We Energies Honored for Supplier Diversity

MILWAUKEE, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- We Energies has been honored by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) with two awards: the 2010 Supplier Diversity Innovation Award, in recognition of the company's innovative efforts to encourage diversity among its suppliers, and the Vendor Opportunity Award, honoring the company's commitment, encouragement and mentoring of minority- and women-owned businesses. Southern California Edison and Georgia Power Company were also EEI diversity award recipients this year.

"These electric companies deserve praise for their efforts to expand purchasing opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses," said EEI President Thomas R. Kuhn. "Their efforts to broaden their supplier base keep them among the most competitive electric and natural gas delivery companies in the country. Their efforts also help the U.S. electric power industry to be among the strongest industries in the world."

Electric companies earn the Supplier Diversity Innovation award by setting a standard for other companies to follow. We Energies earned the innovation award by creating a strong supplier diversity policy signed by Chairman, President and Chief Executive Gale Klappa and by successfully seeking out and using minority suppliers for its finance, investing, and banking services.

"Utilizing diverse suppliers makes good business sense," says Jerry Fulmer, director of the company's Supplier Diversity Initiative. "Through our Supplier Diversity Initiative, we are committed to building meaningful business relationships with minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned and service disabled-owned businesses. The objective is to encourage and promote the development, use and growth of a broad base of suppliers who want to provide quality products and services."

We Energies serves more than 1.1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula and more than 1 million natural gas customers in Wisconsin. We Energies is the trade name of Wisconsin Electric Power Company and Wisconsin Gas LLC, the principal utility subsidiaries of Wisconsin Energy Corporation (NYSE: WEC). Visit the We Energies Web site at www.we-energies.com. Learn more about Wisconsin Energy Corporation by visiting www.wisconsinenergy.com.

SOURCE We Energies