Carrollton, GA— Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative received national recognition as a 2020 Spotlight on Excellence award recipient sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators (CREC) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The cooperative received a Silver Award for its extensive employee communication in its bimonthly internal publication, the Hardhat Herald.

“Printed and electronic news publications are more important now than ever to keep our employees connected and informed during this time apart,” added Jay Gill, Vice President of Communications & Economic Development for Carroll EMC.

The annual Spotlight on Excellence Awards program recognizes the best communication and marketing efforts by electric cooperatives and related organizations. Entrants competed with electric cooperatives of similar size in 16 categories. Electric cooperative communicators and marketing professionals submitted nearly 670 entries in the Spotlight on Excellence program. Faculty members from the University of Missouri – Columbia and University of South Carolina, as well as noted professionals in the fields of marketing, web design and digital communications, and newspapers judged the event, which uses a finite scoring system to determine the winners.

Winners are normally recognized during CONNECT conference, a national conference for communications and marketing professionals, held in Denver, Colorado in May. Winning participants partake in learning labs and attend a special reception in their honor. The event was cancelled to maintain the health and safety of cooperative employees across the country.

The CREC was organized in 1982, and seeks to advance the recognition, education and professionalism of electric cooperative communicators and their affiliated organizations. This volunteer association works on behalf of more than 4,000 electric cooperative communicators across the United States.

Carroll EMC is a Member-owned cooperative providing electricity to approximately 50,000 homes and businesses. The co-op serves Members in Carroll, Haralson, Heard, Paulding, Polk and Troup counties. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. For more information visit the cooperative’s website at carrollemc.com or follow Carroll EMC on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn. Carroll EMC: Community Built. Community Builder.