Energy provider
Gold | Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy wants its residential and commercial customers to pay less and use less energy. It’s all part of the Minneapolis company’s work to usher in an era of renewable energy while building strong communities. Xcel is a natural-gas and electricity utility in eight states, working to provide 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050. Already it has 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy online, with plans to add another 15,000–20,000 megawatts by 2030. Xcel consults with customers of all kinds on making new and existing buildings energy-efficient, provides rebates for installing energy-efficient equipment, and offers demand-management programs to cut customers’ costs.
Silver | CenterPoint Energy
Bronze | Connexus Energy
Internet service provider
Gold | Xfinity by Comcast
Xfinity by Comcast provides those now-essential services everyone uses to stay connected: high-speed internet, mobile, cable television, and streaming. Comcast also offers some of these services to business customers, plus phone systems and security. With these lines of business, the company reaches hundreds of millions of customers and viewers worldwide. It staffs a customer service center in St. Paul and employs more than 1,300 in the state. A current expansion includes broadening the Xfinity network to seven Minnesota cities and launching NOW, a new portfolio that offers low-cost internet, mobile, and television.
Silver | CenturyLink
Bronze | Arvig
Mobile phone service provider
Gold | Verizon
A perennial on this list for nearly a decade, Verizon has been tough to beat. It is regularly named America’s most reliable 5G network according to RootMetrics, and it’s been favored by consumers for network quality 32 times in a row, according to J.D. Power. Formed in 2000, Verizon’s core purpose is giving people the ability to do more, including helping small business owners get a leg up through courses, live events, and grants. The company also works to do its part for communities, aiming to provide 10 million youths with digital skills training by 2030.
Silver | T-Mobile
Bronze | AT&T
