Awards & Accomplishments

Water Resources Compete in Backhoe Rodeo

Greenville Utilities Water Resources Equipment Operators Michael Silverthorne, Bennie Pittman, Jason Owen and Chaz Hathaway recently competed in the Eastern Water and Wastewater Network Backhoe Rodeo at the Bell Arthur Water Corporation Operations Center. Silverthorne placed first in the Ball & Cone and Pipe & Walk events. 

This annual event gives equipment operators from Eastern North Carolina the opportunity to display their talents in operating a variety of excavating equipment like rubber tire backhoes and small trackhoes. It also allows operators to test their ability in performing tasks safely and quickly. 

Water Plant Receives Prestigious State Award 

For the seventh year in a row, our Water Treatment Plant has received the prestigious North Carolina Area Wide Optimization Award. Of the 149 water treatment plants in the state, the NC Division of Water Resources has included Greenville Utilities among the 66 honored for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2021. The award is a state effort to enhance the performance of existing surface water treatment facilities. More details.

ElectriCities Awards of Excellence

GUC received five Awards of Excellence from ElectriCities of North Carolina in the following categories:

Grid Modernization - promote investment in public power communities’ electric distribution systems and in technology to ensure safety and reliability, and exceed customer expectations; 

Value of Public Power - communicate the value of electric system ownership to key stakeholders; 

Wholesale Power Cost - provide competitive and stable wholesale electric rates that meet the power supply need of Power Agency Members; 

Workforce Planning and Development - promote a workforce plan to attract, develop, and retain the necessary talent to provide safe, reliable power and lead public power forward; and 

Continuous Improvement - constantly review and enhance all aspects of public power, focus on cost reduction, and increase efficiencies in current and future operations. 

ElectriCities is an organization that represents cities, towns, and universities that own their electric distribution systems. Greenville Utilities is a member of ElectriCities, along with more than 90 other members in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.  This is the seventeenth year in a row that GUC has won Awards of Excellence from Electricities. 

APGA Safety Award

GUC’s Gas Department was one of 31 gas systems from across the country recently awarded the American Public Gas Association (APGA) Safety Award for an outstanding safety record in 2021. This marks the 12th year (and 5th consecutive year) that our Gas Department staff has exemplified worker safety at a national level.  Safety award winners are determined by their overall incident (lost work time) rates in a calendar year.

Lineworker Rodeos 

Employees from our Electric Department recently participated in regional and national lineworker rodeos.

NCAMES Rodeo
Our GUC team competed at the 23rd Annual NCAMES (North Carolina Association of Municipal Electric Systems) Conference and Lineman's Rodeo. Public power teams from around the state competed in events that test their knowledge and ability to perform tasks safely and quickly. 

Rodeos involve events for Apprentices (less than four years of experience) and Journeymen (more than four years). GUC's Journeyman team included Underground Lineworkers Steven Briley, Lin Bunting, and Brian Baker, as well as Overhead Lineworker David Guy. Competing in the Apprentice division were Overhead Lineworkers Oscar Meeks, CJ Forrest, Cole Hartley, Bobby Lewis, and Tucker Foell along with Underground Lineworker Stanley Roberson. Overhead Crew Leader II Mike Ashley was the Journeyman team coach, while Underground Maintenance Crew Leader II Mike McGowan served as the Apprentice team coach. 

In the Apprentice competitions, Oscar brought home the Overall Apprentice third place trophy by placing first in the Double Dead-End Change-Out and first in the Hurt Man Rescue. CJ placed fourth in the Fuse Change-Out, and Cole placed fifth in the Hurtman Rescue.  

In the Journeyman Division, David came in first place Overall by placing third in the Arrestor Change-Out, fifth in the Obstacle Course, and first in the Cutout Change-Out. Steven placed second in Cutout Change-Out and fifth in Arrestor Change-Out. Lin placed third Overall and third in the Cutout Change-Out. 

APPA Rodeo 

Employees from the Electric Department represented Greenville Utilities at the APPA Lineworker's Rodeo in Austin, Texas, March 25-26. Public power teams from around the country competed in a series of competitive events demonstrating the safe work practices that lineworkers use in their jobs every day. 

David, Steven, Brian, and Lin competed on the GUC Journeyman team while Bobby, Cole, and Overhead Lineworker Jeffrey Rouse competed as Apprentices. The Apprentice group took a written test before both groups headed to the competition field, where all the events involved installations and other tasks on a 40-foot utility pole. 

Our Journeyman team placed 16th Overall out of 55 teams from across the U.S. 

Finance Department Earns State and National Awards

The Government Finance Officers' Association (GFOA) presented GUC with three awards related to how it communicates financial information.

GUC received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for Fiscal Year 2021-22. This marks the sixth consecutive year GUC has earned this recognition. The purpose of this program is to encourage and assist governments in preparing budgets of the highest quality for the benefit of its citizens and stakeholders with a vital interest in the budget process. To win the award, our budget document met program criteria and excelled as the policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communication tool. GUC was one of 36 organizations in North Carolina to be recognized for this achievement.  

At the end of a fiscal year, organizations prepare an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) — a look back at the previous fiscal year. This is the 12th year GUC has earned a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for the ACFR. This award recognizes entities for going beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare financial reports that show transparency and full disclosure.  

The Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) is a document designed to make an organization's ACFR easier to understand by those who do not have a finance or accounting background. GUC's PAFR was evaluated in five categories: reader appeal, understandability, distribution methods, creativity, and overall quality and usefulness. This is the sixth year in a row GUC has won the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting for its PAFR. 

For the tenth year in a row, the purchasing section of GUC's Finance Department received the Sustained Professional Purchasing Award (SPPA), presented by the Carolinas Association of Governmental Purchasing (CAGP). GUC is one of 15 member agencies throughout North Carolina and South Carolina to receive this designation for calendar year 2020.  

To earn the award, GUC had to demonstrate its ability to meet the complex criteria and high standards for utilization of technology, minority outreach, staff certification, customer training, vendor training, and the use of recycled products.   

Water Environment Federation Challenge

Our Water Resources “Smooth Operators” competed at the Water Environment Federation (WEF) sanctioned Operations Challenge competition. This event is designed to test the diverse skills required for the operation and maintenance of wastewater facilities, collection systems, and laboratories. WWTP (Wastewater Treatment Plant) Operators Bryon Orr, Julius Phillips, Kyle Meeks, Charlie Buck, and Steve Hedgepeth competed at the “Carolina Nationals Brawl at the Beach 7” in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The events included Collections (aka pipe tapping), Lab, Safety, Pump Maintenance, and Process Control. Our team came in 1st in Pump Maintenance, 2nd in the Collections event, and 4th Overall.

NCWOA Awards

Several of GUC’s Water Resources employees were recognized by the NC Waterworks Operators Association (NCWOA). 

Cheryl Irwin, Water Treatment Plant Laboratory Technician II, was presented the 2021 NCWOA Laboratory Analyst of the Year Award in appreciation of her outstanding work as a laboratory analyst for GUC and service to NCWOA.  

WTP Operator III Sharon Daughtridge, WTP Maintenance Mechanic III Don Sullivan,  Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator III Julius Phillips, and Environmental Control Officer Deanna Castellow became NCWOA life members.

The NCWOA has been the premier trainer of waterworks professionals in North Carolina since 1939. Their volunteers are industry leaders who provide certification schools and continuing education opportunities. 

Finance Department Wins Awards

The Government Finance Officers’ Association (GFOA) presented Greenville Utilities with three awards related to how the Finance Department communicates financial information.

• For the 4th year, the Distinguished Budget Presentation award
• For the 11^th consecutive year, the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for our CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report)
• For the 5^th year in a row, the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR).

Additionally, for the 10th year in a row, the purchasing section of GUC's Finance Department received the Sustained Professional Purchasing Award (SPPA), presented by the Carolinas Association of Governmental Purchasing (CAGP).

GUC Earns RP3 Designation

Greenville Utilities earned a Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) Diamond Level designation from the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe electric service. The Diamond Level is the highest designation and places GUC in the top 10% of all community-owned power utilities in the nation. The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement. Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. GUC joins 270 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation and is one of just 127 at the Diamond Level.  Greenville Utilities has been recognized with the RP3 designation continuously since 2007, having earned the Diamond Level distinction in 2018 and again in 2021.