LOS ANGELES, March 22, 2018 – Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced that 2017 marked the 25^th consecutive year the company exceeded the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) goal for contracting purchases with women, minority, service-disabled veteran, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender-owned businesses. More than 42 percent of the utility’s contract spending went to minority-owned companies, surpassing the CPUC’s goal of 21.5 percent.

“As we’ve grown our purchases with more diverse suppliers over the years, we’ve seen how their innovative thinking has enhanced our ability to do business and meet our customer needs,” said Patti Wagner, SoCalGas chief executive officer. “We’ve also seen the ripple effect of our supplier diversity activities on the 638 diverse firms working with us and local communities, including job creation and other economic gains.”

“SoCalGas didn’t just give me their business, they’ve opened doors to other clients for me as well,” said Bianca Vobecky, founder of Vobecky Enterprises, a construction and logistics company based in Glendora, Calif. “They gave us an opportunity to showcase our firm at Supplier Diversity Business Showcases--people I wouldn’t otherwise have access to.” 

Vobecky Enterprises is a Haitian-American woman-owned company that has been awarded several contracts to transport truckloads of pipe, gaskets and other construction materials to SoCalGas facilities. Vobecky also won a contract to install steel bollards to protect natural gas meters from vehicles.  

Overall, SoCalGas spent more than $640 million dollars with 638 diverse suppliers last year. The spending included new major contracts with diverse suppliers for engineering services; pipes, valves and fittings; and various maintenance products.  In addition, 12 of the company’s 25 largest vendors are diverse suppliers.

SoCalGas also offers these large and small businesses innovative training programs, including supplier development and technical assistance, contractor safety workshops, seminars and other events.

SoCalGas' commitment to diversity extends beyond its diverse suppliers to its workforce and the communities it serves as well. In 2017, SoCalGas invested more than $10 million in nearly 1,000 organizations across its service territory, benefitting in part underserved community groups in African American, Hispanic American, Asian Pacific American, and Native American communities.  In addition, the company’s diverse workforce of more than 7,500 employees includes 67 percent people of color.

More information about the CPUC’s Utility Supplier Diversity Program and its Supplier Clearinghouse is located at consumers.cpuc.ca.gov/supplierdiversity.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and Southern California. Its service territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more than 550 communities through 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition, natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.  

SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to being a leader in the region’s clean energy future. The company is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 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. 

# # #