July 2007
"Welcome Home" Recognized by Top General
Co-op Participants Sought for Cooperative Difference Research
Valuable New Best Practice Study Available Online
New Touchstone Energy Balloon Takes Flight
Back-to-School is a Great Time to Get Charged!
Geothermal Heat Pump Web Conference Set for August 15
Share Your Brand-Building Success Stories
"Welcome Home" Recognized by Top General
At the Touchstone Energy board meeting this month, COO Jim Bausell was presented with a framed letter of
appreciation from General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commemorating Touchstone Energy’s Welcome Home video tribute to military personnel and their families.
The letter, dated July 4, recognizes the heartfelt message in the video. “I have had the opportunity to view Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ Welcome Home video and want to thank you for this tasteful, powerful tribute to the military,” writes General Pace. “I appreciate your effort to share this example of community support with a national audience as a public service announcement. The tribute honors the incredible sacrifices made by our Service members and their families, and is sure to lift the spirits of all who view it."
The letter arrived soon after Aaron Ridenour, Prairie Power, Inc. (Jacksonville, Ill.), sent a copy of the video to General Pace’s Pentagon office.
“It means a great deal to our men and women in uniform to know that their communities are behind them. Thank you for showing your support for America’s finest in this special way,” the letter concluded.
“It was a surprise and an honor to receive this letter. Producing this video on behalf of our co-ops, their members, and most importantly our military, was something I was proud to do,” said Bausell. “I’m pleased it’s been so well-received.”
The video continues to be seen across the nation, with dozens of showings at co-op meetings and on the air as a 60-second TV spot. As of July 27, views of Welcome Home on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbmwPyx7Wrs) topped 18,000.
To obtain a copy of Welcome Home, contact Scott Bialick at scott.bialick@nreca.coop. If you would like an electronic version of the letter above, contact Erin Keogh at erin.keogh@nreca.coop.
Co-op Participants Sought for Cooperative Difference Research
How do your members perceive the co-op? How satisfied and engaged are your members? Where is your greatest opportunity to improve your cooperative’s performance?
Now is your chance to have some of those questions answered by participating in the 2007 National Survey on the Cooperative Difference, an annual study fielded by TSE Services. This turn-key project allows cooperatives to receive an ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) score, a Member Engagement Score and a host of other performance benchmarks.
For the past several years, Touchstone Energy has used the Cooperative Difference research to build a foundation of market intelligence that helps co-ops better understand how members respond to co-ops and the things they value most in their electric service. This year's study will focus on national energy supply concerns and the delicate situation electric cooperatives face in balancing investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy and traditional power supply while continuing to provide affordable rates to members.
Results will highlight key messages useful for communicating with members and the community. Interviews are available in the residential, commercial and key account segments, allowing co-ops to receive a broad overview of member attitudes.
Now, more than ever, electric cooperatives must depend on accurate and reliable market intelligence to guide strategic decisions impacting members for years to come. Join the growing list of cooperatives who will receive timely and critical member feedback by participating in the 2007 Cooperative Difference research study!
For more information and to register, go to www.touchstoneenergy.coop, or contact Tom Laing of TSE Services at 919.875.3087, or tom.laing@ncemcs.com.
Valuable New Best Practice Study Available Online
The Touchstone Energy Best Practices Knowledgebase—an online portal to proven co-op best practices—has added a new case study to its library. The study, entitled, “Helping Members Manage Their Energy,” can be found online under the Member Communications category. The study highlights how a New Hampshire co-op is helping its members cope with rising energy costs. The co-op has implemented successful programs that have resulted in significant savings for members.
The Best Practices Knowledgebase, a new Touchstone Energy resource, is targeted to those co-ops wondering what best-in-class players are doing, and how they can implement those tactics in their own systems. To develop the knowledgebase, Touchstone Energy analyzed research to identify benchmarks for member satisfaction. It then singled out the top-performing co-ops, and interviewed them to learn about their policies and programs.
Based on this information, case studies were developed in a number of categories, including distribution system operations, member communications, and member services and administration.
The Knowledgebase can be accessed online at www.touchstoneenergy.coop. For questions about the tool, contact Tim Sullivan at tim.sullivan@nreca.coop.
New Touchstone Energy Balloon Takes Flight
The Touchstone Energy Hot Air Balloon program recently added a brand-new balloon to its fleet. The new balloon was a replacement for the original Touchstone Energy balloon, which was retired in January after eight years in service.
The balloon made its maiden flight in May in southeastern North Carolina. Brunswick EMC (Shallotte, NC) hosted the balloon and pilot Cheri White for a multi-day visit that included rides for several BEMC members and area schoolchildren, and appearances at the North Carolina Strawberry Festival and Relay for Life.
BEMC actively supports both the Strawberry Festival and Relay for Life, and having the Touchstone Energy balloon there added excitement and recognition to both events, according to BEMC CEO Robert W. Leavitt, Jr. “We’re grateful to Touchstone Energy and our statewide organization for helping us bring the balloon to southeastern North Carolina. We were glad to be able to support these two great local events in such a memorable way,” he said.
For more information on the balloon and to find out how to book it for events, visit www.cbaballoon.com.
Back-to-School is a Great Time to Get Charged!
School will soon be back in session, and now is an ideal time for Touchstone Energy cooperatives to boost their
connection to schools and parents as well as highlight their commitment to community.
The comprehensive Discovery Education Get Charged! kits are filled with high-quality educational materials that help teachers educate students about electricity and fulfill a requirement of the National Science Education Standards. To date, more than 6,000 kits have been distributed in classrooms (grades 5-9) nationwide.
At just $10 per kit and free shipping, this is a cheap and easy way to help local school systems start the year off right.
The kits and additional student activity books can be ordered online.
For more information, please contact Scott Bialick at scott.bialick@nreca.coop or 703.907.5627.
Geothermal Heat Pump Web Conference Set for August 15
Touchstone Energy will host a free Web conference on Geothermal Heat Pump technology on August 15, from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern time.
The Web conference will feature a panel of experts and will highlight the history of geothermal heat pumps and the latest technology advances. Attendees will also hear from a co-op speaker about how heat pumps have benefited co-op members.
Speakers:
- Jim Bose, Ph.D, Executive Director, International Ground Source Heat Pump Association
- Phil Schoen, CEO, Geo-Enterprises, Inc.
- Paul Bony, Marketing and Customer Service Manager, Delta-Montrose Electric Association, Colorado
Register online. Questions? Registration-related, contact Nancy Runge at nancy.runge@nreca.coop or 703.907.5742. Content-related, contact Pete Schmutz at pete.schmutz@nreca.coop or 919.562.1444 .
Editor, Erin Keogh
erin.keogh@nreca.coop
703.907.5572