Bethany Ruhe of Direct Energy Honored as Gold Stevie Award Winner in 2013 American Business Awards

Winners in first of two ABA awards events were presented on June 17 in Chicago

Pittsburgh, PA (June 18, 2013) – Bethany Ruhe, senior manager of external relations for Direct Energy, was presented with a Gold Stevie® Award in the Communications Professional of the Year category at The 11th Annual American Business Awards in Chicago last night. Direct Energy also took home the Silver Stevie® Award for Public Relations video, category Other, for its Energy Zombies video campaign.

The American Business Awards are the nation's premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private – for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for "crowned," the trophies were presented to honorees during a gala banquet on Monday, June 17 at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park Hotel. More than 500 nominees and their guests attended. The presentations will be broadcast by the Business TalkRadio Network on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

The 2013 American Business Awards will be presented at two awards events: Monday's banquet in Chicago, and at the new products & tech awards event on Monday, September 16 in San Francisco.

More than 3,200 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Most Innovative Company of the Year, Management Team of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.

Via the Energy Zombies video campaign, Direct Energy wants to help people avoid a zombie apocalypse in their homes by not senselessly using energy. "The creative thinking shown by Bethany and all those involved on the Energy Zombies project was truly innovative," said Micah Hirschfield, director of external relations for Direct Energy. "Bethany should be congratulated for her hard work on not only the Energy Zombies video campaign, but all of her professional accomplishments during her four years at Direct Energy."

Stevie Award winners were selected by more than 320 executives nationwide who participated in the judging process this year.

"This year's American Business Awards was outsized in every way," said Michael Gallagher, Stevie Awards founder and president. "More entries and more judges than ever before, and I'd have to say the most impressive collection of nominations we've ever received. We congratulate all of this year's Stevie winners for their outstanding work."

Details about The American Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners who were announced on June 17 are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About Direct Energy

Direct Energy is one of North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with more than 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE:CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada.

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. A fifth program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, will debut this year. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors and partners of The 2013 American Business Awards include the Business TalkRadio Network, Callidus Software, Citrix Online, Dynamic Research Corporation, Experian Consumer Services, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, and SoftPro.

For more information, please contact:

Andrea Romo
Direct Energy
412.334.9510
Andrea.Romo@directenergy.com