Nobles Cooperative Electric wins two national awards

• Spotlight on Excellence

Nobles Cooperative Electric’s Member Services Manager Adam Tromblay and Communications Specialist Tracey Haberman accept their awards from Karen Combs, president of the Council of Rural Electric Communicators.

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WORTHINGTON — The Council of Rural Electric Communicators and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) announced that Nobles Cooperative Electric, Worthington were winners in the 2009 “Spotlight on Excellence” Awards Program.

Nobles received an Award of Excellence in the Best Marketing Communications Program category for “Living Green.” The cooperative also won an Award of Merit in the same category for its Compact Fluorescent Lighting Program.

The first project recognized was the cooperative’s Living Green Program. The cooperative created the program in an effort to allow members the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint. Nobles promotes Living Green energy certificates through the energy produced from the Brewster wind turbine. Those participating in the program are supporting renewable energy and encouraging further development of environmentally-friendly power generation.

An Award of Merit was also won for Nobles Cooperative Electric’s Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) Program. Members purchased more than 11,000 CFLs, cashing in on the energy savings and instant discount.

“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 Spotlight awards competition is an annual event recognizing the top-rated communication and marketing efforts by electric cooperatives and related organizations.

“These programs demonstrate our cooperatives’ commitment to community,” said Richard Burud, general manager of Nobles Cooperative Electric. “We are involved and committed to our local members. With their support, we have had a positive impact on the environment. While the cooperative appreciates the awards’ recognition, our members are the true winners with these programs.”

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.

NRECA, 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 National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, National Cooperative Services Corporation, National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative and Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange.

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