LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern
California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced that the company
achieved another record year of spending with over 550 diverse
business enterprises in 2019 - at $726
million, the highest in company history. SoCalGas exceeded
the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) goal to
contract goods and services from women, minority, service-disabled
veteran, and LGBT-owned businesses for the 27th consecutive year.
Nearly 42 percent of the utility's contract spending went to women,
minority, service-disabled veteran and LGBT-owned firms, nearly
double the CPUC's goal of 21.5 percent.
"We are proud that SoCalGas has achieved yet another record year
of spending with our diverse business enterprises and with over 91
percent of these suppliers being in California," said Denita Willoughby, vice president of supply
management & support services at SoCalGas. "SoCalGas continues
to invest in these businesses as we work toward a clean energy
future. These diverse firms will play a key role in helping
SoCalGas innovate and develop our 21st century energy
system."
In addition to spending with diverse enterprises, SoCalGas also
invests in the development of these firms. Development
opportunities include business assessment programs,
entrepreneurship courses, organizational and operation strategy
programs, mentorship and technical assistance. The programs are
designed to help diverse suppliers enhance their operations and
help ensure success in their business partnerships.
"SoCalGas has been a true champion in our development," said
Albert Tene, co-owner of Access General Contracting, a SoCalGas
diverse supplier. Tene attended the Smaller Contractor Opportunity
Realization Effort (SCORE) boot camps and the UCLA Management
Development for Entrepreneurs program sponsored by SoCalGas.
"Attending those programs was very useful and led to the expansion
of our federal construction and industrial divisions."
Access General Contracting is a Hispanic-owned general
engineering firm in Westminster,
CA. The firm has over 30 years of experience working in the
public, private and federal sectors. The firm specializes in
construction for commercial and industrial properties. Access
General Contracting has installed protective materials and the like
around natural gas facilities and meters at commercial
buildings.
In 2019, SoCalGas purchases with women-owned businesses were
surpassed for the 31st consecutive year, totaling nearly
$219 million. The company also marked
spend with 58 new diverse contractors as well as $59 million in spend with disabled-veteran
business enterprises. Other 2019 highlights include:
- $447 million spent with
minority-owned firms
- 552 diverse suppliers working with SoCalGas
- 42% total purchases with diverse suppliers
- 14 firms among the top 25 SoCalGas suppliers are diverse
firms
In 2020, SoCalGas plans to continue its best practices in
supplier diversity while anticipating new developments in the
energy industry and identifying opportunities for diverse suppliers
in new clean energy solutions as the company looks toward its part
in a 21st century energy system. SoCalGas's vision is to
be the cleanest gas utility in North
America, and it has committed to replacing 20 percent of its
traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas by 2030.
Diverse suppliers will play a key role in moving the company
forward as SoCalGas works to help California meet its ambitious climate
goals.
To apply to the SoCalGas Supplier Diversity Program please visit
socalgas.com/for-your-business/supplier-diversity.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los
Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas
distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas
delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas
service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square
miles of Central and Southern California, where more than
90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water,
cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the
company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity
to Californians— about 45 percent of electric power
generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas' vision is to be the cleanest gas utility
in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly
renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision,
SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional
natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by
2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by
dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is
also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure
while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through
2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade
and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and
reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra
Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based
in San Diego. For more information
visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas
on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas)
and Facebook.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company