s Benefits Manager, Harveyetta is the person behind every health plan, every wellness program, every quiet moment of support that employees may never fully realize came from her. She is, in the truest sense, the person who takes care of the people who take care of CES.
Fifteen Years of Showing Up
Before CES, Harveyetta spent 15 years at ASTM International, a globally recognized standards development organization. Three roles, each lasting roughly five years. It tells you something about her: she doesn’t dabble. She commits, grows, and goes deep.
When a recruiter called about an Administrative Assistant role at a company called Customized Energy Solutions, she was immediately intrigued. She’d never heard of anything quite like it. An interview was scheduled.
Then a death in the family made it impossible to attend.
What happened next told Harveyetta everything she needed to know about CES. CEO Stephen Fernands didn’t move on. He rescheduled. She came in, interviewed, and received an offer the very same day.
“That act of grace stayed with me,” she reflects. “It told me this was a place that saw people as people.”
A Role That Had Her Name on It
When Harveyetta joined CES, there were 13 associates company-wide. Thirteen. She has watched it grow from that small, scrappy team into a global organization, welcoming some of the energy industry’s most talented professionals along the way.
Within two years, CES was growing so quickly that Stephen created an entirely new role — Benefits Manager — and asked if Harveyetta wanted it. She said yes. Then CES did something she still marvels at: it paid for her education. She finished her bachelor’s degree and went on to complete Villanova University’s Master’s program in Human Resources Development, finishing with a 3.53 GPA.
“I believe this role had my name on it long before I arrived,” she says. “It was through that educational experience that I really grew it into what it is today.”
Benefits, But Make It Human
Ask Harveyetta what makes her approach to benefits different, and she gets personal fast. “Mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being fosters balance, resilience, and authenticity that is often overlooked. I care about these things because I also need them myself. I’m not separate from the people I serve.”
That’s the Harveyetta philosophy: wellness is not a checkbox. CES’s benefits package reflects this, extending well beyond health and dental to touch mental health, physical fitness, spiritual wellness, and professional coaching. She’s proud of that breadth — because she shaped it.
Her most recent project — helping build and implement a new accounting software platform — required managing two systems simultaneously while keeping everything else running. It tested her. She’ll tell you that openly.
“The most challenging thing I’ve solved recently was learning how to protect my own mental wellness during that process,” she says. “I learned the importance of setting boundaries, breaking down overwhelming tasks, and knowing when to disconnect. It’s advice I give others. I had to take it myself.”
Growing With CES, Globally
As CES has expanded internationally, so has Harveyetta’s reach. She was recently asked to join CES’s POSH Committee — a body required for Indian workplaces with 10 or more associates, designed to prevent, prohibit, and redress sexual harassment. For Harveyetta, it’s a new frontier, and she’s embracing it.
“This is a new venture for me and I’m excited to be a part of it,” she says. It’s a small detail that speaks volumes: a woman who joined a 13-person company is now helping shape the culture of its global operations.
The Garden, the Grandchildren, and Growing Things
Outside the office, Harveyetta is a grandmother three times over — and she lights up describing each one. There’s her 14-year-old grandson, about to travel to Japan. Her 8-year-old grandson who, she laughs, “thinks he’s invincible.” And her 6-year-old granddaughter who is “so eager to change the world.”
Every spring, she looks forward to one thing above nearly all else: the garden. She sews, reads, watches movies, and finds deep recharge in the simple, grounding rhythms of home life. It’s fitting. She tends to growing things — professionally and personally.
Still Growing
