Georgia Natural Gas Honored by Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta for Dedication to Community Service

ATLANTA, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Natural Gas (GNG), the state's leading natural gas provider and a nationally recognized leader in corporate volunteerism, is the 2010 recipient of the IMPACT Award for Excellence in Corporate Community Engagement presented by the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta (CVC).  The award is in the medium to small category of companies, which includes companies with up to 500 employees. The IMPACT Award is the highest award given by the CVC.  

"We are thrilled to honor Georgia Natural Gas as the winner of this year's IMPACT Award for medium to small business. Their exemplary volunteer program is truly part of their business culture and demonstrates their deep dedication to the Atlanta community, their customers and employees," said Lea Rolfes, CVC executive director.

In the eight years since GNG implemented its community service program, the company's employees have made a tremendous difference in the lives of Georgia citizens through volunteerism and philanthropy. In 2009 and 2010 the company's employees volunteered at numerous nonprofits throughout the metro Atlanta area. For the past six years, GNG volunteers have tutored at Centennial Place Elementary School.

In addition to their volunteer efforts, GNG employees have supported nonprofit organizations that offer services and programs to deserving Georgians, particularly children and seniors. For example, the company's employee volunteers, whose motto is "Working Together ... Serving Together," raised funds this summer for local charities such as Prevent Child Abuse Georgia, Senior Connections, and the Centennial Place School Foundation.

"We are so honored to be recognized by the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta for our employees' dedication to giving back to the communities we serve," said Mike Braswell, GNG president and CEO. "All of the credit for this honor goes to our generous volunteers who prove day after day that a relatively small group of people can make a big difference in the community."

About Georgia Natural Gas

Georgia Natural Gas (GNG) is the state's leading natural gas provider, serving nearly half a million residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout Georgia. GNG is part of SouthStar Energy Services, a Georgia-based joint venture between AGL Resources (NYSE: AGL) and Piedmont Natural Gas Co. (NYSE: PNY). SouthStar also operates in Ohio as Ohio Natural Gas, in Florida as Florida Natural Gas, in the Carolinas as Piedmont Energy, and in other parts of the Southeast as SouthStar Energy Services. For more information, visit www.onlygng.com.

About the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta

The Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta is a professional association of businesses that promotes employee volunteerism in the corporate sector and provides advice to companies interested in developing their own volunteer programs.  The CVC of Atlanta was named "CVC of the Year" in 2006 and includes more than 80 Atlanta corporations with employee populations from 10 to 32,000 employees.

SOURCE Georgia Natural Gas