PECO’s dedication to business diversity is not only making an impact on economic growth across the Greater Philadelphia region but is also fostering success stories in local communities. In 2023, PECO had its best year ever for spend with diverse businesses, purchasing $597 million in goods and services from diversity-certified businesses, which accounted for 43% of its total yearly purchases and marked the most spent with diverse businesses in company history.
One such success story is that of William Bowie, a local business owner hailing from the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Through sheer determination and the support of programs like PECO’s Empowerment Academy, Bowie transformed his business, Empower Construction, into a thriving enterprise.
Business diversity is a key focus for PECO and its parent company Exelon. Programs like the Empowerment Academy mentor and educate smaller, diversity-certified businesses, helping them navigate large business processes and compete for contracts.
Since 2015, the Empowerment Academy has graduated 22 diversity-certified businesses, with nine graduating in 2023 alone. Bowie recently discussed the benefits of graduating from the Empowerment Academy stating, “When I first started Empower, I started with one pickup truck, now three years later today we have over 118 pieces of equipment.”
More on Empower Construction and Will’s journey in this video here:
PECO’s collaboration with diverse businesses and communities reflect a genuine desire to drive positive change and create opportunities for success. For more info visit: exeloncorp.com/suppliers.