Ambit Energy, a national retail energy provider, announced today that it passed 500,000 active customers in the first quarter of 2011. Named the fastest-growing privately held company in 2010 by Inc. magazine, Ambit Energy has expanded into 15 deregulated energy markets in only five short years. "Our customer count increased 73 percent in 2010, and we are on track to match that pace in 2011," said Ambit Energy CMO and co-founder Chris Chambless. "We've always been committed to providing our customers the best value in the retail energy industry, and reaching 500,000 active customers proves that our strategy is and will continue to work as we expand into seven additional markets later this year." Said Jere Thompson Jr., Ambit Energy CEO: "From the day we launched, our commitment has always been to be the finest and most-respected retail energy provider in America. We will continue to provide affordable electricity and gas, offer free energy through our customer referral program and will do all we can to support our Independent Consultants and to help them succeed."

As a retail energy provider, Ambit Energy buys power wholesale and resells it to retail customers. Customers are acquired by the company's team of more than 130,000 Independent Consultants nation-wide. Ongoing customer relationships are supported by a people-focused, U.S.-based customer care center utilizing the company's patent-pending technology platform, Bluenet®, which manages all aspects of the customer life-cycle, from utility transactions between customers and transmission providers to web-based account management tools that include tracking and reporting customer referrals for Ambit's free energy program.