Fredericksburg, Va. - Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) recently received recognition in the national 2022 Spotlight on Excellence Awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators (CREC) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). REC was also recognized by the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) in its annual communications awards contest.

REC won five awards in the 2022 Spotlight on Excellence Awards Program:

• Gold Award in the Best Series of News Stories category for “Feeling Sick? Stay away from the workplace.”
• Silver Award in the Best Series of News Stories category for “It’s All in the Family,” a series on REC Board members.
• Gold Award in the Best Internal Newsletter category for PowerLines.
• Gold Award in the Best Special Large Publication category for an Economic Development Booklet.
• Silver Award in the Best Video category for an employee safety video.

“REC’s communications and public relations team is composed of dedicated and creative individuals who work to inform and engage the Cooperative’s member-owners through a variety of platforms, channels and projects,” said Casey Hollins, Managing Director – Communications and Public Relations. “Their work is important to how the Cooperative operates and supports its member-owners.”

The annual Spotlight on Excellence Awards program recognizes the best communication and marketing efforts by electric cooperatives and related organizations. REC competed with electric cooperatives of similar size in 18 categories.

REC also won first place in the CCA’s Communications Contest’s Documentary Video (under three minutes) category for its “Utility-Scale Battery Storage” video and honorable mention for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) series in its employee newsletter.

The CCA’s annual Communication Contest allows cooperative communicators to demonstrate their expertise and skills among a highly respected group of their peers.

About the Council of Rural Electric Communicators (CREC)

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.

About the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)

NRECA is a national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops such as REC serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape.

About the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) 

The CCA is an organization of 350 professionals who communicate for cooperatives, seeking to help its members excel in communications – from writing, photography, and editing to video, layout and design.

REC provides electric service to over 171,000 connections in parts of 22 Virginia counties. With its general office in Fredericksburg, Va., the Cooperative operates and maintains more than 17,000 miles of power lines through its service area, which ranges from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For more information about REC, please visit www.myrec.coop. Follow REC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.