Calvin G. Butler Jr.
This June, a company, a city and an entire industry will observe a major milestone. BGE – Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, turns 200.
The company was founded as the Gas Light Company of Baltimore in 1816. Very few companies from 1816 are still around today, but this is not the only reason why this anniversary is significant. BGE’s predecessor was the very first gas company in the country.
The founding of the Gas Light Company in the city of Baltimore also marked the beginning of the utility industry – electric companies would not come into existence until much later in the century. BGE is excited to share our anniversary celebration with a city that has long been a place of innovation.
While the founders of the company were certainly visionary, they may not have quite imagined what BGE would look like today. I have been proudly serving as BGE’s CEO since March of 2014, and many have noted that I am the first Black person to hold this position. This would not have been possible when our company was founded. Having been around for 200 years, BGE has witnessed many challenging times in our country’s history. We have records of Blacks working at BGE since 1898, but we know that certain types of roles would not have been accessible until much later.
I am very mindful of those who came before me who helped make it possible for me to be in this role today. People like Camillus Wilson, BGE’s first Black meter reader who began working at the company in 1952. While this was more than 130 years after the company had been in existence, BGE has certainly made great strides in the ensuing decades. As we mark our 200th anniversary, I will remember Mr. Wilson, who retired from BGE in 1994 as manager of radio services, and the many others like him who literally changed the face of our company.
BGE’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is now evident at all levels of our internal operations as well as our external partnerships. Our workplace is reflective of the communities we serve and we have recruiting practices in place to ensure we are reaching a broad cross-section of candidates.
We also support a number of programs to develop, mentor and support under-resourced high school and college students to put them on a path to success. BGE donates almost $4 million dollars to community initiatives each year and almost 50 percent of these dollars go directly to organizations that focus on diverse communities.
BGE is also fast becoming an industry leader in supplier diversity. We understand that supporting small and community-based businesses creates new opportunities and stimulates growth for our region. Our “Focus 25” initiative to develop partnerships with regional minority, women and veteran-owned businesses now has 18 graduates. Last year, BGE purchased a total of $182 million in goods and services from diversity-certified suppliers, a $31-million increase over the previous year.
The theme of BGE’s 200th anniversary celebration is “Moving Smart Energy Forward.” Building on our legacy of innovation, we will continue to explore ways to improve and expand our services and community investments, so we can meet the rapidly changing needs of our customers.
We thank our customers in Baltimore and central Maryland for supporting us as your hometown company. We look forward to sharing this great occasion with you. We invite you to learn more about BGE’s 200th anniversary activities, including our planned legacy gifts to the community, by visiting www.bge200.com
Calvin G. Butler Jr. is the chief executive officer of Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE).