Edwards Earns Certification

Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213; or E-mail: Renee Whitener

Sparta, North Carolina (October 28, 2008) – Bryan Edwards, a director of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, recently received the Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

Edwards was recognized at NRECA’s Region I-IV meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, for his commitment to education and attainment of the Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate before an audience of more than 1,000 electric cooperative officials from fourteen states, including North Carolina.

Today’s electric utility environment imposes new demands on electric cooperative directors, particularly increased knowledge of changes in the electric utility business, new governance skills and a working knowledge of the cooperative principles. Blue Ridge Electric has a commitment to work through NRECA to sharpen this body of knowledge for the benefit of their electric cooperative consumer-owners.

The NRECA Credentialed Cooperative Director, or CCD, program requires attendance and demonstrated understanding of the basic competencies contained in five core courses: Director Duties and Liabilities, Understanding the Electric Business, Board Roles and Relationships, Strategic Planning and Financial Decision Making.

The NRECA Region I-IV meeting is the first in a series of seven annual Regional Meetings convened by NRECA. These meetings continue the association’s grassroots policymaking process, which begins at the local co-op level and culminates at NRECA’s Annual Meeting.

NRECA represents the nation’s more than 900 private, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide electric service to nearly 40 million people in 47 states. Blue Ridge Electric serves some 72,000 member-owners in Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga, Caldwell and Wilkes counties.