The growth of industry

PP&L powered the progress of industry in Pennsylvania by building a vast energy grid of transmission, substation and distribution infrastructure. Over the next 17 years, a total of 750 industries were encouraged to locate in towns and rural areas that PP&L served, creating more than 56,000 job opportunities for residents and increasing the demand for power.

World War II had a major impact on PP&L. Hundreds of employees left for the armed services and women often took their places in the office and power plants. By 1944, more than 1,000 male and female PP&L employees had been called to serve in the military. Before the war ended in 1945, more than 20 percent of the company’s pre-war workforce had performed military duties.

PP&L begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange in December 1945. The company has released a dividend in each quarter since 1946.