Other companies may come and go, Kelley said. But AES Ohio — known for most of its existence as Dayton Power & Light — has stuck around.
“We’re very proud and fortunate to have that long-lasting relationship,” Kelley said. “They have been an ideal partner.”
Annually, AES Ohio employees participate in their workplace giving campaign to support services and United Way programs across Dayton, and the company says its employees also have a volunteer track record with United Way.
Since 1995, the utility has invested nearly $8.8 million through employee giving, corporate gifts and the AES Ohio Foundation.
AES Ohio on Wednesday hosted an employee event with United Way which included a car show — featuring cars vintage and not-so-vintage — a volunteer fair and opportunities to mingle.
“It’s tremendously unusual in this day and time to have a partner who survives that long,” Kelley said in an interview. “We see a lot of things at the United Way. We see campaigns that come and go, we see relationships that come and go. It’s tremendously important to have a foundational partner like AES Ohio.”
“At AES Ohio, we pride ourselves on being more than a local power company,” utility President Tom Raga said in a statement. “We are building sustainable, resilient communities through partnerships such as the United Way.”
After 110 years as Dayton Power & Light, the Dayton electric utility rebranded as AES Ohio in early 2021. About a decade earlier, Arlington, Va.-based AES Corp. acquired DPL Inc. in a $4.7 billion deal.
Electric service first came to Dayton with a power plant and electric street lighting operated by the Dayton Electric Light Co in 1883.
By 1911, the Hills and Dales Railway Co. bought two competing Dayton utilities, bringing all of Dayton’s electric service under one roof. It was renamed the Dayton Power and Light Co.
Today, AES Ohio serves more than 520,000 customer accounts, representing about 1.25 million people in West Central Ohio.
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