PR Team Captures Six National Awards

GreyStone Power Corporation’s Public Relations and Communications department recently received recognition in the 2013 “Spotlight on Excellence” national awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The PR team took home six Spotlight awards in a competition that recognizes the top-rated communication and marketing efforts by electric cooperatives and related organizations.

The six Spotlight awards included three first-place Awards of Excellence. In the Best Annual Report to Members Category, GreyStone received an Award of Excellence for “Savings, convenience, value: 2011 GreyStone Power Corporation Annual Report.” Public Relations and Communications Department Manager Vicki Harshbarger coordinated the production of the report. In the Best Application of Electronic Communication Category, GreyStone received another Award of Excellence for the co-op’s Facebook game, Co-op Square. Public Relations and Communications Specialist Amanda Busby developed the game. GreyStone took home another Award of Excellence in the Best Individual Ad Category for “Celebrating the Power of People Working Together,” which was coordinated by Harshbarger.

The PR team also received three second-place Awards of Merit. In the Best External Newsletter Category, GreyStone received an Award of Merit for “The GreyStone Report,” which is edited by Public Relations and Communications Coordinator Ashley Kramer. In the Best Newsletter Incorporated as a Part of Another Publication Category, GreyStone received an Award of Merit for “Member Matters: A quarterly newsletter for members of GreyStone Power,” which is edited by Busby. GreyStone also took home an Award of Merit in the Best Wild Card Category for “2012-2013 GreyStone Lineman Calendar.” Busby designed and directed the production of the calendar, and it was co-edited by Busby and Kramer.  

GreyStone’s communication staff is led by Vicki Harshbarger and includes Ashley Kramer, Amanda Busby, Trisha McBee, Jacques Vincilione, Justin Talbert and Janair Wilkerson.

Participants in the awards competition competed with electric cooperatives of similar sizes in 19 categories. Electric cooperative communicators and marketing professionals submitted more than 740 entries in the Spotlight on Excellence program, now in its 25th year. Faculty members from the University of Missouri – Columbia, University of South Carolina and Ohio University Scripps-Howard School of Journalism 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 4,000 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, and Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange.

GreyStone Power serves more than 104,500 members in portions of eight counties, including Paulding, Douglas, Fulton, Cobb, Carroll, Bartow, Fayette and Coweta counties. Learn more at www.greystonepower.com.