Business customers rank three Southern Company Gas utilities as their most trusted providers

ATLANTA, July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Three local distribution companies from Southern Company Gas have been named among the 2020 Most Trusted Business Partners in the utility industry, according to a Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Business study from Escalent. Chattanooga Gas, Nicor Gas and Virginia Natural Gas were ranked among the top 13 Most Trusted Business Partners as part of the annual nationwide survey, thanks in large part to their efforts to help businesses overcome the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our commitment to our customers and communities extends beyond the delivery of clean, safe, reliable and affordable natural gas," said Kim Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company Gas. "During these times of uncertainly, it is especially important that customers are certain their energy needs will be met. We have increased communications with them, added flexible payment options and new financial assistance offerings, and partnered with local nonprofits to support essential programs and services. It is an honor to see our employees' hard work and care for their neighbors reflected in this feedback from our customers."

Among six components that make up the study's Brand Trust Index score, customer engagement and business community support saw the greatest increases due to how utilities have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with financial help and philanthropic work. At Southern Company Gas, that additional support included a new COVID-19 Business Resource Center, which was created to help small businesses navigate new resources available from the company, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Department of the Treasury and other organizations. Citing this type of initiative, Escalent found business customers now rate their utility as their most trusted service provider overall, outranking their primary bank and all other vendors.

Chattanooga Gas and Virginia Natural Gas ranked first and second, respectively, among all utilities in the South region, and Nicor Gas ranked second among utilities in the Midwest region. This is the second year Southern Company Gas local distribution companies have participated in the survey, with customers from all three businesses awarding them higher Brand Trust Index scores year over year.

The study from Escalent, a top human behavior and analytics firm, based its findings on a survey of 14,583 business electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 77 largest U.S. utility companies (based on customer counts).

For more information about Southern Company Gas and its commitment to its customers and communities that are served across four states, please visit southerncompanygas.com.

About Southern Company Gas
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America's premier energy company.  Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.2 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states and approximately 700,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines, asset management for natural gas wholesale customers and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.

About Chattanooga Gas
Chattanooga Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Chattanooga Gas provides retail natural gas sales and transportation services to approximately 66,000 customers in Hamilton and Bradley counties in southeast Tennessee. The Chattanooga Gas service area includes the communities of Chattanooga, Cleveland, Red Bank, East Ridge, Lookout Mountain and Signal Mountain. For more information, please see chattanoogagas.com.

About Nicor Gas 
Nicor Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Nicor Gas serves more than 2.2 million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. For more information, visit www.nicorgas.com.

About Virginia Natural Gas
Virginia Natural Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Virginia Natural Gas provides natural gas service to nearly 300,000 customers in southeast Virginia. Virginia Natural Gas has been recognized as one of the safest, most reliable and customer-focused natural gas service providers and is consistently ranked in the top quartile for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates. In 2018, Virginia Natural Gas was named Local Distribution Company of the Year by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and the Virginia Oil and Gas Association for the third consecutive year. For more information, visit virginianaturalgas.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Southern Company Gas

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