Intern Awarded Line Technology Scholarship from Blue Ridge Electric

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

Lenoir, North Carolina (November 26, 2008) – Josh Greene, of Lenoir, has been selected to receive an intern scholarship from Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation for an associate degree in Line Technology.

Greene worked as an intern this past summer in the operations area for Blue Ridge Electric’s Caldwell district office. He is a student at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute pursuing an Associate in Arts degree and continues to work part-time for the cooperative.

Blue Ridge Electric’s student intern program helps provide training to students while offering valuable services to the cooperative’s members in both customer service and electric service operations.

“Our summer intern program reflects our efforts to work with our youth and help develop future leaders as well as provide practical training and critical skills development for entering the job market,” said Julie O’Dell-Michie, vice president of Human Resources and Administration for Blue Ridge Electric. “These students are some of the best and brightest among their classes and Blue Ridge as well as the students benefit from the program.”

Blue Ridge Electric’s internship program is designed to assist students interested in pursuing careers in energy related fields such as line technicians, electrical engineers, energy advisors, or utility customer services. While performing internships at Blue Ridge Electric, students not only gain real-life work experience and school credits in some cases, they also learn about the consumer-focused, not-for-profit cooperative model for providing electricity and energy services offered by cooperatives like Blue Ridge Electric.