FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Grand Valley Power Brings Home Three National Awards 

for Excellence in Communication

GRAND JUNCTION, COLO. - (June 9, 2021) – Grand Valley Power recently received recognition in the national 2021 Spotlight on Excellence Awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators (CREC) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The Spotlight on Excellence Awards program recognizes the outstanding work created by communications professionals from electric cooperatives across the nation. Entrants competed with electric cooperatives of similar size in 16 categories. This year, over 720 entries were submitted to the Spotlight on Excellence program and Grand Valley Power took home three Gold Awards.

Grand Valley Power received a Gold Award in the Best Event category for the co-op’s annual safety and member appreciation event, Glow Halloween. GVP Communications team, Christmas Wharton and Dana Pogar, reimagined the event to be COVID friendly by offering curbside grab-n-glow goodie bags. “Given the uncertainty of COVID-19, we knew there would be members of our community who would choose to stay indoors and those that prefer to take their festivities outside. Our mission was to provide safe and fun activities for both,” said GVP Communications Manager, Christmas Wharton. The event was approved by Mesa County Public Health, and over 600 goodie bags were given out to kids and community members during Glow Halloween. 

GVP Communications Specialist, Dana Pogar, received a Gold Award in the Best Wild Card category for her crisis communications efforts during the Pine Gulch Fire. “Our top concern during the blaze was ensuring the health and safety of first responders, line crews, and community members. Communication was vital during this time as the conditions of the fire evolved rapidly,” Pogar stated.  

Dana also received a Gold Award in the Best Individual Ad category for her outstanding Cooperative Youth Tour ad. “Developing creative and innovative ways to communicate with our membership is my passion and I strive to educate younger generations on what the co-op difference really means,” said Pogar. Each year Grand Valley Power sponsors three high school junior or senior to attend the annual Washington, D.C. Youth Tour or the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp.

Grand Valley Power would like to thank CREC, NRECA, and especially our members for continuously supporting the cooperative as we continue to innovate and excel in co-op communications.