PG&E's Spending With Women-Owned Businesses Topped Half A Billion Dollars In 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced that its total spending with women-owned business enterprises reached an all-time high of $659 million, an increase of $145 million over 2011.

As a result of PG&E's efforts with women's business enterprises (WBEs), the utility has been selected by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as one of the recipients of the 2012 America's Top Corporations For Women's Business Enterprises Award, the highest national award honoring corporations that level the playing field for WBEs to compete for corporate business. In addition, the utility is recognized by Professional Women's Magazine this month for having one of the "Best of the Best" supplier diversity programs in the nation.

During an award presentation on March 14 in Baltimore, Md., WBENC recognized 32 corporations for developing and driving innovative best practices that result in productive business partnerships with women entrepreneurs, and valuable products and services for their customers.

"Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of PG&E as one of America's Top Corporations for WBEs, women's businesses are generating strategies and solutions for meeting the fast-changing needs of today's marketplace. Together they are driving the innovation that fuels a stronger economy and creates jobs," said Pamela Prince-Eason, President and CEO of WBENC, a leading authority on and advocate for WBEs as suppliers to the nation's leading corporations and government entities.

Following a thorough annual evaluation of the nation's supplier diversity programs, Professional Women's Magazine named PG&E's Supplier Diversity program as one of the "Best of the Best" in the nation. The goal of the annual evaluations is not only to bring the latest information and guidance to the magazines' readers, but also to encourage active outreach and diversity policies among corporations and government agencies. The studies are further designed to help corporate and government leaders compare and contrast their performance in diversity and the success achieved within their industries.

"PG&E enthusiastically supports the economic health of the communities in which we live and work as a major purchaser of goods and services," said Des Bell, PG&E's Chief Procurement Officer and Senior Vice President of Safety and Shared Services. "Diverse suppliers are helping us to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable gas and electric service to our customers. It's an honor to receive this recognition – especially during Women's History Month – as we continue our efforts to integrate more women-owned businesses into our supply chain."

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/.

About WBENC

Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nation's leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with over 11,000 WBENC-Certified WBEs. WBENC certification is accepted by more than 1,000 corporations representing America's most prestigious brands, in addition to many states, cities and other entities. Throughout the year, WBENC and its 14 Regional Partner Organizations provide opportunities for interactions between more than 650 member corporations, government agencies and thousands of certified WBEs at business building events and other forums. WBENC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks and accepts donations from corporations, foundations and individuals that support its mission and programs. For more information, please go to www.wbenc.org.

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)