Atmos Energy Corporation Brings Job Stability and Commitment to Custom

    Business Editors/Energy Editors

    WACO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2005--Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) today dedicated its customer support center in Waco, Texas, pledging to provide quality jobs in the city while expanding its commitment to customer-service excellence.
    Atmos Energy's Waco Customer Support Center (CSC) should add approximately $185 million to the local economy over the next 10 years in salaries, purchases, taxes and capital spending, based on an analysis by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. More than 225 area residents currently are employed at the CSC, and the company plans to hire additional workers.
    "At Atmos Energy we are passionate about providing superior customer service, and it starts with a strong team of quality employees who are part of the community," said Robert W. Best, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Atmos Energy Corporation. "This facility will provide attractive, stable jobs for employees who share our commitment to serving our natural gas utility customers exceptionally well."
    Atmos Energy acquired the facility on April 1 from Capgemini Energy Partners, which had operated it for TXU Corp. Many of the center's employees, who were concerned their jobs would be eliminated through outsourcing to a foreign country, say they are pleased that Atmos Energy is committed to keeping its customer support centers in the United States.
    The Waco CSC handles approximately 10,000 calls a day from utility customers in Texas. Annually, the center is expected to respond to more than 3.5 million calls, making it the second largest of Atmos Energy's three call centers. In addition to 1,896 telephone lines at the 55,000-square-foot facility, state-of-the-art equipment was installed recently to provide faster customer service.
    "Today's dedication of our Waco Customer Support Center further demonstrates Atmos Energy's involvement in the communities where we live and serve customers," said Earl Fischer, Atmos Energy's senior vice president of utility operations and president of the Mid-Tex Division. "Customers can feel confident that they are talking to someone in this country who is highly trained to resolve their issue promptly, especially in an emergency."
    Atmos Energy has two other customer call centers -- in Amarillo, Texas and Metairie, La. -- to answer inquiries from its approximately 3.2 million customers across 12 states.
    "Atmos Energy appreciates the assistance of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, the City of Waco, McLennan County and the Waco Industrial Foundation in the acquisition of the Customer Support Center," said Doug Hill, Atmos Energy's public affairs manager for Waco. "Local support was instrumental in Atmos Energy taking over operations of the center and securing stable employment."
    Hill said Atmos Energy employees have a strong tradition of participating in many community activities in the more than 1,500 cities and towns the utility company serves. He said he is confident that the Waco CSC employees will be equally active participants in United Way, blood drives, medical research fundraising, the Waco Chamber and other activities.
    Atmos Energy Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, is the largest natural gas-only distributor in the United States, serving about 3.2 million utility customers. Atmos Energy's utility operations serve more than 1,500 communities in 12 states from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the East to the Rocky Mountains in the West. Atmos Energy's nonutility operations, organized under Atmos Energy Holdings, Inc., operate in 18 states. They provide natural gas marketing and procurement services to industrial, commercial and municipal customers and manage company-owned natural gas storage and pipeline assets, including one of the largest intrastate natural gas pipelines in Texas. For more information, visit www.atmosenergy.com.

--30--BD/da*

CONTACT: Atmos Energy Corporation, Dallas Media Contacts: Doug Hill, 254-662-7418 or Ray Granado, 214-875-2270 or Rand LaVonn, 972-855-3086 or Analysts Contact: Susan Kappes, 972-855-3729

KEYWORD: TEXAS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OIL/GAS ENERGY PRODUCT SOURCE: Atmos Energy Corporation

Copyright Business Wire 2005