NextEra Energy listed among Best Companies for Diversity by HispanicBusiness, Inc. in 2014

News provided by

Sep 29, 2014, 01:25 ET

JUNO BEACH, Fla., Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), one of the largest clean energy companies in North America and parent company of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), today announced that it has been named one of the nation's best companies for diversity practices by HispanicBusiness, Inc. for the fifth consecutive year.

"We're extremely honored to be named to this prestigious list for the fifth straight year," said Deborah Caplan, executive vice president of human resources and corporate services for NextEra Energy. "We firmly believe that diversity and inclusion provide us a competitive advantage, helping to position us as a much stronger company. Diversity in perspective and experience enables us to innovate constantly as we grow our clean energy portfolio, continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers and better serve our communities and other important stakeholders."

HispanicBusiness Inc.'s analysis and resulting scorecard ranks companies on their efforts in five broad areas: board and leadership; recruitment; retention and promotion; marketing and community outreach; and supplier diversity. Just 45 companies were named to this year's list.

At NextEra Energy, nearly one in five of the employees hired in 2013 are Hispanic, while 40 percent of those hired are members of minority groups. Nearly 25 percent of the FPL workforce is Hispanic.

NextEra Energy sponsors a wide range of social, economic development, educational and community-based initiatives in the Hispanic communities the company serves. More than 15 percent of the company's advertising efforts are directed to its Hispanic customers, and nearly 10 percent of the company's total purchases during fiscal year 2013 were from small business or minority contractors. In addition, NextEra Energy contributed $260,000 to minority groups and community services last year.

At NextEra Energy, the Hispanic Organization of Latino Americans (HOLA) is one of 11 employee network groups. HOLA promotes employees' diverse talents and fosters an inclusive business environment, which in turn can help the company serve its diverse customer base. Members of HOLA benefit from information sharing, career development, mentoring and team building. HOLA supports NextEra Energy's corporate diversity and inclusion strategy and recognizes the value that Hispanic/Latino employees bring to the company's inclusive work environment.

HispanicBusiness, Inc.'s 2014 Annual Diversity Report and list of Best Companies for Diversity are available at: http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/branded/2014/diversity_companies/2014_best_companies_overview.asp.

Earlier this year, NextEra Energy was honored for the eighth consecutive year as the No. 1 company in its sector in Fortune magazine's annual Most Admired Companies list. Other honors this year include: a World's Most Ethical Company® by the Ethisphere Institute for the seventh time; and, for the ninth time, the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles® award by the National Business Group on Health. NextEra Energy subsidiary Florida Power & Light Company was recognized in 2014 as the most trusted U.S. electric utility by Market Strategies International.

For more information on many of NextEra Energy's corporate responsibility initiatives, please view the company's latest report at www.NextEraEnergy.com/crr.

NextEra Energy, Inc.
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company with consolidated revenues of approximately $15.1 billion, approximately 42,500 megawatts of generating capacity, and approximately 13,900 employees in 26 states and Canada as of year-end 2013. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., NextEra Energy's principal subsidiaries are Florida Power & Light Company, which serves approximately 4.7 million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the United States, and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from eight commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity, and has been named No. 1 overall among electric and gas utilities on Fortune's list of "World's Most Admired Companies" for eight consecutive years, which is an unprecedented achievement in its industry. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.