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ElectriCities wins three awards for excellence in economic development communications

The Southern Economic Development Council, the nation’s oldest and largest regional economic development association, honored ElectriCities of North Carolina with three awards for outstanding communications during its annual conference in Alabama.

“We work hard to help public power communities get noticed by economic developers across the nation. These awards show that our marketing materials are effective in showcasing member communities and attracting attention,” said Brenda Daniels, manager of economic development at ElectriCities.

ElectriCities’ awards included:

• Category: Thinking Outside the Box
  First-Ever Our State Public House at the N.C. State Fair
  Award: Superior (Large Division)
• Category: Annual Reports
  ElectriCities of NC 2017 Annual Report
  Award: Superior ( Large Division)
• Category: General Purpose Promotion
  Facing East: The Public Power Communities of Eastern North Carolina
  Award: Excellent (Large Division)

“These annual communication awards recognize and showcase the leading communication and marketing work done by economic development professionals throughout the South,” said Gene Stinson, SEDC president. “ElectriCities of North Carolina hit the mark this year with three outstanding communication pieces that showed creativity, solid messaging and effectiveness at reaching their target audience.”

SEDC presents awards in more than twenty categories. Entries are based on graphic appeal, clarity of message, and quality of information. Judges include economic development consultants and design professionals from across the southern United States who work with clients to develop strategies for growth in their communities.

About Southern Economic Development Council

SEDC is the oldest and largest regional economic development association in North America, with more than 900 members representing a variety of backgrounds. From local, regional and state economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, business and industry, utilities, transportation, finance and education, members share a common interest: the promotion and enhancement of the economic development profession. To find out more about SEDC, please visit www.sedc.org.

ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., has announced the recipients of the 2017 Public Power Awards of Excellence. The awards align with ElectriCities’ five strategic priorities and recognize achievement in the areas of communicating the value of public power, grid modernization, continuous improvement, workforce development and wholesale power cost.

“It is an honor to recognize these outstanding public power communities for their commitment to providing exceptional reliability and superior service to their customers,” said ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones. “These hardworking employees and community leaders are truly at the heart of public power, showing tireless dedication and exemplifying what it means to be a committed community partner.”

The grid modernization award recognizes efforts to promote investment in public power communities’ electric distribution systems and in technology to ensure safety and reliability and exceed customer expectations. This year’s winners are: Gastonia, Greenville, New River Light & Power, Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Statesville and Wilson.

The value of public power award recognizes a communities’ efforts to communicate the value of electric system ownership to key stakeholders. This year’s winners are: Fayetteville, Gastonia, Granite Falls, Greenville, Kinston, Maiden, New Bern, New River Light & Power and Rocky Mount.

The wholesale power cost award recognizes a cities’ ability to provide competitive and stable wholesale electric rates that meet the power supply need of Power Agency Members. This year’s winners are: Albemarle, Gastonia, Greenville, Granite Falls, Kinston, Maiden, Newton, New River Light & Power, Rocky Mount, Smithfield, Statesville and Wilson.

The workforce planning and development award honors communities that promote a workforce plan to attract, develop and retain the necessary human talent to provide safe, reliable power and lead public power forward. This year’s winners are: Fayetteville, Greenville and Rocky Mount.

The continuous improvement award recognizes communities that constantly review and enhance all aspects of public power while focusing on cost reduction and increased efficiencies in current and future operations. This year’s winners are: Fremont, Gastonia, Granite Falls, Greenville, Kinston, Maiden, New River Light & Power, Fayetteville and Rocky Mount.

Hundreds of lineworkers from across the country will gather in Wake Forest, NC on Saturday, April 28 to demonstrate how quickly and safely they can climb power poles, hang transformers, rescue injured workers, and perform rope tosses and other feats commonly required of lineworkers.

“Being a lineworker requires tremendous skill and knowledge. This is a great opportunity for customers to get an up-close look at workers as they showcase their talents,” said ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones. “We are honored to host this event in North Carolina for the first time.”

The Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo is the nation’s premier competition of public power utility workers, featuring individual and team events with journeymen and apprentice lineworkers competing for professional recognition. The competition will take place on a course custom built by crews from the North Carolina Association of Municipal Electric Systems (NCAMES). The event is hosted by the American Public Power Association, ElectriCities, NCAMES and the Town of Wake Forest.

Wake Forest is one of more than 70 public power communities in North Carolina that service 1.2 million customers across the state, more than the populations of Raleigh and Charlotte combined. Lineworkers from a dozen North Carolina communities are participating, including Apex, Benson, Fayetteville, Gastonia, Greenville, High Point, Kinston, Rocky Mount, Shelby, Statesville, Tarboro, Washington, and Wake Forest.

“This is going to be a great community event,” said Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones. “We’re excited to welcome utility workers from across the United States to Wake Forest and we encourage families to come out and watch the lineworkers compete.”

A Family Fun Event: Food Truck Rodeo and PowerSecure Fun Zone
The event is free and open to the public. There will be about a dozen food trucks on site and the PowerSecure Fun Zone will provide a variety of interactive games and activities for children, including an inflatable slide, face painting, corn pit and photo booth. In addition, aspiring young lineworkers can try their hand at pole climbing and rope toss activities.

About the American Public Power Association
We are the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. We represent public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million customers that public power utilities serve, and the 93,000 people they employ. Our association advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Our members strengthen their communities by providing superior service, engaging citizens, and instilling pride in community-owned power.

ElectriCities of North Carolina Inc. has designated a 71-acre Smart Site in Perquimans County’s Perquimans Marine Industrial Park. The designation guarantees that the site has met stringent requirements and is shovel-ready for new development.|

Located on Granby Street in Hertford, N.C., the Smart Site is approximately .5 miles from U.S. Route 17 (future I-87), 65 miles from Virginia Norfolk International airport and within 60 miles of the Port of Virginia. The town of Hertford supplies the site’s utility services, including electricity, water and sewer. Century Link/Intelliport provides telecommunications services.

ElectriCities Economic Development Manager Brenda Daniels announced the designation to community leaders, including Horace C. Reid, Jr., Mayor of Hertford, Archie L. Aples III, Mayor Pro Tem of Hertford and Dave Goss, Perquimans County economic developer.

The site will now be marketed to growing businesses as a prime site for development in North Carolina.

About the Smart Sites Program
ElectriCities created the Smart Sites program in 2014 to help member communities prepare shovel-ready sites for economic development.

“In today’s competitive environment, it’s rare for a company to locate on an undeveloped property,” explains Daniels. “New and expanding companies expect existing buildings or a prepared, shovel-ready site to shorten the amount of time needed for construction. We created Smart Sites to expedite economic development in NC Public Power communities.”

Earning the Smart Sites designation is challenging. Potential sites must meet specific requirements and undergo an extensive review process by site selection experts, including Engineering Consulting Services and Creative Economic Development Consulting. Each site must have municipal electric service, have water and sewer access within 500 feet, and be within five miles of an interstate or interstate-quality highway.

ElectriCities markets Smart Sites at trade shows and industry events around the world. Other Smart Sites are in Farmville, Greenville, Kinston, Laurinburg, New Bern, Morganton, Albemarle, Shelby, Statesville, Tarboro, Washington and Wilson.

Learn More
To learn more about Perquimans County’s new Smart Site, the Smart Sites program, or economic development in NC Public Power communities, contact Brenda Daniels at bdaniels@electricities.org or 919-760-6363, or visit https://www.electricities.com/EconDev.

ElectriCities of North Carolina Inc. has designated a 175-acre Smart Site in Stanly County’s Albemarle Corporate Center. The designation guarantees that the site has met stringent requirements and is shovel-ready for new development.

Located in Stanly County, the Smart Site is approximately 30 miles from I-485 and Highway 24/27, 51 miles from Charlotte Douglas International Airport and within 151 miles of the Port of Wilmington. The City of Albemarle supplies the site’s utility services, including electricity, water and sewer. Spectrum and Windstream provide telecommunications services.

ElectriCities Economic Development Manager Brenda Daniels announced the designation to community leaders, including Mark Donham, director of economic development for the City of Albemarle.

The site will now be marketed to growing businesses as a prime site for development in North Carolina.

About the Smart Sites Program
ElectriCities created the Smart Sites program in 2014 to help member communities prepare shovel-ready sites for economic development.

“In today’s competitive environment, it’s rare for a company to locate on an undeveloped property,” explains Daniels. “New and expanding companies expect existing buildings or a prepared, shovel-ready site to shorten the amount of time needed for construction. We created Smart Sites to expedite economic development in NC Public Power communities.”

Earning the Smart Sites designation is challenging. Potential sites must meet specific requirements and undergo an extensive review process by site selection experts, including Engineering Consulting Services and Creative Economic Development Consulting. Each site must have municipal electric service, have water and sewer access within 500 feet, and be within five miles of an interstate or interstate-quality highway.

ElectriCities markets Smart Sites at trade shows and industry events around the world. Other Smart Sites are in Farmville, Greenville, Kinston, Laurinburg, New Bern, Hertford, Morganton, Shelby, Statesville, Tarboro, Washington and Wilson.

Learn More
To learn more about Stanly County’s new Smart Site, the Smart Sites program, or economic development in NC Public Power communities, contact Brenda Daniels at bdaniels@electricities.org or 919-760-6363, or visit https://www.electricities.com/EconDev.

ElectriCities of North Carolina Inc. has designated an 83-acre Smart Site in Burke County’s Burke Business Park. The designation guarantees that the site has met stringent requirements and is shovel-ready for new development.

Located at 4336 Sundown Road, the Smart Site is approximately 500 feet from Interstate 40, 50 miles from Asheville Regional Airport, and within 280 miles of a deep-water port. The City of Morganton supplies the site’s utility services, including electricity, water and sewer. AT&T/Charter Spectrum provides telecommunications services.

ElectriCities Economic Development Manager Brenda Daniels announced the designation to community leaders, including Sonja Marston, assistant city manager, City of Morganton and Hope Hopkins of Burke Development Inc.

The site will now be marketed to growing businesses as a prime site for development in North Carolina.

About the Smart Sites Program
ElectriCities created the Smart Sites program in 2014 to help member communities prepare shovel-ready sites for economic development.

“In today’s competitive environment, it’s rare for a company to locate on an undeveloped property,” explains Daniels. “New and expanding companies expect existing buildings or a prepared, shovel-ready site to shorten the amount of time needed for construction. We created Smart Sites to expedite economic development in NC Public Power communities.”

Earning the Smart Sites designation is challenging. Potential sites must meet specific requirements and undergo an extensive review process by site selection experts, including Engineering Consulting Services and Creative Economic Development Consulting. Each site must have municipal electric service, have water and sewer access within 500 feet, and be within five miles of an interstate or interstate-quality highway.

ElectriCities markets Smart Sites at trade shows and industry events around the world. Other Smart Sites are in Farmville, Greenville, Kinston, Laurinburg, New Bern, Hertford, Albemarle, Shelby, Statesville, Tarboro, Washington and Wilson.

Learn More
To learn more about Burke County’s new Smart Site, the Smart Sites program, or economic development in NC Public Power communities, contact Brenda Daniels at bdaniels@electricities.org or 919-760-6363.

ElectriCities of North Carolina has been named one of the nation’s top utilities by a leading economic development and site selection magazine.

Business Facilities, a magazine that focuses on economic development and site selection news, publishes a list of leading utilities that excel in providing economic development support, low-cost energy, and infrastructure.

“Promoting economic development in public power communities has always been a top priority for ElectriCities, so we’re thrilled to be recognized for our success in that area,” said ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones. “Throughout this last year, the benefits of public power have helped our communities attract and retain businesses, adding a growing workforce throughout North Carolina.”

Public power communities across North Carolina enjoyed economic development successes in 2017. Two notable projects included:

⦁ EGGER Wood Products invested $700 million to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Lexington, N.C., creating 400 jobs.
⦁ Lionchase Holdings announced plans to develop a cold storage facility in Tarboro, N.C. at one of ElectriCities’ shovel-ready Smart Sites. This project will create 100 new jobs with $22.6 million in investments.

ElectriCities is actively involved in helping public power communities secure economic development projects. Through June 2017, public power communities in North Carolina added approximately 4,700 new jobs and attracted more than $2.18 billion in new investments.

In more than seventy cities and towns across North Carolina, homes and businesses are powered by municipal-owned utilities. These public power communities have a well-earned reputation for providing safe, reliable electric service and outstanding customer service to more than 1.2 million people in North Carolina.

This week is celebrated as “Public Power Week” in North Carolina and nationwide. Gov. Roy Cooper issued a formal proclamation declaring the first week in October as Public Power Week to “commend our state’s public power cities and towns for their outstanding contributions to our communities.” The proclamation highlights public power utilities as “valuable assets that contribute to the well-being of the community and provide economic development opportunities.”

A statewide survey of 3,000 customers conducted this year found that 86% of residents are satisfied with public power.

“You can’t underestimate the importance of being local. Public power providers have the local community’s best interest at heart with everything they do,” said Roy Jones, CEO of ElectriCities, a non-profit organization that serves public power communities in North Carolina and beyond. “Local crews can quickly respond to power outages to get the lights back on, and local customer service representatives provide the type of personal attention that comes from being part of your community.”

Public power providers in North Carolina — and across the nation — consistently outperform investor-owned utilities when it comes to reliability. Public power experiences fewer power outages, and gets the power restored more quickly than others.

Twenty-three public power providers in North Carolina have been recognized by the American Public Power Association (APPA) as a Reliable Public Power Provider for providing outstanding reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement.

A Rich Tradition of Public Power in North Carolina

Public power has a rich tradition in North Carolina that dates back to 1889, when the City of Statesville began using electric lights instead of gas street lamps to illuminate the tiny downtown area. Today, North Carolina is home to four of the nation’s largest public power providers: Fayetteville Public Works Commission, Greenville Utilities Commission, High Point, and Wilson Energy. The state ranks among the top 10 providers of public power in the nation.

Nationally, there are more than 2,000 public power providers who serve 49 million people.

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ElectriCities of North Carolina Inc. received a Silver Excellence in Economic Development Award for its 2017 NC Public Power Calendar, a promotion project in the category of Special Purpose Print Promotion from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

The honor was presented at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 19, during the IEDC Annual Conference, which was held Sept. 17 – 20, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

“On behalf of the IEDC board of directors and Excellence in Economic Development Awards Advisory Committee, congratulations to ElectriCities of North Carolina Inc. Not only did they work to provide a necessary service to their community; but also, their participation in the awards program sheds light on their stellar projects which other communities can now use as a benchmark.” – Michael Langley, FM, CEO of GREATER MSP, Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN, and 2017 IEDC Board Chair

NC Public Power illuminates the homes and businesses of more than 1.2 million people in North Carolina—more than the population of Raleigh and Charlotte combined. They support those public power communities, providing services that include economic development.

For several years, they have created a calendar featuring interesting and unique businesses and destinations in NC Public Power communities, continuing the tradition with the 2016 NC Public Power calendar. With the theme “Superior Service,” community leaders in local businesses or destinations in 12 public power communities were featured. Also, they highlighted and connected the value of the services that the city and town officials provide for their citizens, the value of the services that ElectriCities provides, and the value of public power.
Using journalistic photography and simple stories of people caring about other people, they showed service at many levels—the types of services that people in the communities value and that those who do business in the communities value. They are further promoting economic development in the featured communities with social media posts throughout the year.

“The awards process is a thorough, non-biased and multi-layered process. These are extraordinary accomplishments for all winners, and an overall great effort by all participants. We look forward to next year’s awards competition,” Langley said.

When it comes to showcasing North Carolina’s public power communities to economic developers, the Southern Economic Development Council rates ElectriCities of North Carolina among the best. ElectriCities captured four communications awards at the council’s annual conference in Charlotte this week.

“We take pride in developing professional marketing materials that help our members get noticed by economic developers,” said Brenda Daniels, manager of economic development at ElectriCities. In the past two years, ElectriCities members have successfully attracted more than 10,000 new jobs and nearly $2.5 billion in new investments.

ElectriCities received two of the council’s highest awards for its development of a print calendar featuring North Carolina’s public power communities and for creation of a “Shop Local” logo for the town of Albemarle. A video focusing on how public power communities responded to Hurricane Matthew received an award of excellence and a newsletter targeted at economic development professionals received an award of merit.

Entries are based on graphic appeal, clarity of message, and quality of information. Judges include economic development consultants and design professionals from across the southern United States who work with clients to develop strategies for growth in their communities.

About the Southern Economic Development Council
The Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) is the oldest and largest regional economic development association in North America. It has more than 900 members in 17 states who share a common interest: the promotion and enhancement of the economic development profession. Learn more at www.sedc.org.