PG&E's Spending With Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses Increased 300 Percent Over Last Five Years

SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has been recognized by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) as one of the 10 best U.S. corporations open to working with veteran-owned businesses. This is the first time that PG&E has been included on this prestigious annual list, which honors the large corporations that most successfully engage the nation's three million veteran-owned businesses as suppliers.

"Earning this honor shows a company's dedication to veterans and demonstrates an understanding that doing business with veterans isn't just the right thing to do; it's a smart business decision," said Laxmi Lohm, Corporate Advocacy Director at the NaVOBA. "We're delighted to highlight and honor PG&E as one of the 10 Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses."

In 2012, PG&E's total spending with service disabled veteran-owned business enterprises reached an all-time high of $115 million, an increase of $35 million over 2011. Along with the other nine honorees, PG&E will be featured on the cover story of the April 2013 issue of NaVOBA's Vetrepreneur magazine.

"Through PG&E's supplier development program, we have access to technical assistance, training and networking. This demonstrates not only PG&E's leadership in providing opportunities to qualified veteran-owned businesses, but also its commitment to helping foster the growth of the local economy by keeping more business and jobs in California," said Randolph Sinnott, with the Sinnott, Puebla, Campagne & Curet APLC, a service disabled veteran-owned law firm based in Los Angeles, California.

Since 1981, PG&E's supplier diversity program has provided thousands of diverse businesses with opportunities to deliver products to PG&E. 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. For information on PG&E's supplier diversity program or to learn how to apply to become a certified diverse supplier, visit www.pge.com/supplierdiversity/.

"PG&E is extremely honored to be named one of the best 10 corporations for veteran-owned businesses," said Joan Kerr, Director of Supplier Diversity and Supplier Development at PG&E. "This recognition helps validate the company's efforts to enlist diverse suppliers that help our employees meet and exceed their goals to provide safe, reliable and affordable gas and electric service to our customers."

Recently PG&E was also designated a "2013 Top 100 Military-Friendly Employer" by G.I. Jobs magazine. That marked the second time the utility was included in the annual list, which is based on the strength of military-recruiting efforts, percentage of new hires with prior military service, retention programs and company policies on National Guard and Reserve service.

Veterans have made up about seven percent of PG&E hires since 2010. The utility has offered seven veteran-only courses through its PowerPathway™ career and technical training program. Of the 200 students who attended the courses, 72 percent were hired by PG&E or other energy-industry companies.

PG&E also established a Veterans Employee Resource Group in 2011 to educate, support and develop PG&E employees with military experience as well as their supporters. More than 270 employees joined the group, which is open to all workers regardless of veteran status.

About The National Veteran Owned Business Association (NaVOBA)
NaVOBA unites the nation's three million businesses owned by military veterans by providing a single voice to advocate for important issues. For more information visit us on the web at http://www.navoba.com, or follow us on FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/navoba and on Twitter @navoba.

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)