Blue Ridge Bestows Elite Honors on Employees
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213; Pager: 1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Lenoir, North Carolina, (May 17, 2007) – It was a night for “the stars” at Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation and Blue Ridge Energies as four employees were honored recently with the company’s top awards during the annual employee service and special awards celebration held recently at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone.
Recipients were: Touchstone Overall Excellence Award for Blue Ridge Electric: Beverly Poole of Alleghany County; Touchstone Overall Excellence Award for Blue Ridge Energies: John Miller; Blue Ridge Spirit Award: Gary Critcher of Ashe County; Commitment to Community Award: Kay Sexton of Ashe County.
“Our four special awards are the highest honor a Blue
Ridge employee can receive because the winners are nominated and selected by their co-workers,” said Julie O-Dell-Michie, vice president of human resources
and administration.
Two Touchstone Overall Excellence Awards are awarded annually to give special recognition to two employees—
one from Blue Ridge Electric and one from Blue Ridge Energies—who demonstrate exceptional customer service and operational expertise. The recipients of this award are selected for meeting stringent criteria including responding to consumer needs, finding new and innovative ways of meeting consumer and co-worker needs, and helping build employee, member and customer relationships.
The Commitment to Community award is awarded annually to the employee who best demonstrates Touchstone Energy and Blue Ridge values for outstanding leadership in local communities. Award winners demonstrate a “servant’s heart and attitude” and have a reputation for honesty, integrity, and for building morale and team spirit among co-workers as well as within their community.
The Spirit Award is given annually to the employee who best demonstrates the heart and soul of the Blue Ridge companies and the mission of service they were founded upon. Exemplifying “service to people as the greatest work in life” is a key attribute of this award winner.
Blue Ridge Electric is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving some 70,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Alexander counties. Its subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, provides propane and heating fuels from offices in Lenoir, Boone, West Jefferson, Sparta, Conover, and Newland. Showrooms featuring gas logs, stoves, fireplaces and heaters are located in each of the four Blue Ridge Electric district offices.
