Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), has successfully closed a $600 million debt offering – its largest debt issuance in the history of the company and its first since it merged with Duke Energy. This transaction, which involved three disabled-veteran-owned banks as co-underwriters to sell the notes, aligns with Duke Energy’s practice of routinely involving diversity-owned financial institutions in its capital raising efforts. Over the past three years, the company has worked with firms representing various backgrounds, including women-owned, African American-owned, disabled-veteran-owned and Hispanic-owned banks.