Georgia Natural Gas® is Awarded First-ever Spirit of Volunteerism Award from the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta

ATLANTA, Oct. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The results were counted and Georgia Natural Gas® (GNG) was recently announced as the winner of the very first Spirit of Volunteerism Award -- presented by the Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) of Atlanta at their 20^th Annual IMPACT Awards. The exciting event was held at the new Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

The CVC's IMPACT Awards recognize some of the most philanthropic and community service-oriented companies in Atlanta ? from small businesses and firms to multinational, publicly traded companies. This special and unique award was developed by the CVC to acknowledge the company that best exemplifies long-term corporate commitment to volunteerism and community service. The award also celebrates the CVC's 25^th anniversary.

A live audience comprised of over 400 of Atlanta's business and nonprofit leaders selected GNG through instant voting by smartphone at the awards luncheon ? a first for the organization. A panel of qualified judges had previously selected the company as a finalist along with two other notable companies. There are over 100 member companies within the CVC and 15 nominees for the Spirit of Volunteerism Award.

"On behalf of the CVC, I'd like to congratulate Georgia Natural Gas on winning the Spirit of Volunteerism Award," said Cheryl Kortemeier, executive director of the CVC of Atlanta. "I've had the opportunity to work with many organizations and I've been impressed with GNG's long-term commitment to deserving nonprofits and the people of Georgia -- especially children and seniors. We would like to commend Georgia Natural Gas on its well-deserved honor, and we are eager to see how the company will lead through its volunteer spirit in the future."

Georgia Natural Gas is a leading natural gas marketer in Georgia. The company has distinguished its company and brand over the years through community service efforts with its TrueBlue Crew Employee Volunteer Program. For 15 years, the company's community relations department has directed corporate efforts toward supporting organizations within four key focus areas: Children and Education, Seniors, Energy Assistance and the Environment.

"We are honored that the judges and the audience selected GNG as the winner of this award," says Maurice Baker, manager, community relations for GNG. "It means even more that our peers and colleagues selected us for this honor considering that there were so many exceptional companies that were nominated for the award. We are grateful to our colleagues who volunteer, serve on nonprofit boards, and support the company's community initiatives and objectives."

About Georgia Natural Gas

Georgia Natural Gas is part of SouthStar Energy Services®. SouthStar is owned by Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). SouthStar also operates in Ohio as Ohio Natural Gas^SM, in Florida as Florida Natural Gas®, in Maryland as Maryland Energy^SM, in Michigan as Grand Rapids Energy®, in New York as New York Natural Gas^SM, in New Jersey as New Jersey Energy®, and in other parts of the Southeast as SouthStar Energy Services. SouthStar's subsidiaries in Illinois operate as Nicor Advanced Energy® and Nicor Solutions®. For more information, visit: www.gng.com.

SOURCE Georgia Natural Gas