July 21, 2009

RICHMOND, Va. -- Dominion has been named Communicator of the Year by Utility Communicators International (UCI). The award was presented at UCI’s annual conference in Miami.

Communicator of the Year is the top designation in the Better Communications Competition. Awards are presented to utilities for their communications efforts in nearly two dozen categories, including newspaper, television and radio advertising; bill inserts; and employee communications, among others. Dominion finished in eighth place in the 2008 competition.

Sam Tornabene, president of UCI and a senior director of communications services at the Edison Electric Institute, said:

“Dominion led the way with creative excellence this year. Being named Communicator of the Year is no small task. Dominion truly deserves the honor and should be proud of the work they have done. Don’t be surprised when other companies use Dominion as an example of how to do things right.”

Hugh Fones, advertising specialist at Gulf Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, said:

“I cannot think of a more deserving company to win Communicator of the Year than Dominion. As this year’s Better Communications Competition chairperson, I was very impressed with the creativity and variety of the work produced by Dominion.

“Its first place award in the Safety Communications category, which was a rap video on safety performed by some of their employees, was a big hit with all conference attendees. Being named Communicator of the Year is the equivalent of winning the Academy Award of utility advertising.”

Dominion won first place awards in six categories: Billboard, Bill Insert, Editorial/Op/Ed, Potpourri, Safety Communications, and Series of Newspaper Ads. The Editorial/Op/Ed entry was a piece penned by Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion’s chairman, president and CEO. The column, “Employers Must Support Those Serving in Guard and Reserves,” appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Sunday Commentary section on Sept. 20, 2008.

The company added three second place awards and five thirds.

UCI’s membership includes more than 100 electricity, gas and water utilities in the U.S., Canada and Bermuda.

Incorporated more than 80 years ago, UCI is the oldest organization of its kind. Its prestigious Better Communications Competition (BCC) is among the longest-running awards programs for excellence in utility communications.

Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of more than 27,400 megawatts of generation, 1.2 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas and oil reserves, 14,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,000 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates the nation’s largest natural gas storage facility with 975 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s Web site at www.dom.com.
 

Media Contacts:
Mark Lazenby, (804) 819-2042, Mark.Lazenby@dom.com
Ryan Frazier, (804) 819-2521, C.Ryan.Frazier@dom.com