Flint News

Georgia Trend magazine names Flint Energies as one of ten “Best Places to Work in Georgia”

11/02/09

Georgia Trend magazine (www.georgiatrend.com) has named Flint Energies one of the ten Best Places to Work in Georgia for 2009. Flint is profiled in the November edition of the publication by writer Jerry Grillo.

“Flint has a long history of actively caring for employees,” says Mike Branham, Flint Energies’ Manager of Operations. “From an employee’s perspective, we have a great Board of Directors that support us and great management that keep looking for ways to be competitive and keep employees happy. It is the little things that can make a difference.”

The Georgia Trend story focuses on employees who are encouraged “to bring an added spark to the communities they serve.” According to Flint Energies CEO Bob Ray, last April more than 100 of the 234 Flint Energies employees were involved in volunteer community activities across the service territory that ranges from Warner Robins to Columbus. Some of those activities included working with Rebuilding Together in Warner Robins, the Run for Literacy and the Taylor County Strawberry Festival.

This year, Flint Energies’ Linemen for Little Ones held an online cake auction, raising nearly $2,000 which will be used to provide food and toys for needy children this Christmas season, Ray says.

In addition, the story mentions Flint’s employee emergency fund. Employees can voluntarily contribute to a fund created to serve needs which might arise among the employee family. Branham comments that working at Flint has “felt like home” as co-workers really care about each other and the members they serve.

Each year, Georgia Trend publishes an invitation online and in its monthly magazine to give all Georgia employees an opportunity to nominate their companies – using an online ballot. The magazine sorts through all of its nominations to find the 10 Best Places to Work. In its online archives, Georgia Trend says: “Sometimes it’s the benefits, sometimes it’s the educational opportunities. But sometimes it’s the atmosphere, the community involvement or the sense that what you’re doing is important that make a company a good place to work.”

Georgia Trend has been naming “Best Places to Work in Georgia” since 2006. Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative (EMC), another EMC like Flint Energies, made the prestigious Best Places to Work list in 2008.

Follow Flint on Twitter at twitter.com/flintenergies

Flint Energies online at www.flintenergies.com

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Traffic Accident Leads to Power Outage - 4:00 UPDATE

10/27/09

An outage affecting more than 600 Flint Energies members occurred from 2:50 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. after a vehicle hit a utility pole in an accident on Hwy 80 near Pope Road in Muscogee County. Roads affected included Midland Rd., Fulton Rd., Jenkins Rd., Mckee Rd., and the Hwy 80 area. Flint Energies crews quickly arrived on site to safely restore power. Please take extreme caution and stay away from downed lines. Call the outage number at 1-888-354-6836 to report outages and note any hazards when prompted.

Teachers win Flint Energies’ Bright Ideas grants

10/26/09

REYNOLDS/WARNER ROBINS/UPATOI – Flint Energies and its philanthropic arm, the Flint Energies Foundation awarded a total of $10,000 to teachers for creative and innovative lesson plans that energize their students’ love of learning in the fourth year of the co-op’s Bright Ideas program.

Winning teachers were surprised by the Bright Ideas Prize Brigade representatives from Flint Energies with flowers, balloons, gift bags and “big” checks on October 20-22. The Bright Ideas program distributes money as grants of up to $1,000 for teachers to do creative, innovative projects or lessons with students. The grants are not available for professional development.

This year $10,000 in Bright Ideas grants were given to 12 winning teachers and their team members at schools in Houston, Macon, and Taylor counties.

Manager of Public Relations, Marian Douglas, stated, “Bright Ideas is the perfect avenue to show our Foundation’s commitment to the communities we serve. We support education and want to reward innovative teachers with money that goes in the classroom, where it is needed most.”

Earlier this year, Flint Energies and the Foundation invited teachers who teach grades K-12 at public or private schools located in the co-op’s service territory to apply for the grants. Flint Energies service area encompasses parts of Bibb, Chattahoochee, Crawford, Dooly, Harris, Houston, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Muscogee, Peach, Schley, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Twiggs and Upson counties. In September, the Cooperative received 40 grant applications, totaling nearly $50,000 from teachers. A panel of retired teachers served as judges and reviewed the applications. The top scoring lesson plan ideas were funded.

2009 Bright Ideas grant winners:

· Stephanie King, Apple a Day – Reading with iPods, Eagle Springs Elementary School, $1,000.00

· Angelina Armijo, Recycling Soda Can Program, Pearl Stephens Elementary School, $961.73

· Megan King, News Broadcast, Houston County High School, $633.61

· Laura Iovine, Mouthpieces for Middle School Musicians, Northside Middle School, $956.00

· Mary May, Georgia on my Mind, David A. Perdue Elementary School, $786.88

· Brandi Burgess, Miller Extreme School Makeover – School Beautification Project, Miller Elementary School, $496.00

· Jonathan Eubanks, Greenhouse Restoration Project, Russell Elementary School, $998.00

· JoAnne Horrell, Read and Rewind, Tucker Elementary School, Perry, $1,000.00

· Moneak Harris, Big Blue Goes Green, Taylor County High School, Butler, $915.90

· Jacqueline Kendrick, Rain + Soil x Sunshine = Growth!, Macon County Middle School, Montezuma, $379.69

· Betty Barnes, Readers Theater, Eagle Springs Elementary School, $1,000.00

· Gwen McDade, Keep It Cool, Huntington Middle School, $872.19

Leeanne Berry, a teacher at Miller Elementary, won the online application drawing by submitting her Bright Ideas application via Flint’s website. She received a $250 Staples gift certificate to purchase supplies for her classroom.

Linda Locket, a teacher at Crawford County Middle School, won a digital camera for her classroom by winning the early bird drawing.

North Carolina’s electric cooperatives began Bright Ideas in 1994. Since that time, the Bright Ideas program has awarded more than $4 million in grant money to North Carolina’s teachers to sponsor 3,500 projects teaching more than 700,000 students. Now, other cooperatives across the country have implemented their own Bright Ideas program.

Follow Flint on Twitter at twitter.com/flintenergies

Flint Energies online at www.flintenergies.com

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