From the bluestone houses of the Huguenots to the manufacturing plants of IBM, utility holding company CH Energy powers New York state's Hudson Valley. Its Central Hudson Gas & Electric unit provides electricity to 300,000 electric and 75,000 natural gas customers in eight counties located in Mid-Hudson River Valley, and delivers natural gas and electricity in a 2,600-square-mile service area that runs from New York City in the south, to Albany. Subsidiary CHEC oversees CH Energy Group's nonregulated businesses in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including petroleum product distribution (Griffith Energy Services), and energy management services. In 2013 it was acquired by Fortis in a $1.5 billion deal.