Local Chambers Help Promote Co-op Connections Card

When faced with the challenge of recruiting businesses to participate in the Co-op Connections card program, Great Lakes Energy Cooperative (Boyne City, Mich.) found a resource that made the task a little easier: the local chambers of commerce. The co-op contacted many of the different chambers throughout its service territory, which touches 26 counties, and was able to obtain contact information for numerous local businesses. A recruitment mailer was sent to roughly 1,500 businesses, and yielded 100 participants initially.

Co-op Connections is a member-benefits card program that offers co-op members the benefit of product and service discounts and participating retail businesses the benefit of increased sales. The Co-op Connections card not only offers valuable discounts, it provides members a sense of belonging to the cooperative and strengthens the partnership between local businesses and the co-ops. 

“Reaching out to area chambers of commerce was an effective and inexpensive way to gather accurate information and build a list of participating businesses,” said Shari Joles, marketing manager at Great Lakes.

And the list continues to grow. To continue to build participation, Great Lakes maintains an ongoing dialogue with all of the local chambers. In turn, the chambers have often featured Co-op Connections in their newsletters. The co-op has added an average of two businesses a month, bringing total participation to 130.  The program has proven very successful with members, said Joles. The co-op promotes the card and informs members of new participating businesses through member newsletters.

Properties are Selling on SitesAcrossAmerica.com

One year after its launch, SitesAcrossAmerica.com is delivering impressive results. Since September 2004, the online clearinghouse of available sites and buildings in areas served by co-ops has advertised more than 3,400 properties in 24 states. To date, 55 of those properties listed on SitesAcrossAmerica have been sold. The Web-based tool has provided a means for co-ops to get properties in their areas noticed on a national level, something that wasn’t possible before.

"SitesAcrossAmerica gives our properties national exposure.  Until this Web site came along we could really only market our properties on a state basis,” said Aaron Ridenour, manager of marketing at Continental Cooperative Services in Auburn, Ill., and chair of Touchstone Energy’s Business Development Advisory Committee. “Two of the sites we posted on SitesAcrossAmerica were recently sold.  I recommend this tool to any cooperative that wants to promote a site or building.  It’s a tremendous way to get national exposure. Plus, it’s free for the co-ops to use.  You can't beat that!"

For more information about SitesAcrossAmerica, contact Kristine Jackson, 703.907.5633 or kristine.jackson@nreca.coop.

Touchstone Energy Advertising Wins National Awards

Outstanding work by Touchstone Energy Cooperatives has earned two prestigious awards in 2005. In the Clarion Awards competition, managed by the Association for Women in Communications, Touchstone Energy took home the top award for the Multimedia Advertising Campaign category. In the Telly Awards competition, one of Touchstone Energy’s new TV spots, “Turning on the Lights,” was recognized as a finalist—also referred to as a Bronze Award.

In its 33rd year, the Clarion program honors excellence across all communication disciplines, including advertising and marketing, audiovisual productions, books and CDs, brochures, custom and special publications, education, film, fund development, magazines, major news event, newsletters, newspapers, online media, photography, graphics and design, communications, public relations, radio, and television.

Founded in 1979, the Telly Award honors outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. Winners and finalists represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

TV Spots Running in September on Major Networks

Touchstone Energy television ads will air nationally Sept. 5-25 on six cable networks. The “Under Control” and “Turning on the Lights” spots will continue to promote the Touchstone Energy brand message with a blend of 30- and 60- second versions of the two newest ads. They can be seen on ESPN, Lifetime, Discovery Channel, Weather Channel, and USA. This same mix will also run during various regional Fox Sports broadcasts of MLB games.

In addition to this cable coverage, Touchstone Energy will sponsor the broadcast of the Solheim Cup, a premier LPGA event taking place Sept. 9-11 in Indianapolis. This event will air on the Golf Channel and feature 30-second versions of “Turning on the Lights” and “Line Tech,” as well as 5-second Touchstone Energy billboards.

Redesigned Touchstone Energy Web Site to Unveil Week of Sept. 5

The Touchstone Energy Web site has been undergoing a major overhaul this year and will don a new look and easier navigation the week of Sept. 5. With the growing number of resources and materials migrating to the Web over the last few years, the need for fewer clicks and seamless navigation became increasingly apparent.

With the new design comes several new requirements on the user side. The most important change to remember when signing on to the “Members Only” section will be the change in user name and password. Beginning the week of Sept. 5, users will use their Cooperative.com user name and password to access the “Members Only” section of www.touchstoneenergy.coop. This change will allow users to easily navigate between the various Web sites of the cooperative network, including Touchstone Energy, Cooperative.com, Cooperative Research Network (CRN), etc. If users don’t already have a Cooperative.com user name and password, they will be prompted to create one.

Unlike the current sign-on method, users should NOT set up generic accounts that they pass around to others within their cooperative. The Cooperative.com individual user accounts are tied to benefits information. Therefore, if someone at a co-op picks the old user name as the Cooperative.com login and gives it to everyone, that person will also be giving everyone access to personal benefits information.

For more information, contact Marty Haught, Touchstone Energy director of communications and brand education, at marty.haught@nreca.coop or 703.907.5986.

Touchstone Energy On-site at Regional Meetings

Touchstone Energy will again have a presence at this year’s NRECA Regional Meetings. Be sure to stop by the Touchstone Energy booth to get the most current information on member benefits, advertising and communications materials, and upcoming conferences. Staff will be on hand to offer updates and answer questions.

Touchstone Energy Extra Newspaper to all Co-ops in September
This autumn's edition of the Touchstone Energy Extra newspaper will soon roll off the presses. The newspaper will be distributed at all NRECA Regional Meetings over the next few months. Copies will also be distributed in mid-September to the brand manager at each member co-op. Brand managers are encouraged to distribute a copy to each employee (each co-op will receive the proper quantity). 

Touchstone Energy Graphic Standards Manual Goes Online

The newest version of the Touchstone Energy Graphic Standards Manual is now available online. The manual is an easy-to-use resource and serves as a guide for co-ops on how to correctly use the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives name, co-brand signatures and tagline. To access the online version, where logos can be easily downloaded, go to www.touchstoneenergy.coop under the Co-ops Only section.

Don’t Miss out on NET2006

Start planning now to attend the seventh annual New and Emerging Technologies (NET) Conference. The 2006 event takes place Jan. 18-19 at the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, Ariz., with a pre-conference Key Account Summit to be held Jan. 17.

Once again, the NET Conference will offer an exciting look at the latest technology trends that affect electric co-ops and their business customers and provide a unique venue for interacting with national energy managers, co-op peers, industry leaders and experts. A full schedule of conference tracks will appeal to a range of cooperative audiences and address current topics. An evening reception at the Penske Racing Museum promises to be a highlight at this year’s event.

For more details on NET2006, visit the Web site, or contact Kathryn Momot at 703.907.5707 or at kathryn.momot@nreca.coop.

Touchstone Energy Staff Changes

Marty Haught has been named director of communications and brand education for Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. As he has done for the past three years as communications and PR advisor, Haught will help Touchstone Energy co-ops communicate the cooperative advantage. Please feel free to contact him anytime at marty.haught@nreca.coop or 703.907.5986.

Early this month, Erin Keogh assumed the role of communications and PR advisor. Most recently, she served as cooperative relations assistant on the Touchstone Energy team. Erin, a North Dakota native, spent two years on the staff of U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad before coming to work for our nation’s electric co-ops. Some of her responsibilities will include writing and editing for the Touchstone Energy Update and contributing Touchstone Energy stories to other NRECA publications. Please help Erin promote the Touchstone Energy brand and your successes by providing her with story ideas. She can be reached at 703.907.5572 or erin.keogh@nreca.coop.

Web Sites That Wow

The Web Sites That Wow monthly feature is intended to demonstrate how a Touchstone Energy cooperative effectively uses the brand on its Web site. This month's Web site that wows belongs to the Indiana Statewide Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives:  http://www.indremcs.org.

Throughout the site, the Indiana statewide has attractively posted many of the images available in the Touchstone image portfolio (available online at www.touchstoneenergy.coop). There’s also a sizeable section of the Web site devoted to educating members about the brand and what it means to be a Touchstone Energy cooperative. The framework in place is scalable, allowing the statewide to populate it with more information about its Touchstone Energy initiatives. Today, users can go to the site to learn about the brand promise and get answers about Touchstone Energy quickly.

Iowa Touchstone Energy Golf Event Raises Dollars for Kids’ Health Care

Golfers participating in the sixth annual Touchstone Energy Midwest Golf Invitational last month raised nearly $32,000 for the kids’ health care charity, Children’s Miracle Network. Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO) in Le Mars, Iowa, and its member cooperatives coordinated the event with St. Luke’s Health Foundation.

Through this event, the electric co-ops – all affiliated with Touchstone Energy –  partnered with 26 local, regional and national businesses to show their commitment to community by raising money for a regional charity. Children’s Miracle Network, sponsored by the St. Luke’s Health Foundation, has received more than $126,000 since the event began. The total raised for charities, including Children’s Miracle Network, over the event’s six-year history surpasses $139,000.

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