April 2006
Former Southwest Airlines CEO to Headline Brand Leadership Summit
Branding Pro to Address Connect 2006
Co-op Connections Card Discounts Lined Up in San Antonio
New TV Spots to be Unveiled at Connect 2006
North Carolina Co-ops Support ‘Bright Ideas’ in the Classroom
Co-op Connections Announces New National Deals
ACSI Web Conference Slated for May 31
Reminder: New Cooperative Difference Series Available at Advancingthebrand.coop
Co-op Connections Introduces Case Studies and 2nd Quarter Print Schedule
Share Your Brand-Building Success Stories
Former Southwest Airlines CEO to Headline Brand Leadership Summit
Howard Putnam to Discuss Using a Brand to Build Success, Loyalty and Employee Engagement
“Building a Branding Culture” is the theme for this year’s Touchstone Energy Brand Leadership Summit, a pre-conference event at the Connect 2006 Conference in San Antonio. Keynote speaker Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest Airlines, will delve into the vision of Southwest Airlines' own branding culture, a philosophy that has led to its unsurpassed success in the commercial airline industry. During his tenure at Southwest, Putnam led the visioning process at the airline and helped develop the enthusiastic culture and excellent customer service that the Southwest brand is still known for today.
The Summit will set the foundation for learning at the Touchstone Energy breakout sessions during the Connect conference and will cover important brand initiatives, including advertising and communications resources, SitesAcrossAmerica.com, ACSI, and new energy efficiency deliverables. Attendees will hear how the wide array of Touchstone Energy programs and resources can help promote the cooperative difference with employees as well as with members. A “state of the brand” address will bring attendees up to speed on the latest Touchstone Energy news.
Attendees will be treated to a complimentary lunch. There is NO REGISTRATION FEE for the Brand Leadership Summit. This event is open to everyone, but registration is required.
Brand Leadership Summit Details:
When: May 16, 2006
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Where: Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, Texas
Who should attend: Cooperative CEOs, brand leaders, communicators, marketers, member service professionals, etc.
How to attend: Register today at cooperative.com. When registering, please select Pre-Con C (Touchstone Energy Brand Leadership Summit).
For more information, contact Marty Haught at marty.haught@nreca.coop.
Branding Pro to Address Connect 2006
Attendees at the Connect 2006 Conference will hear from author Jackie Freiberg on how to excel with a brand, how to use it to stand out from the pack, and how to leverage the Touchstone Energy brand to communicate the cooperative difference. Connect 2006, the premier event for co-op communicators, marketers, member service pros and brand managers, will be held May 16-19 in San Antonio, Texas, at the Marriot Rivercenter. Freiberg is the keynote presenter at the third general session, scheduled for Thursday, May18.
Freiberg, who holds a doctorate in leadership from the University of San Diego, is an owner and managing partner of Freibergs.com, a professional consulting firm that helps equip business leaders for a world of change. She is co-author of NUTS! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, and GUTS! Companies That Blow The Doors Off Business As Usual. Freiberg will coach attendees on finding unique ways to differentiate their co-op based on service and value, as well as building the brand from the inside-out by engaging employees and creating a culture of passion and productivity.
Freiberg is just one of the many presenters and keynote speakers that will energize and educate attendees at this year's Connect Conference. More than 30 breakout sessions are planned throughout the three-day event. Six of those sessions will focus specifically on Touchstone Energy initiatives, including:
True Grit: What your members really think about your co-op
Learn how the 2005 Touchstone Energy Survey on the Cooperative Difference offers critical insight into the actions and messages that drive member satisfaction and loyalty. Hear how the survey serves as a guide to help craft messages and implement best practices that hit the mark with co-op members. Tom Laing, director of market research at TSE Services (Raleigh, N.C.) will lead this session.
Aces High: Best Practices that Drive Member Satisfaction
See how to use Touchstone Energy customer satisfaction benchmarking not only to measure success but to improve business performance. Hear from two co-op CEOs using Touchstone Energy tools to raise employee morale, set organizational goals and enhance the members' experience with the co-op.
Life Beyond the 30-Second Spot
Get an in-depth look at the 2006 Touchstone Energy advertising and communications portfolio. Learn how locally customizing these resources can move the needle when it comes to communicating the cooperative difference.
Wide Open Spaces
Hear how co-ops are leveraging SitesAcrossAmerica.com to gain a competitive edge with site selectors and ultimately to bring jobs and businesses to co-op communities. Listen in as a site selection consultant explains what’s expected from a utility during the site-selection process.
When Just One Card Will Do
Get the goods on how the Co-op Connections Card is a win-win-win program for electric cooperatives, the businesses they serve and their residential members. Co-op peers will explain how this program builds loyalty and clarifies the link between local electric co-ops and the Touchstone Energy brand.
Touchstone Energy Home on the Range
Recognizing the challenge of rising energy costs, timing couldn’t be better to learn how the Touchstone Energy Home and other energy efficiency programs delivered via the Touchstone Energy brand can help co-op members reduce energy costs and show how cooperatives look out for their members.
The Connect 2006 headquarters hotel, the Marriot Rivercenter, is full. However, rooms are available at these nearby hotels:
The Wyndham St. Anthony
210.227.4392
The Emily Morgan Hotel
210.225.5100
To register for Connect 2006, visit the conferences section at www.cooperative.com. Conference details and updates can be found at www.touchstoneenergy.coop.
Co-op Connections Card Discounts Lined Up in San Antonio
The Co-op Connections Card will hit the streets of San Antonio May 16-19 for the Connect 2006 Conference. Attendees will be able to use the card to save at shops and restaurants near San Antonio’s Marriot Rivercenter, the site of the conference. All conference registrants will receive a complimentary Co-op Connections card in the mail along with their conference badge. Co-op-specific cards will also be accepted.
Ten establishments will offer discounts to patrons presenting the card during the conference dates, including:
- Steers & Beers (steakhouse and saloon) will offer 10 percent off total checks
- Buy one - get one free ice cream cone or cup at Marble Slab Creamery
- 10 percent off total check at Lone Star Café
- 10 percent off dinner check at Marriott Riverwalk's Cactus Flower restaurant
- Marriott Rivercenter's (host hotel) Garden Café and River Roast restaurants will offer 10 percent off dinner checks. The hotel’s JW Steakhouse will offer a free dessert with any two entrees
- 15 percent off total purchases at Destination San Antonio, Making History San Antonio and Best of San Antonio. All three shops have Texas-themed gifts, shirts, hats, beer mugs, salsa, posters, etc. Not valid on sale items.
New TV Spots to be Unveiled at Connect 2006
Connect 2006 attendees can look forward to the premier of a fresh Touchstone Energy communications campaign. Five new national TV spots, which will be filmed the week of April 24 in co-op territory, will be introduced on May 18 during the Connect 2006 Conference in San Antonio. The new campaign, “Straight Talk,” will help co-ops communicate relevant and timely messages to their members and touch on themes such as energy efficiency, reliability, and building a brighter future for America.
A spokesman will appear in each of the five spots, along with a handful of actual co-op members. The TV spots are part of an integrated communications campaign that will also include a robust portfolio of radio and print materials.
Stay tuned!
North Carolina Co-ops Support ‘Bright Ideas’ in the Classroom
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North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives are helping teachers and students in their state in a big way. Since 1994, the Bright Ideas grant program has awarded more than $4.5 million in grant money to teachers throughout the state to help fund innovative learning projects at their schools. The grants have reached more than 800,000 students and supported 4,000 projects that may not otherwise have been funded.
Each of North Carolina’s 27 cooperatives administer the grant program in their service territories and evaluate Bright Ideas grant applications based on student involvement, innovative and creative teaching methods, clearly defined learning objectives, measurable results, and ongoing benefit to students. Teachers from grades K-12 are eligible to submit their projects for the grants, and an average of 2,000 applications are accepted statewide each year from teachers in a variety of disciplines including music, art, history, reading, science, career-planning and information technology. Grants are awarded in varying amounts of up to $2,000.
Recent grant recipients include a third-grade class that landscaped a yard and created a garden for a family receiving a Habitat for Humanity house. The grant was used to purchase paving bricks, vegetables, flowers and potting soil.
“We’ve been able to touch thousands of students and help fund so many worthwhile projects through this program,” says Suzanne Ward of North Carolina EMC. “It’s been a great way for us to emphasize our commitment to our communities—and our classrooms,” she added.
The successful program has attracted the attention of local media in many of the co-ops’ communities. The co-ops host a year-end awards luncheon for all of the winning teachers.
Co-op Connections Announces New National Deals
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Adding to the growing tally of national discounts already available to cardholders, Co-op Connections has secured five new national deals. One of the recently inked deals comes from wholesale discount club Costco. Co-op Connections participants who sign up for Costco membership will receive a $10 Costco cash card.
A second new deal comes from Sierra Trading Post, an online outdoor gear retailer. Sierra 
Trading Post offers discounted name-brand outdoor apparel, footwear, boots and home décor. With the Co-op Connections card, patrons can take an additional 10 percent off Web-based purchases of $100 or more.
In addition to Costco and Sierra Trading Post, GolfBargains.com, MREfoods.com and American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning have added their names to the Co-op Connections national discount roster. To learn how to take advantage of these and 19 other national discounts, visit www.connections.coop or contact Scott Bialick at 703.907.5627, scott.bialick@nreca.coop.
ACSI Web Conference Slated for May 31
Is getting a score from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) more than just an 
interesting number? Can an ACSI score be used for anything useful beyond providing a benchmark? Why is participating in this Touchstone Energy program worthwhile?
Find out the answers to these questions and hear how to make the most of the ACSI tool during a Touchstone Energy Web conference entitled, “The ACSI: A view from the CEO’s Desk.”
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern (12:00 p.m. Central, 11:00 a.m. Mountain, 10:00 a.m. Pacific)
Speakers:
- Tim Sullivan – director, C&I business development, NRECA and Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
- Raymond H. Beavers, CEO and general manager, United Electric Co-op Services, Inc. (Texas)
- Gregg Kiess, President/CEO, Northeastern REMC (Ind.)
Cost: FREE for Touchstone Energy Members
Registration: Please register by close of business on Monday, May 29, 2006. Call-in and Web access details for participants to follow.
For registration-related questions, contact Nancy Runge at 703.907.5742 or Nancy.Runge@nreca.coop. Content-related, please contact Tim Sullivan at 651.686.7477 or Tim.Sullivan@nreca.coop.
Reminder: New Cooperative Difference Series Available at Advancingthebrand.coop
A new Cooperative Difference poster and counter card can be found on www.advancingthebrand.coop. The new series, “Advocacy,” carries the message, “Looking Out For You, That’s the Cooperative Difference.” The advancingthebrand.coop Web site houses Touchstone Energy posters, counter cards, print ads and bill stuffers that help co-ops communicate the unique advantages of being a member of an electric cooperative.
In the past, Touchstone Energy has mailed a copy of the posters and counter cards to each co-op. However, with the release of the new elements, member cooperatives will have more flexibility in the design. There are three poster and counter card options. Each cooperative can receive one complimentary poster and counter card by accessing www.advancingthebrand.coop and filling out the appropriate information.
Co-op Connections Introduces Case Studies and 2nd Quarter Print Schedule
A great new tool for co-ops interested in launching Co-op Connections has just been finalized and is now available to all Touchstone Energy Cooperatives at www.touchstoneenergy.coop. The Co-op Connections case studies are an informative look at how co-ops of all different sizes prepared to bring the program to their membership. The case studies provide information on relative costs, business recruitment, card distribution and more at small, mid-sized and large co-ops.
Logos and Commitments due May 31 for Second Quarter Print Run
It's almost time for another card production run. Join the 79 Touchstone Energy co-ops building member loyalty and demonstrating the cooperative difference with the Co-op Connections member benefit card. With nearly 6 million cards and key fobs in circulation, Co-op Connections is delivering savings to co-op members nationwide. To participate in the next print run, register by May 31 on www.advancingthebrand.coop.
For more information on the next print run and Co-op Connections, contact Scott Bialick at scott.bialick@nreca.coop or 703.907.5627.
Share Your Success Stories!
Touchstone Energy Cooperatives is always interested in co-ops’ local brand-building activities and community involvement and eager to share ideas and successes with co-ops across the country. The Brand News, which reaches more than 3,500 brand leaders each month, has developed a new feature that makes it easy for readers to submit their stories: a link, labeled “Share your Brand-Building Success Stories,” has been added to the blue sidebar at left. The link takes readers to a submission form, where they fill in the appropriate information and click “submit.”
The Power and Hope Employee Recognition Program, a brand-new Touchstone Energy initiative, is of special interest. Please use the new submission form to let us know how your co-op has introduced the program, how you’ve implemented it, and how it’s been received.
Editor, Erin Keogh
erin.keogh@nreca.coop
703.907.5572