Alagasco to Be Reimaged as Spire in 2017

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Business Council of Alabama member Alagasco will be reimaged as Spire in 2017 following former Laclede Group shareholder approval of the new name in April.

The Laclede Group became Spire on April 28 and its subsidiaries will transition during 2017, the company announced. Utilities and subsidiaries Alagasco, Laclede Gas, Missouri Gas Energy, Laclede Energy Resources, and Spire Natural Gas Fueling Solutions will keep their names and logos until they transition, Spire said.

By adding nearly 1 million customers over the last three years, Spire, which now serves 1.56 million customers, has become the fifth-largest publicly traded natural gas company in the United States.

L. Craig Dowdy, Spire’s senior vice president of external affairs, corporation communications and marketing, said the name is changing “because we are a growing company and we have multiple names in multiple locations.”

“We’re trying to unite under one name, and in this case it’s Spire, to bring all those companies together with one mission, one culture, one strategy to deliver energy … and through that process we put a downward pressure on the cost and rates, because anywhere there can be shared services between those three utilities, we do that,” Dowdy told Montgomery Business Journal.

“Our name unites our natural gas companies, better reflecting our growth and the company we have become,” said Suzanne Sitherwood, president and CEO of Spire. “Our focus remains the same – we work for people. We create solutions for tomorrow that connect us, and enrich the lives of every person we serve.”

The then-Laclede Group conducted an analysis before deciding on the name change, Dowdy said.

It’s not the first name change for Alagasco. In 1852, Montgomery Gas Light Co. acquired Birmingham Gas Light Co. and in 1948, Alabama Gas Co. and Birmingham Gas Co. merged to become Alabama Gas Corp. That company became Alagasco Inc. in 1978.

Spire is headquartered in St. Louis. “With all the pieces in place — a larger scale utility business, a focus on organic growth and investments in innovation — we see no limit to what our energy can do for our customers, employees, shareholders and communities,” Sitherwood said.

On the Web at www.SpireEnergy.com.