U.S. Secretary of Commerce Honors Sempra Energy for Diversity Policies

Business Wire, Sept 22, 1998

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1998--Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE), the parent company of Southern California Gas Co, (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), received accolades for the second time in two months for the corporation's policies and programs on diversity, as U.S. Secretary of Commerce William Daley today presented Sempra Energy with an award for its achievements in supplier diversity.

"Our commitment to diversity has its roots in the progressive social policies and programs at our two utility companies -- SoCalGas and SDG&E," said Margot Kyd, senior vice president of administrative services for Sempra Energy, as she accepted the "Access to Markets Award" from the Minority Business Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The award was presented to Kyd by Commerce Secretary Daley and Cortland Cox, director of the Minority Business Development Agency, at that agency's annual conference in Washington, D.C. this week.

Last month Pacific Enterprises -- former parent of SoCalGas -- was named by "Fortune" Magazine as the top company for commitment to workforce and supplier diversity. Pacific Enterprises and Enova Corporation, the former parent of SDG&E, completed their merger in late June 1998 to form Sempra Energy.

"SoCalGas' and SDG&E's commitment to supplier and workforce diversity spans more than two decades," said Kyd. "It's our belief that the suppliers and employees of our company must reflect the markets and communities where we do business. This has been a smart business strategy and a sound social policy, and we intend to continue our programs in the future."

For both natural gas and non-gas purchases, SoCalGas and SDG&E achieved 15 percent -- or $187 million -- in minority purchases in 1997. When combined, minority- , women- and service disabled veteran-owned businesses accounted for more than 20 percent of the companies' purchases last year.

Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 12,000 employees, utility revenues of $5 billion and more than 6 million electric and gas meters serving 21 million consumers.

Through its eight principal subsidiaries -- Southern California Gas Company, San Diego Gas & Electric, Sempra Energy Solutions, Sempra Energy Trading, Sempra Energy International, Sempra Energy Resources, Sempra Energy Utility Ventures and Sempra Energy Financial -- Sempra Energy has operations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and other countries in Latin America.