Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) hosted 700 diverse business leaders from 33 states at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Justice and Equity’s second annual Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Connect Summit on April 17-18, 2024, at the company’s Energy Resource Center (ERC) in Downey, California.
This was the first time the summit was held on the West Coast to connect MBEs with the DOE and more than 40 other state and federal agencies including prime government contractors, financial institutions and nonprofits.
“We’re here today to advance a mission that is incredibly important to me, which is deepening the Department of Energy’s work with minority-owned businesses. It’s a top priority for two simple reasons: first, it’s a smart thing to do, and then, it’s the right thing to do. It’s of course the smart thing because the clean energy transition is only going to succeed if it’s led by businesses like yours,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in a video message to conference attendees. “We need your expertise, we need your creativity, and, above all, we need your drive. I think working more closely with minority-owned businesses is also the right thing to do because the incredible economic opportunity of clean energy doesn’t mean much unless it’s broadly shared.”
The first day of the summit featured a fireside chat with Maryam Brown, president of SoCalGas, and Daymond John, CEO of the Shark Group, CEO and founder of FUBU, a presidential ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, and co-star of ABC’s Shark Tank, that focused on how businesses can make the right pitch to grow and amplify their brand.
Attendees also received a welcome from Vice President Kamala Harris, who sent a congratulatory letter to summit attendees.
The DOE selected SoCalGas to host the summit because of the company’s leadership in diverse spending through its long-recognized Supplier Diversity Program.
In 2023, SoCalGas surpassed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Supplier Diversity Program goal for the 31st straight year by working with 618 diverse firms and subcontractors with over $1 billion spent, amounting to 44% of the company’s total procurement with women, minority, disabled veteran, and LGBT-owned businesses. This achievement was reached through the company’s continuing efforts to help increase the pool of diverse suppliers through broad outreach and education.
SoCalGas’ ASPIRE 2045 sustainability strategy includes a goal of achieving 45% spending with diverse business enterprises by 2025 and a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the company’s operations and delivery of energy by 2045, as well as goals related to safety, diversity, equity and inclusion, and investment in underserved communities.
At the ERC, attendees can tour SoCalGas’ H2 Innovation Experience, an innovative microgrid with the first clean hydrogen-powered microgrid and home model in North America. The ERC was also the first building in California to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “green building” recognition and is a model of advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive building technology.
The MBE Connect Summit includes the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Los Angeles Minority Business Development Agency Center, managed by the Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE). Sponsors include Primoris Service Corporation, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Hal Hayes Construction Inc., and E2 Consulting Engineers Inc.