* Industry-leading publication highlights BGE as a "Top Utility in Economic Development"
BALTIMORE -- In recognition of BGE's efforts to support economic growth and job creation in central Maryland, Site Selection magazine named the energy company to its annual list of Top 20 utilities in economic development.
Selected from more than 3,300 electric companies across the country, BGE is among the top one percent of all utility economic development teams.
"We are honored to be recognized for the work we do to support Maryland's economic success and bring more opportunity to the people and businesses in the communities we serve," said Rodney Oddoye, BGE's senior vice president of governmental and external affairs. "BGE's economic development efforts and support of like-minded groups spur economic growth through strengthening existing industries and attracting new business to the region, bolstering existing jobs and creating more opportunity for the entire community."
In recognizing the energy company, the magazine cites actions taken by BGE that are key factors in Maryland's economic growth, including:
Completing the most successful year to date for the Smart Energy for Economic Development (SEED) incentive program, which provides discounts on service extension and distribution charges for new and expanding customers in BGE's territory. For the program year ending July 31, 2020 BGE incentivized 36 projects (most in SEED's 5-year history), supported the creation of approximately 5,000 jobs, and distributed over $1.4 million in discounts.
Pledging $15 million to assist Maryland's small businesses with COVID-19 relief and recovery, offering eligible businesses a $20,000 Energizing Small Business Grant.
Playing an influential role in the passage of legislation that will pave the way for data center development in Maryland by engaging the MD Chamber of Commerce to mobilize a coalition of stakeholders that successfully advocated for the bill.
Supporting aggressive business attraction and infrastructure build-out for several high-profile projects at TradePoint Atlantic, and completing a new, state-of-the-art substation to support the current and future needs of the site.
"We're very proud to see BGE recognized for its work supporting the important work of economic development in Maryland," said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz. "We are grateful for BGE's partnership and commitment to bringing new opportunities and new prosperity to our state, especially as our small businesses faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Congratulations to the BGE team!"
To read the full article in Site Selection magazine, visit https://siteselection.com/issues/2021/sep/unstoppable-this-year-s-top-utilities.cfm.
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BGE is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility, providing safe and reliable energy delivery to more than 1.3 million electric customers and more than 680,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company was founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and remains headquartered in Baltimore City to this day. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Engage with the latest BGE stories on bgenow.com and connect with BGE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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