Wholesale Marketer Receives Retail Supplier License In New Expansion To Retail

The Public Utility Commission of Ohio granted Spire Marketing Inc. (SMI), formerly Laclede Energy Resources, a natural gas supplier license to serve all customer classes in all service areas.

SMI currently serves large end users, including industrial and commercial customers, as well as utilities and power plants, in the Midwest, Midcontinent and Gulf Coast regions of the country

SMI's expansion to retail supply had been exclusively first reported by EnergyChoiceMatters.com

SMI had said in its Ohio application that it plans on acquiring the majority of its prospective residential customers through the Columbia Gas Standard Choice Offer (SCO) auction programs. At a later stage, SMI said that it may expand its offerings to direct-mail campaigns and/or residential telemarketing. SMI may also utilize both digital marketing and outbound telemarketing to small commercial enterprises.

SMI buys and sells between 1.1 and 1.4 Bcf per day across its service areas

Earlier this year, John Grass joined Spire Marketing as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Origination

Grass, an industry veteran, previously served as Senior Director, Wholesale Origination at Sequent Energy Management, Vice President, Commodity & Trading Risk Management at Tyson Foods, Director, East Gas Trading at Mirant Americas Energy Marketing, and Director of Trading - Midwest Region at Columbia Energy Services Corp. Most recently, Grass served as Director, Marketing at Range Resources Appalachia LLC

Another market vet, Ben Conner, recently joined SMI as Director, Southeast Business Development. Conner's previous positions in energy marketing includes Director of Origination at DTE Energy