July 3, 2003
Utility advances to 6th position in Fortune’s annual workplace diversity survey.
ROSEMEAD, Calif., July 3, 2003—Call it 6 for 6: for the sixth consecutive year, Southern California Edison (SCE) has ranked in the top tier of Fortune magazine’s annual list of the top 50 companies in America for ethnic minorities, moving up a notch from last year to sixth position. In the area of procurement and supplier diversity, the utility ranked among the top five for its spending with minority-owned vendors.
“This national recognition is indeed significant, as it acknowledges our company’s commitment to develop a workforce of first-rate professionals that not only embraces diversity but also reflects our varied customer base,“ said SCE Chairman John Bryson. “Diversity enriches the workplace and makes SCE a richer environment for creativity and innovation. It’s just good business.”
In conducting its annual workplace diversity poll, the magazine surveyed the Fortune 1000 and the 200 largest privately held U.S. companies. Numerous factors were used, including workforce representation, spending with minority-owned businesses, and a variety of employee programs. Fortune noted that “despite a sluggish economy, progress towards diversity in the American workplace has not slowed down, and minority participation in business staffing and leadership is on the rise.
At SCE, ethnic minorities make up 43.6% of the work force, 28.5% of senior officials, managers and high-level professionals, and 49.3% of new hires.
“We view diversity far beyond the numbers,” said Frank Quevedo, SCE vice president for diversity. “We well recognize the value of providing a work environment where all employees have the opportunity to reach their full potential. This is our ongoing commitment.”
Being recognized by Fortune for the sixth straight year as one of the best places for ethnic minorities to work is only the latest distinction earned by SCE for its diversity efforts within and outside of the workplace. SCE’s other recognitions include:
- 2002: Catalyst recognized SCE and its parent company, Edison International, for the representation of women in their executive ranks.
- 2001: a coalition of organizations led by the Greenlining Institute, a leading multi-ethnic, public policy center based in San Francisco, identified SCE as having one of the most successful supplier diversity programs in America.
- 2001, 2000: NEXT STEP magazine ranked SCE among the top companies in America for workplace diversity.
- 2001, 2000, 1999: LATINA Style magazine named SCE one of the “50 best companies for Latinas to work for in the U.S.”
- 1999: A. Magazine recognized SCE for providing one of “the best work environments for Asian Americans” and named the utility as one of the nation’s top five Fortune 500 companies for Asian Americans.
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An Edison International company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 12 million via 4.5 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California.
