Two Watauga County Residents Receive Top Honors
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Boone, North Carolina, (April 20, 2009) - Two Watauga County residents recently received top honors from Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation during the cooperative's annual employee service awards dinner held at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center.
Susan Jones, Watauga district manager, was awarded the Touchstone Commitment to Community award and Harold Huffman, Watauga district operations manager, was awarded the Touchstone Overall Excellence Award.
Each year, employees of Blue Ridge Electric and its heating fuels subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, nominate and select outstanding employees to receive the company's top awards recognizing qualities such as inspiring customer service, motivational team spirit, operational excellence, and generosity to the community.
"There is no greater compliment than to be nominated and ultimately selected by your peers for the highest awards our company presents," said Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson, referencing awards given for spirit, community service, and overall operational excellence.
The award given to Jones recognizes the example she sets in improving the quality of life in Watauga County through her contributions to the community, including serving seven years with the Kiwanis Club where she has served as president and treasurer. She also was instrumental in starting the Kiwanis Action Club for mentally challenged individuals who want to build confidence and leadership within their peer group. She is a member of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, the Watauga Education Foundation, and previously served 16 years as a Girl Scout troop leader. She is a certified instructor with American Red Cross and has taught First Aid and CPR. Involved in her church, Jones also started an Angel Tree Christmas gift program, organized blood drives, and spearheaded an effort to send care packages to troops in Iraq.
Co-workers describe Jones as having a "gift to care for others" and noted her dedication to turning "bad situations into positive experiences". Fellow employees say she builds office morale. Linemen noted her special expressions of care when they work long hours during storms and Jones makes homemade sandwiches and "good bags" and ensure they have hot meals lined up.
In recognizing Huffman for his honor, Johnson said Huffman has had a tremendous impact on the cooperative during his 48-year career with Blue Ridge Electric, including reliability efforts and customer service. His award recognizes those who make exemplary contributions to the operations and customer service efforts of the cooperative, showing care for the members and building employee morale.
Huffman was instrumental in creating the cooperative's Transmission training school, which help employees obtain specialized skills the further improve electric reliability and reduce outage times. Huffman was also recognized for his contributions on the cooperative's district leadership team, which includes members of management who work on internal and external process improvements and in other ways to better serve the members of Blue Ridge with affordable, reliable electricity and personalized customer care.
Co-workers say Huffman keeps team spirit high in Watauga district, partially due to involving employees in decision-making, ensuring they have adequate training opportunities as well as the chance to demonstrate their leadership skills. Fellow employees also say Huffman "eats, sleeps, and breathes Blue Ridge Electric". They described him as a champion of the members, making sure that employees are always in touch with what members need or desire from their cooperative.
Blue Ridge Electric's Touchstone Commitment to Community and Operational Excellence Awards honors employees who contribute in an outstanding way to the development and operation of the cooperative, to the members and to the communities served by the cooperative and its subsidiary. Recipients exemplify traits including community involvement, innovation, exceptional and innovative customer service, and integrity in all aspects of their lives. A committee of employees selects award winners out of a pool of nominations also submitted by employees.
Blue Ridge Electric is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving some 73,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Alexander counties. Its subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, provides propane and heating fuels from hearth products showrooms in the district offices of Blue Ridge Electric in Lenoir, Boone, West Jefferson, and Sparta.
