Joe Ward Named Alleghany District Manager
In Addition to Operations Manager Role
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
Sparta, North Carolina (January 28, 2004) – Joe Ward has been named district manager of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation’s Sparta office. His new position is a dual role he takes on in addition to his position as operations manager of the Sparta office.
Ward has been employed with Blue Ridge Electric for 20 years and has worked in the areas of operations and energy management. In his new dual role, Ward will provide a critical, front line role in member service and community involvement in addition to overseeing the technical work of the linemen, staking engineers, and other support staff.
Ward also supervises the Alleghany district office customer service staff where he focuses on leading the charge to provide the highest level of customer service to members in Alleghany County.
The position of district manager was recently created within the cooperative to signify Blue Ridge Electric’s commitment to customer service and community involvement.
“Joe has a long history in serving our members in Alleghany County and he is deeply committed to supporting and building his community,” said Beverly Finney, senior vice president of public and employee relations. “He has very strong customer service and operations staffs, which makes for a great team to serve the people of Alleghany County.”
Ward is a graduate of Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in community education. Ward is also a certified key accounts executive with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He is president-elect of the Alleghany Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Chamber’s education committee.
Ward and his wife, Lilith, have lived in Alleghany County for 22 years and are members of Christ Episcopal Church. They have two sons: Matthew, who lives in Atlanta, and Daniel, who lives in Raleigh.
Blue Ridge Electric is a not-for-profit member-owned electric cooperative, serving some 66,000 consumers in Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Caldwell, and Wilkes counties.
