ATLANTA, July 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As Southern Company (NYSE: SO) expands its business model to increase its natural gas presence, the company today unveiled a new corporate brand. The company also announced that its newest subsidiary, AGL Resources, has been renamed Southern Company Gas.
"Southern Company's recent growth in natural gas has expanded our business beyond electricity, providing an excellent opportunity to review our brand," said Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. "By adding Southern Company Gas while developing the full energy portfolio, Southern Company has doubled its customer base, expanded its footprint and broadened the scope of our business. Today we are a leading national energy company that is better positioned to deliver real solutions for customers."
Southern Company's electric utilities have served customers and communities in the Southeast for more than a century. With the recent merger with Southern Company Gas, the Southern Company system now operates in 18 states, serving more than 9 million customers, with a continued focus on creating real energy solutions to deliver clean, safe, reliable and affordable power.
Southern Company Gas is helping the Southern Company system best meet customers' energy needs today while providing for the development of tomorrow's energy infrastructure. For communities, the combined company is expanding its customer-focused business model. And for investors, the merger created a unique platform that is well-positioned to compete for growth across the energy value chain.
In addition, Southern Company recently acquired PowerSecure, a leader in distributed infrastructure development that specializes in the kinds of customer-facing energy solutions that are becoming increasingly important to many customers across America.
Southern Company's new brand represents the first design change in more than 20 years and is the result of research conducted by engaging employees, company leaders and other stakeholders as part of an extensive brand review.
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America's premier energy company, with 44,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput volume serving 9 million electric and gas utility customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric utilities in four states, natural gas distribution utilities in seven states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices that are below the national average. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing America's energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit of customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements, among other things, concerning the expected benefits of the merger, including potential future growth across the energy value chain. These forward-looking statements are often characterized by the use of words such as "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "believe," "may," "should," "will," "could," "continue" and the negative or plural of these words and other comparable terminology. Although Southern Company and Southern Company Gas believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, factors and assumptions regarding the items outlined above. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these expectations include, among other things, the following: the possibility that the anticipated benefits from the merger cannot be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the possibility that costs related to the integration of Southern Company and Southern Company Gas will be greater than expected; the credit ratings of the combined company or its subsidiaries may be different from what the parties expect; the ability to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with customers, suppliers or other business partners; the diversion of management time on integration-related issues; the impact of legislative, regulatory and competitive changes; and other risk factors relating to the energy industry, as detailed from time to time in each of Southern Company's and Southern Company Gas' reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Additional information about these factors and about the material factors or assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements may be found in the body of this release, as well as under Item 1.A. in each of Southern Company's and Southern Company Gas' Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. Southern Company and Southern Company Gas caution that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Southern Company and Southern Company Gas, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the transaction or other matters attributable to Southern Company or Southern Company Gas or any other person acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements referenced above. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this release. Neither Southern Company nor Southern Company Gas undertakes any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as may be required by law.
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SOURCE Southern Company