CONSOLIDATED ELECTRIC WINS AWARDS

Mt. Gilead, OH - Consolidated Electric Cooperative was recently recognized during the 2009 “Spotlight on Excellence” national awards program. Melissa Watson, member services director, received an Award of Excellence and an Award of Merit in the Best Photo Essay category for “The Lauer House” and “Annual Meeting 2008”. Nikki Vanderkooi, marketing coordinator, received an Award of Excellence in the Best Individual Ad category for “Commitment” and Awards of Excellence and Merit in the Best Computer Graphic Design Illustration for “Youth Tour 2008” and “Generations of Power” logos. This program is sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. 

“The judges’ descriptions of this year’s entries ranged from ‘extraordinary’ to ‘impressive,’ ” said Maggie Tilley, administrator of Spotlight on Excellence. “The consistent comment was that consumers are being well-served by communications that seek to inform and to add value for co-op members.”

Participants in the awards competition competed with electric cooperatives of similar sizes in 19 categories. Electric cooperative communicators and marketing professionals submitted more than 744 entries in the Spotlight on Excellence program, now in its 21st year. Faculty members from the University of Missouri – Columbia and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill judged the entries.

The Council of Rural Electric Communicators was organized in 1982, and seeks to advance the recognition, education, and professionalism of electric cooperative communicators and their affiliated organizations. It is a volunteer association working on behalf of more than 3,100 electric cooperative communicators across the United States.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the service organization representing the national interests of cooperative electric utilities, coordinates the Council’s activities. Other national organizations supporting the work of the Council are the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, the National Cooperative Services Corporation, the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, and Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange.

# # #