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Virginia Natural Gas named Utility Business Customer Champion in national study of utility engagement

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Dec. 20, 2021 – Virginia Natural Gas (VNG) has been recognized as one of the top utilities for best-in-class business customer engagement in a leading study of utility industry customer experience, released by Escalent, a top human behavior and analytics firm.

The study, Cogent Syndicated 2021 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Business, included VNG among 29 Utility Business Customer Champions for utilities that scored highest nationally in service satisfaction, brand and product experiences.

“At Virginia Natural Gas, we keep our customers at the center of everything we do,” said Robert Duvall, president of Virginia Natural Gas. “We believe that progress begins with understanding the needs of the people and businesses we serve so we can strengthen those relationships and help businesses manage their energy needs. This recognition solidifies the hard work accomplished by our dedicated employees to fuel the comfort, growth and potential of those we serve with clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy.”

Among business customers surveyed, utilities now tie with other premier business service providers, such as primary banks, Google and Amazon, for having the most engaged relationships. Another key conclusion from the study is that greater outreach, innovative offerings and brand trust have led businesses to engage with their utility and want to engage even more.

The results of Escalent’s findings are based on a 2021 survey of more than 16,600 business and natural gas utility customers from 81 U.S. utility companies. Business customers rated outreach to local communities high in the survey, causing a spike in brand strength, as half of the businesses prefer to use their utility for consumption management and expanded energy-related offerings.

Earlier this year, VNG was named one of the 24 Trusted Business Partners in the nation for business customer engagement, also by Escalent.   
For more information about Virginia Natural Gas, visit www.virginianaturalgas.com.

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About Virginia Natural Gas
Virginia Natural Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Virginia Natural Gas provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable natural gas service to more than 300,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in southeast Virginia. Consistently ranked in the top quartile for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, the company also has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Energy and the Virginia Oil and Gas Association for its safety, innovation, environmental stewardship, community outreach and educational programs, and has been named Local Distribution Company of the Year five times since 2015. The company has been ranked by its business customers as one of the most Trusted Business Partners in the utility industry according to Cogent Reports, and as a Top Workplace in Hampton Roads by Inside Business. For more information, visit virginianaturalgas.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Nextdoor.

About Southern Company Gas
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.3 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with approximately 666,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.

Media Contact
Rick DelaHaya
o: 757.616.7510 | c: 757.323.7366
rdelahay@southernco.com | www.virginianaturalgas/pressroom