50 Years of Service Recognized

Lenoir, North Carolina (March 19, 2010) – Cornelia Cornell recently retired from Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation with the distinct honor of having the longest length of service to the cooperative than any other employee to date.

Cornell was employed with Blue Ridge Electric for more than 50 years, most recently as administrative assistant. Throughout her career, Cornell played a key role in planning for and working at the cooperative’s largest meeting of the year: the Annual Membership Meeting where the members of Blue Ridge Electric come together for updates and information from their cooperative.

Her duties over the years also included writing, design, and production for the member newsletter, forms management and development, printing and production supervisor, archives maintenance, and assistance with a wide variety employee and management communications and organizational needs. She also served on the safety committee and has worked in both the public relations and engineering areas.

Several years ago, Cornell was nominated and selected by her peers to receive the prestigious Touchstone Overall Excellence Award for her commitment to excellence in her work to benefit members and the example she displayed for her co-workers.

Cornell recently attended a retirement dinner at Blue Ridge Electric with her husband, Louis, and son, David, to honor her for 50 years of service. Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson also presented Cornell with a plaque in honor of her service.