Connect 2005 Delivers High-Octane Sessions, Say Attendees

More than 550 attendees descended on the Big Easy May 16-18 for the inaugural Connect conference, a reinvented event that combined the best of the Touchstone Energy Brand Leadership Summit and NRECA's Marketing, Member Services & Communications Conference.

During 40 information-packed sessions, the more than 100 speakers—hailing from electric co-ops and many other professional sectors of the business world—delivered messages that hit the mark with attendees. Topics ranged from driving member loyalty, strengthening marketing efforts and communicating in times of crises to doing business ethically, establishing a productive member services campaign and applying Touchstone Energy advertising and communications resources at the local level.

"I believe this year's Connect 2005 Conference was the most energy-packed conference I have ever attended," said Byron Roach, manager, communications and government relations for N.W. Electric Power Co-op in Cameron, Mo. "The general sessions were very informative, and with so many great breakout sessions to choose from, it was a challenge to select which one to attend," added Roach.

Other attendees shared similar feelings about Connect, according to conference evaluations:

• "The conference was excellent...Lots of good information, good speakers and breakout sessions."
• "The sessions were great. Lots of information on new trends and technology that applied to my field."
• "Including Touchstone Energy in this conference is great. Please continue this practice."

Some of the breakout sessions will be presented again in future Web conferences. Copies of Connect 2005 speaker presentations are available on Cooperative.com (Connect Presentations). Planning is already under way for Connect 2006, which will take place May 16-19 in San Antonio. Save the dates!

Seven Honored With First-Ever Touchstone Energy Brand Champion Awards

The first-ever Touchstone Energy Brand Champion Awards were presented May 18 at the Connect 2005 Conference. An honor initiated by the Touchstone Energy Cooperative Relations Advisory Committee and approved by the board of directors, the 2005 Brand Champion Awards put the spotlight on seven dedicated individuals who have shown exceptional leadership, effectiveness, innovation and consistency in building the Touchstone Energy brand.

Recipients included:
• Kathy Moreno, marketing services administrator, Sierra Southwest Co-op Services, Benson, Ariz.
• Judy Gore, vice president of customer services, Brunswick EMC, Shallotte, N.C.
• Chris Tryba, communications manager, Hoosier Energy, Bloomington, Ind.
• Lynn Simmons, manager of communications, South Plains Electric Co-op, Lubbock, Texas
• Jennifer McCall, director of member, education and youth services, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Kathy Taylor, vice president of corporate relations, Corn Belt Power, Humboldt, Iowa
• Mark Bolton, vice president of marketing and member services, Coastal Electric Cooperative, Midway, Ga.
      
"These individuals have set the benchmark for what it means to champion the Touchstone Energy brand," said Jim Bausell, chief operating officer of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. "Whether through sponsorships, advertising, communications or simply promoting the cooperative difference through their local, state and regional Touchstone Energy initiatives, these honorees have been instrumental in the success of the brand," added Bausell.

Touchstone Energy Co-ops Again Take Top Honors in Customer Satisfaction

Touchstone Energy cooperatives maintained their edge in customer satisfaction over their industry counterparts, obtaining a score of 81 in the first quarter 2005 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The score is eight points higher than the electric utility industry average of 73. PPL Resources notched an 80 and two other investor-owned utilities scored 79.

ACSI is one of the most recognized customer satisfaction indices in the United States. It's managed by the University of Michigan Business School and sponsored by the American Society for Quality. It measures customers' satisfaction in 16 major industries and 190 leading corporations. The index is a weighted average of three questions on a 0 to 100 scale.

One of the areas the Q1 2005 ACSI survey focused on was power restoration efforts, asking respondents to assess the ability of their utility to restore power after an electric outage. Touchstone Energy cooperatives, in aggregate, had the highest score in the Q1 2005 ACSI—8.62 on a 10-point scale. The mean rating for the industry was 8.19.

"Touchstone Energy co-ops don't just offer the perception of providing exceptional service. They walk the talk, supporting their promises of providing the best possible service with action, and this latest ACSI survey confirms it," said Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Chief Operating Officer Jim Bausell. "There's a reason why Touchstone Energy cooperatives lead the industry in customer satisfaction year in and year out. The employees at our co-ops commit themselves to being the best. These high scores are a testament to their efforts," added Bausell.

Individual Touchstone Energy co-ops are encouraged to conduct their own ACSI survey. The questions are on the members' section of www.touchstoneenergy.coop. There is no charge for Touchstone Energy cooperatives to participate. For more information, contact Erin Keogh at erin.keogh@nreca.coop.

TV Spots Educate About the Cooperative Advantage in June and July

Through the end of June, Touchstone Energy Cooperatives television spots "Under Control" and "Turning on the Lights," airing on a number of cable and satellite TV stations, will educate millions about the important role electric cooperatives play. The month-long media buy includes a blend of 30- and 60-second versions of the new ads, which inform viewers that electric co-ops reliably provide power and that they accomplish this by investing in state-of-the-art technology.

The spots can be seen on Discovery Channel, ESPN, Lifetime, USA, The Weather Channel, HGTV and Fox Sports Network.

"Airing Touchstone Energy TV spots at various intervals each year continues to be a highly effective way to educate an immense section of our population about the great things electric cooperatives are responsible for," said Jim Bausell, chief operating officer of Touchstone Energy. "With Touchstone Energy co-ops supplementing the national media investment by locally airing the same spots with their respective co-op's tags, we're able to strengthen the brand messages and inform our member-owners that there are advantages to being part of an electric co-op," he added.

In addition to the June media buy, the Touchstone Energy "Line Tech" and "Turning on the Lights" TV spots will air June 28-July 17 during ESPN's and ESPN2's Great Outdoor Games.

"There will be no mistaking the message that the 'Line Tech' and 'Turning on the Lights' spots deliver," said Bausell. "Viewers will understand that co-ops are reliable power providers who invest in the best technology available."

New Employees Can Benefit from Online Touchstone Energy Training

Most Touchstone Energy cooperatives have conducted the "Ask Me About Touchstone Energy" employee training course. This was usually accomplished relatively soon after a co-op had joined Touchstone Energy. Since that time, a lot of cooperatives have welcomed new employees to their staffs, but these individuals do not have the background in the brand that the rest of the employees have.

An easy way to get new employees up to speed on Touchstone Energy, or for those employees in need of a refresher, is to take advantage of the online version of "Ask Me About Touchstone Energy," which is available on the Cooperatives Only section of www.touchstoneenergy.coop or by clicking here.

The online version is designed to be completed at the employee's pace and is a great way to learn about the brand, its importance to cooperatives and the role of employees as local ambassadors for the co-op difference.

Properties on SitesAcrossAmerica.com Find Buyers

SitesAcrossAmerica.com, the Web resource that allows co-ops to market their community's available properties to site-selection professionals, continues to add to its inventory of sites. More than 3,200 available properties and buildings are posted on the site. Since being launched last September, 34 properties listed on SitesAcrossAmerica.com have been sold.

SItesAcrossAmerica was recently introduced to more than 2,000 site-selection professionals at the Corenet Global show held in Toronto Canada. Future promotion includes one-on-one visits between national staff and key site-selection professionals, as well as presentations at more industry trade shows like the Corenet Fall show.

The SitesAcrossAmerica resource is also getting recognized by the media. The Spring issue of Global Expansion Management magazine features a story on SitesAcrossAmerica. To view the article, click here.

Posting available properties on SitesAcrossAmerica is a snap.  The system allows cooperatives to post, update and edit site and building listings in three easy steps.

1.      Sign on to www.sitesacrossamerica.com
2.      Click the “Submit Site Info” button located at the top of the page.   
         Username:  coopsites             Password:  buildings
3.      If a cooperative doesn’t already have a profile in the system, simply fill out the form.  Then fill out either the building or site submission form, depending on the type of property.  

That’s it!  For questions, contact kristine.Jackson@nreca.coop or 703.907.5633.

Farmers RECC Members Reap Rewards of Co-op Connections Card

The Tumbleweed Mesquite Grill in Glasgow, Ky.—served by Farmers RECC—is already experiencing the benefit of participation in the Co-op Connections program. Greg Houchens of Farmers RECC reports that the popular restaurant served hundreds of cardholders in a 30-day period. And the co-op's members are saving big. The restaurant has a "buy one dinner, get a second free" (up to a $10 value) as their participating discount for Co-op Connections cardholders. In one month, more than 400 hundred people took advantage of the offer for an aggregate savings of over $4,000.

Touchstone Energy Co-ops Bring the Wonder of Books to North Carolina's Hispanic Youth

Demonstrating their commitment to community, North Carolina's Touchstone Energy cooperatives helped bring the wonder of books (libros) and libraries to thousands of Hispanic children (ninos) by hosting Dia de Los Ninos/Dia De Los Libros celebrations April 28 through May 1.

Children's Day (Dia de Los Ninos)/Book Day (Dia De Los Libros) is a multicultural celebration of children and books. Demonstrating their commitment to community, North Carolina's Touchstone Energy cooperatives teamed up with El Pueblo Inc., Carolina Wren Press and McDonald's to help the state's Latino families discover libraries and other resources in their communities to help bridge the language gap. At each celebration, children received free bilingual books and their parents received electric safety information provided in English and Spanish.

In 1997, author Pat Mora started Dia de Los Ninos/Dia De Los Libros to stress the importance of reading to children. North Carolina's Touchstone Energy cooperatives have been sponsoring the event since El Pueblo brought it to North Carolina in 2003.

Quotable Quotes

Here's a sampling of what Connect 2005 attendees had to say about the conference:

"I like the pace of the programs and schedule. There was great attendance in most sessions."

"The conference offered so many valuable sessions. Great planning."

"Good opportunities to connect with other co-op professionals. Excellent keynote speakers with relevant topics."

Editor, Marty Haught
marty.haught@nreca.coop
703-907-5986