For the second consecutive year, American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has been named the most “adoption-friendly workplace” in the energy and utilities sector by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

AEP reimburses employees up to $3,000 per child for eligible adoption-related expenses and provides up to 40 hours of paid leave for new adoptive parents. Fifty-four employees have benefited from AEP’s Adoption Assistance program during the past three years.

“AEP strives to be a family-friendly workplace, and we continuously seek new and better ways to fulfill that goal,” said Mary Cofer, AEP’s director of diversity and culture. “The adoption process can involve significant expenses, and we’re pleased to help defray these costs for our employees who adopt children.

“We are truly honored to receive this recognition from the Dave Thomas Foundation again this year,” Cofer said.

Data from more than 900 employers nationwide was used to compile the foundation’s annual rankings of adoption-friendly workplaces. The rankings are based on the maximum amount of financial reimbursement and paid leave per adoption.

In addition to AEP, the list of the top five energy/utility companies for 2008 includes BHP Billiton, Cleco Corp., PJM Interconnection and the Salt River Project.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit, public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America’s foster care systems. The late Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s Restaurants and an adopted child, created the foundation in 1992.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment