PG&E Named Among "Best of the Best" Companies In The Energy Industry

SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has been recognized as one of the "Best of the Best" companies in the energy industry by the Black EOE Journal, a leading African American career and business magazine.

The magazine polled hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies for its 2013 "Best of the Best" evaluations. This annual review is an evaluation of the nation's employers, initiatives, government agencies and educational institutions. The lists were compiled from market research, independent research, diversity conference participation and survey responses that were performed by the magazine's publisher DiversityComm and its agents and/or affiliates.

"Giving these companies the recognition they deserve for diversifying their workforce and suppliers is one of the most significant strategies for driving performance and success in an organization," said Mona Lisa Faris, President and Founder of DiversityComm, Inc.  "We are honored to compliment PG&E and other companies that are striving for diversity."

PG&E has served and engaged with California's African American communities for more than 100 years. In 1980, PG&E's Black Employees Association was created to celebrate the history and contributions of the utility's African Americans employees.  In 2009, the group was officially re-named the BEA Employee Resource Group (ERG). The BEA ERG makes significant contributions toward enhancing an inclusive culture within PG&E and also plays an active role in the African American communities that the utility serves.

"PG&E is committed to advancing a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve," said Laura Butler, Vice President of Talent Management and Chief Diversity Officer at PG&E. "We believe building an inclusive and diverse environment enhances our ability to drive operational excellence and innovation to provide safe, reliable and affordable gas and electric services to the 15 million customers we serve throughout Northern and Central California."

PG&E's supplier diversity program has provided thousands of diverse businesses with opportunities to deliver quality products and services to PG&E since 1981. The utility recently announced that it achieved an all-time high of over $2 billion in spending with diverse suppliers in 2012, accounting for 38.8 percent of its total procurement budget. PG&E's total spending with African American-owned business enterprises in 2012 reached an all-time high of $356 million, an increase of $90 million over 2011.

This year, more than 250 companies and institutions participated in the magazine's annual review. The results are published in the spring issue of the Black EOE Journal.

For information on PG&E's diversity and inclusion efforts and the company's supplier diversity program, visit www.pge.com/about/company/diversityinclusion/.

About the Black EOE Journal (BEOEJ)
BEOEJ's goal is to connect, educate and promote equal opportunity thus creating a more diverse workplace. Every issue provides the latest, most important diversity news, covering virtually every industry, business and profession. This includes up-to-date statistics on workforce diversity, as well as business-to-business trends. The publication offers both recruitment and business opportunities, along with accurate, timely conference and event calendars.

About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/newsroom/ or www.pgecurrents.com.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)