SAN FRANCISCO, April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has been named Corporation of the Year for the second year in a row by the Northern California Minority Supplier Development Council (NCMSDC) for the utility's consistently strong commitment to minority business development.

During an award presentation on April 6 in San Francisco, more than 40 companies and certified minority business enterprises (MBEs) competed for 11 distinguished awards. In addition to the Corporation of the Year award, PG&E's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Kent Harvey won Executive of the Year award for his support of a corporate-wide minority business development program.

"In these challenging economic times, the inclusion of minority businesses in the procurement process demonstrates an enduring commitment to diversity and community development," said Scott Vowels, President of NCMSDC. "Such commitment only comes with top-down support and genuine corporate stewardship. I commend Pacific Gas and Electric Company and all the winners of NCMSDC's 2011 Excellence in Supplier Diversity Awards for their ongoing leadership."

PG&E recently announced that it achieved an all-time high of $1.61 billion in spending with diverse suppliers in 2011, accounting for 36.6 percent of its total procurement budget. PG&E's total spending on minority-owned business enterprises also reached an all-time high of $1 billion, an increase of $335 million or 49.1 percent over 2010.

"These results would not be possible without the support of our employees, customers, diverse suppliers and the communities we serve every day," said Kent Harvey, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PG&E Corporation. "We are privileged to be recognized by NCMSDC and excited about our continued partnership to identify opportunities and provide support to the minority business community."

Nominated by PG&E, OneSource Supply Solutions, LLC, a minority-owned business enterprise, was one of the recipients of the Minority Supplier of the Year Award for its services, growth in sales, job creation, community giveback, MBE-to-MBE spend, and involvement with NCMSDC.

"By contracting with PG&E since 2006, we have been able to hire 15 employees to work at our warehouse in Oakland, plus an additional five employees who manage our remote inventory sites for PG&E's solar photovoltaic initiative. This clearly exemplifies PG&E's ongoing effort to invest in the communities it serves," said Bob Zamarripa, president and founder of OneSource Supply Solutions, LCC, a company specializing in providing electrical materials, electronic components, industrial automation, lighting, switchgear, manufacturing and subassembly as well as utility products and supply chain services.

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 NCMSDC
Founded in 1978, the Northern California Minority Supplier Development Council (NCMSDC) is a non-profit organization that promotes minority participation in the procurement process to create economic wealth in minority business communities in Northern California, Hawaii, and the nation. It provides the only nationally-recognized Ethnic Minority Business Certification in Northern California and Hawaii and connects certified Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs) with NCMSDC Corporate Members, including many of America's largest publicly-owned, privately-owned, and foreign-owned companies, as well as universities, hospitals, and other buying institutions. For more information, visit [ www.ncmsdc.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

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PG&E Named Corporation of the Year for Supporting Minority Business Development

PG&E Named Corporation of the Year for Supporting Minority Business Development

Utility Recognized for Spending $1 Billion on Minority Suppliers, and Its Corporate Commitment to Diversity and Community Development