SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Women's History Month, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and its Women's Network Employee Resource Group (ERG) will join several events throughout March to recognize and celebrate the history and achievement of women within PG&E and in the communities the utility proudly serves.
"Women's History Month and International Women's Day celebrate women of all ages, races, cultures and ethnic traditions, and their contributions to history," said Helen Burt, senior vice president of Customer Care, chief customer officer at PG&E and sponsoring officer of the Women's Network ERG. "As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we are proud to recognize the invaluable women who help us deliver safe, reliable, and affordable gas and electric service to our customers."
PG&E has served and engaged with California's diverse communities for more than 100 years. To better reflect the communities it serves, PG&E is committed to advancing diversity in its workforce. PG&E employs more than 5,800 female employees, accounting for more than 28 percent of its total workforce. The percentage of women at PG&E continues to trend above the average (25.1 percent) for electric and gas utilities in the country. PG&E also continues to train and build future female leaders by partnering with workforce development organizations.
Since 2004, women and men in PG&E's Women's Network ERG have contributed significantly to enhancing an inclusive culture within PG&E, and have taken an active role in the community. The group has awarded over $200,000 in scholarships to college-bound high school seniors who display equal strength in leadership and community services, and students who pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees.
In addition, PG&E is committed to integrating more women-owned businesses into its supply chain. PG&E recently announced that it achieved an all-time high of $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 women-owned business enterprises also reached an all-time high of $659 million, an increase of $145 million over 2011. The utility's total spending with minority-women-owned businesses reached $398 million, an increase of $115 million over 2011.
For information on PG&E's diversity and inclusion efforts and the company's supplier diversity program, visit www.pge.com/about/company/diversityinclusion/.
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)