Short article details the powerful impact one employee had on a community

If you think an article needs to be long to pack an emotional wallop—or to win a writing award—you need to read the eight-paragraph article from Fluor Corporation’s employee publication about Peter Provost. 

Provost was working in Afghanistan when a teammate started exhibiting symptoms that could signify a serious problem. Provost queried his colleague and determined the cause of the problem was carbon monoxide poisoning from his home heating. 

Recognizing that the problem existed in homes other than this one co-worker’s, Provost led an education effort to spread the word, ultimately protecting lives throughout the community. He also led a project to distribute smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. 

The brief article—which reflected Fluor’s commitment to health and safety—was also consistent with the publication’s mission. 

For producing an emotionally compelling story that spotlights an employee’s initiative and mirrors company values, and that’s also short enough for employees to read in just a moment or two, Fluor takes the prize for Best Feature Article (Print) in Ragan’s 2014 Employee Communications Awards. Congratulations to Sara Simmons, Richard Yu, and Kristy Marshall.