Talladega County, AL – Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative (CVEC) and its subsidiary Coosa Valley Technologies (CVT) were recognized with six awards at the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives (AREA) Communications Awards, held during AREA’s annual communications conference in Huntsville. The awards highlight excellence in marketing, communications and public relations among electric cooperatives across Alabama. All of the honored work was completed in 2024.
“These awards highlight the impact that marketing does for cooperatives and subsidiaries,” said Jon Cullimore, CVEC general manager. “I’m grateful for the team’s efforts and look forward to seeing what they can achieve next.”
CVEC and CVT each received two Awards of Excellence, the highest honor presented in each category.
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Cullimore received the Best Column Award for his Alabama Living magazine piece, “Giving Thanks After Helene.” The column reflected on the damage caused by Hurricane Helene and the essential work cooperatives and linemen carried out to restore power in affected communities.
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“Orchestrating an Outage Response,” also published in Alabama Living, earned Best News Story for its behind-the-scenes look at the coordination required during an outage response effort.
CVT received the Best Wild Card Award for “Daily Dose of Fiber,” a cereal-box-style promotional piece designed by Pioneer Utility Resources to highlight the organization’s fiber service features. CVT also earned the Best Event Campaign Award for its Trunk R Treat Cybersecurity Halloween Event, which used a family-friendly approach to promote online safety.
CVEC was additionally recognized with two Awards of Merit. The Alabama Living article “Helping with Helene,”which spotlighted CVEC linemen providing mutual aid after Hurricane Helene, was honored in the News Story category. Safety Director Tommy Tant received a Best Photo Award of Merit for his nighttime image titled “Nighttime Ballet,”capturing linemen working after dark.
Marketing and communications work completed in 2025 will be judged during AREA’s 2026 conference.
Coosa Valley Electric serves approximately 18,500 consumers across Talladega, St. Clair, Shelby, Clay, Etowah and Calhoun counties and is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative. Nationwide, about 1,000 cooperatives provide power to rural communities, with more than 700 participating in the Touchstone Energy network.
