and Utilization from Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance (WBEA) of Houston honored Reliant Energy with its Corporate Cutting Edge Award for Outstanding Growth and Utilization.
The Cutting Edge Awards are given to corporate partners who demonstrate their commitment by increasing the amount they spend with women-owned business enterprises (WBEs) and by the number of WBE organizations they partner with on projects. Reliant received the award due to its 414 percent increase in spending and a 36 percent jump in conducting business with WBEs based on 2005-2006 figures. The WBEA recognized its most committed corporate partners at its recent Annual Recognition & Scholarship Luncheon held at the InterContinental Hotel in Houston.
“In an age of increasing industry consolidations and decreasing suppliers, what Reliant Energy achieved was truly an accomplishment,” said Susan Repka, executive director of the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance. “Their increases in spending and in partnering with other women-owned businesses shows those companies such as Reliant see the benefits and value in partnering with a diverse supplier network.”
“Reliant Energy recognizes and values diversity within our supplier base. We are proud to accept WBEA’s Cutting Edge Award for Outstanding Growth and Utilization. Reliant Energy’s supplier diversity initiative helps us reach a broad spectrum of high-quality and strategic business partners,” said Rick Seese, vice president, Maintenance Services, at Reliant Energy, Inc., in Southpointe, Penn. “This commitment ensures that small, minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and disadvantaged business enterprises have access to contracting opportunities at Reliant.”
About Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance
Established in 1995 and headquartered in Houston, The Women's Business Enterprise Alliance works to increase the opportunities and growth of women-owned businesses within a 94-county Texas region. WBEA members are actively involved in developing programs and designing activities that meet the specific needs of women-owned enterprises. Since its inception, the organization has doubled its membership, established scholarship and mentoring programs, and has become one of the of the nation's leading certifiers of women-owned businesses.
The Women's Business Enterprise Alliance, a nationally recognized purchasing council, is a pacesetter in helping women business enterprises grow and develop. WBEA is strongly committed to increasing opportunities for women-owned businesses and providing qualified suppliers to corporate and government purchasers.
About Reliant Energy
Reliant Energy, Inc. (NYSE:RRI) based in Houston, Texas, provides electricity and energy services to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. In Texas, the company provides service to more than 1.8 million retail electricity customers, including residential and small business customers and commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional customers. Reliant also serves commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional customers in the PJM (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland) market. The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the nation with approximately 16,000 megawatts of power generation capacity across the United States. These strategically located generating assets utilize natural gas, fuel oil and coal. For more information, visit http://www.reliant.com.
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