Blue Ridge Bestows Honors on Award-Winning Employees
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Corporate Communications, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager:1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Boone, North Carolina (October 20, 2000) - Television has the Emmys, music has the Grammys—and now Blue Ridge Electric has its own Spirit and Touchstone Overall Excellence awards to recognize outstanding employees for their contributions to the cooperative, its subsidiary Blue Ridge Energies, and the communities they serve.
Three very special individuals are going down in Blue Ridge history as the first recipients of the newly created awards, which are truly “peer honors” awarded by and to employees of the cooperative and its subsidiary. The three winners had to meet strict criteria set forth earlier in the year by an employee committee charged with establishing the new awards. Nominations were taken in September, and names of the three award winners were kept top secret until the announcement during the Blue Ridge employee service awards celebration held Saturday evening, Oct. 14, at Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone.
Winner of the Blue Ridge Spirit Award
Jane Ashley, Operations Service Coordinator in Watauga County, is the recipient of the Blue Ridge Spirit Award. Jane resides in Boone with her husband, Tommy, and daughter Nicole. She also has a daughter, Amy, who lives overseas.
The Spirit Award is given to an employee of either the cooperative or its subsidiary who best demonstrates the heart and soul of the Blue Ridge companies and the mission of service they were founded upon. Exemplifying that “service to people is the greatest work in life” is a key to this award. The recipient must also demonstrate an outstanding contribution to meeting company goals and objectives, be willing to lend a helping hand to other employees, and be a leader in building team spirit and morale among co-workers.
Jane has been employed by Blue Ridge Electric for 16 years. Her current duties are focused on meeting customer needs and coordinating internal operations at the Watauga district office. Nomination comments are testament to her dedication and skills:
“Jane has always been a leader in the Watauga office—always a morale booster. Jane has the respect of all the men and women who have ever had the privilege of working with her…Her ‘can do’ attitude and teamwork makes her a high performer…Jane has led our district’s community fundraisers for United Way and Relay for Life; when we or our kids bring in items for school/church fund raisers, Jane is always first to participate and make recommendations on how to sell more—her enthusiasm is more than just business, she takes our business and her co-workers (personally)…Jane has been so involved in Blue Ridge’s many endeavors to help the community—she’s as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside…Her work ethic has helped others do a better job; maybe the best thing she does for us is getting us back in line when we start to waiver—she helps us achieve our goals as well as gives members the time and attention they deserve…Jane’s knowledge is outstanding—she can communicate with customers, staking crews, operations (employees), linemen, the (operations manager) and mechanics all at one time.
In honor of her recognition, Jane received a hand formed Steuben “Star Stream” crystal award on an engraved black marble base. She also was given a cash award.
Two Winners of the Touchstone Overall Excellence Awards
Two Touchstone Overall Excellence Awards were also announced Saturday. These awards are designed to give special recognition to two employees—one from Blue Ridge Electric and one from Blue Ridge Energies—who demonstrate exceptional customer service, accountability, and operational excellence.
The recipients of this award are selected for meeting strict criteria, including responding to customer needs in a timely manner, finding new and innovative ways of meeting customer and co-worker needs, and helping build relationships with those we serve at Blue Ridge Electric and Blue Ridge Energies. Winners will also demonstrate honesty and integrity, have a strong commitment to their fellow co-workers, and will have made valuable contributions to the company and those they work with.
Winner of the Blue Ridge Energies Touchstone Overall Excellence Award is Morris Critcher, lead service technician at the Blue Ridge Energies Watauga office. Morris lives in Boone with his wife Linda. He has two daughters, Tracy and Ashley.
Morris—better known as “Critch”—came to Blue Ridge Energies a year after the cooperative formed its subsidiary company in 1998 to offer propane, heating fuels and commercial gasoline. When he joined Blue Ridge Energies, Critch had a long history of excellent customer service and he has continued that tradition in his work at Blue Ridge.
Nomination comments include: “Critch has a ‘can do’ attitude which sets him apart from many people; he is an employee that always go the extra mile for a customer and the company—he loves his job and Blue Ridge…I believe he sets his goals higher than believable and then works to achieve them…He works daily to help others understand propane and all that goes with it…Any problem—he smiles, he explains, he solves; he is extremely knowledgeable in his job…His ability and desire to give good customer service is excellent…If I were starting a business, Critch is one of the first persons I would want to hire; we are fortunate to have an employee like Critch.”
Morris received a “Celestial” crystal award as a symbol of appreciation as well as a cash award.
The winner of the Blue Ridge Electric Touchstone Overall Excellence Award is Cornelia Cornell, whose career has spanned over 40 years with the cooperative. Cornelia lives in Lenoir with her husband, Louis, and son, David.
Cornelia, whose career with Blue Ridge began in 1959, serves as desktop publishing specialist for Blue Ridge Electric. The duties she performs are critical to the professional image of the company and she plays an important role in helping co-workers achieve their goals and objectives, especially in the area of communications, event planning, and publications production.
Nomination comments for Cornelia include: “They say angels are all around us and Cornelia Cornell is one of those gentle and genuinely good people so rare in this day and time…I don’t believe ‘no’ is in her vocabulary and I’ve never seen her not smiling…I have never worked with anyone who has more of a ‘servant’s heart’ than Cornelia…You never have to question her honesty and integrity...they demonstrate themselves in her work and the way she interacts with everyone around her…She always puts forth her very best effort; she goes above and beyond to get the job done and never complains; she always completes her responsibilities as quickly as possible…Never idle..always working hard…She is always willing to help whenever you ask.”
Cornelia was recognized with a “Celestial” crystal award displaying a myriad of stars in motion. She also received a cash award.
The Blue Ridge Spirit and Touchstone Overall Excellence Awards will be awarded annually to deserving employees of Blue Ridge Electric and Blue Ridge Energies. All employees are eligible to nominate their co-workers, and an employee committee with representation across both companies vote by blind ballot to select the winners.
“The new Blue Ridge awards are part of our effort to recognize the valuable contributions our employees make every day to the operations of our companies and to the members and customers of Blue Ridge Electric and Blue Ridge Energies,” said Doug Johnson, chief executive officer of the cooperative and its subsidiary. “We value all our employees,” added Johnson, who presented the awards during the company’s employee service awards celebration Saturday evening. “It is our intent to honor employees by setting aside a special time each year to recognize those who are truly outstanding in the eyes of their peers for demonstrating the commitment to service that our companies were founded upon.”
Blue Ridge Electric is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving over 60,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Wilkes and Alexander counties. Its subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, provides propane, heating fuels, and wholesale gasoline to a growing territory from offices in Lenoir, Morganton, Boone and West Jefferson.
