EEI - Nation's Chains Recognize Outstanding Electric Company Service

	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
	FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
	Keith Voight , 202-508-5683

Nation's Chains Recognize Outstanding Electric Company Service

Washington, DC (Monday, March 21, 2011) -

The nation’s leading chain and multi-site businesses today recognized six electric utility companies and six individual utility representatives for their exceptional customer service in Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI) 2011 National Key Accounts Customer Service Awards program.

Over 700 companies voted in the awards program, and encompassed a wide variety of industries, including national brands such as Best Buy, HealthSouth, Staples, Starwood Hotels, The Limited, and Wal-Mart. The chains honored three electric utility companies and utility representatives for their outstanding service, and selected another three companies and individuals for their sustained excellence over the years.

The recipients of the 2011 EEI National Key Accounts Customer Service Awards are:

Outstanding Customer Service: Companies

SCE
Florida Power & Light
Progress Energy

Outstanding Customer Service: Individuals

Darren Kelsey, AEP
Ann Carey, Avista Utilities
Chris Smith, Southern Company

Sustained Excellence: Companies

Southern Company
Entergy
AEP

Sustained Excellence: Individuals

Barry Mosser, AEP
Janet Booker, Southern Company
Judy Corrigan, Xcel Energy

Thomas R. Kuhn, President, Edison Electric Institute said that “those electric companies and individuals honored today understand that at the heart of every successful business relationship is customer service. They know that the health of their business depends upon the health of their customer’s business. And as a result, they never stop working to improve their service and make their customers more energy efficient, more productive, and ultimately, more profitable.”

Since its inception in 1988, EEI’s National Key Accounts Program (www.eei.org/na) has addressed the unique and growing needs of those commercial customers with multiple sites or outlets, including chains and franchise operations. Through the National Key Accounts network of electric utilities, these businesses gain a single point of contact at each utility that serves their company. This National Accounts executive can offer a variety of valuable services including expediting new service connections, providing information about rates, and suggesting ways to improve energy efficiency.

The 2011 EEI National Key Accounts Customer Service Awards were presented during the National Key Accounts Spring Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia.

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The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies. Our members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry. We also have more than 65 International electric companies as Affiliate members, and more than 170 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate members.