December 2008
Call For Nominations: 2009 Distinguished Service Award
CFL Charlie Takes the Field in South Carolina
Visit the Touchstone Energy channel on YouTube.com
Start 2009 with the Co-op Connections® Program
Dec. 11 Web Conference Details Business Customers’ Needs
Berkeley Electric Members Spin Savings Using Co-op Connections Card
Special Holiday Savings Available on Connections.coop
Brand to Sponsor New Orleans Service Project at Annual Meeting
Brand Leadership Summit Set for May 12, 2009
Best Practices Knowledgebase Adds New Material
Call For Nominations: 2009 Distinguished Service Award
Nominations are being accepted for Touchstone Energy Cooperatives' highest honor, the Touchstone Energy Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Touchstone Energy brand on a national level.
Nominations for the 2008 Distinguished Service Award must be submitted to Touchstone Energy's Erin Keogh by Jan. 5, 2009. Up to two awards will be presented at the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La., which will be held in conjunction with the NRECA Annual Meeting Feb. 16-18, 2009.
Submit nominations using this form after reviewing the award criteria. Contact Erin Keogh with questions at 703.907.5572.
CFL Charlie Takes the Field in South Carolina
With a little help from CFL Charlie, a group of student-athletes from Clemson University was honored by the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of South Carolina before the recent Clemson-Carolina football game. Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative CEO Charles Dalton and Edisto Electric Cooperative CEO David Felkel joined Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ energy efficiency mascot, pictured here with some of the honorees, to present Touchstone Energy Teammate of the Week medallions to the winning athletes.
Started in 2005, the Touchstone Energy Teammate of the Week program honors student-athletes from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina who demonstrate a commitment to their communities--a commitment shared by South Carolina’s electric cooperatives. Athletes from the University of South Carolina were honored during a recent USC basketball game.
The CFL Charlie costume is available to rent by contacting Touchstone Energy’s Jason McGrade at 703.907.6063 or jason.mcgrade@nreca.coop. The costume goes hand-in-hand with the brand’s new Super Energy Saver Classroom Kit, which features CFL Charlie and can be ordered online. To date, nearly 4,000 kits have been ordered by Touchstone Energy co-ops nationwide.
Visit the Touchstone Energy channel on YouTube.com
Check out CFL Charlie’s recent appearance at the Clemson-Carolina football game on YouTube.com. Touchstone Energy Cooperatives has its own channel on YouTube that hosts a number of the brand’s materials, such as the TV spots from “The Conversation” campaign.
Start 2009 with the Co-op Connections® Program
Connect with members on an issue that really matters to them. Join the 188 Touchstone Energy co-ops already helping their members save money with the Co-op Connections member benefit program. To participate in the first production run of the new year, place your order by Jan. 16, 2009, using this form. Cards and key fobs are set to deliver in early April. Confirmed 1st quarter pricing is available to help with budgeting.
Learn more about this program by visiting the Co-op Connections section of the Touchstone Energy Web site. Contact Scott Bialick with questions at 703.907.5627 or scott.bialick@nreca.coop.
Dec. 11 Web Conference Details Business Customers’ Needs
Touchstone Energy Cooperatives will host a free Web conference Dec. 11 to reveal the findings of the 2008 Touchstone Energy Business Advisory Council session. Learn what nineteen leading corporate energy managers said about electric cooperatives, energy management strategies, and national energy policy. Key account managers, marketing & member services, communications and energy services professionals should attend this online event to learn how to help members survive and thrive amid challenging times.
Registration Fee
Free for Touchstone Energy Cooperatives as a benefit of membership.
Speakers
- Tim Sullivan, Director of C&I Business Development, Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
- Patrick Paris, Energy Manager, Publix Super Markets, Inc., Lakeland, Fla.
- Rick Swiontek, Senior Sourcing Manager for Energy, Johnson Controls, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisc.
Online Registration ends Tuesday, Dec. 8. Call-in and web access details for participants will follow.
Berkeley Electric Members Spin Savings Using Co-op Connections Card
Berkeley Electric Cooperative (Moncks Corner, S.C.) rewarded members attending its Nov. 15 annual meeting for carrying their Co-op Connections card.
The annual meeting, which broke a national record for attendance (9,958 members registered), featured a Co-op Connections booth where members who presented their card could spin for a prize on the “Wheel of Connections.” The goal of the activity was educate members about the card and the valuable savings it provides,” said Eddie McKnight, vice president of marketing/public relations at Berkeley Electric.
Special Holiday Savings Available on Connections.coop
In what has become a yearly tradition, Co-op Connections national discount retailers are offering special holiday promotions to cardholders. Co-ops can share these deals with members and should remind them to visit connections.coop to look for creative gift ideas. A holiday-themed banner has been placed on all co-ops' customized landing pages, where members can view and link to all of the limited-time offers. Highlights include:
- Great deals on gift cards from Sears Commercial
- 40 cruises starting at under $40 per day from Cruises Inc.
- 12 “candy cane” roses plus free chocolates and a vase from ProFlowers
- 10 percent off plus free shipping available from Barnes&Noble.com
- And more!
For more information about national discount offerings or the Co-op Connections member benefit program, contact Scott Bialick at 703.907.5627, or scott.bialick@nreca.coop.
NET2009 is Jan. 20-22
Excitement is building for Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ tenth annual New and Emerging Technologies Conference January 20-22, 2009, at the Westin La Paloma, in Tucson, Ariz.
Attendees can look forward to:
- Connecting with national energy managers
- Networking with other co-op key account executives
- Hearing about the latest industry trends and technologies
- Gaining insight into big picture energy policy from industry experts
- Pre-conference Key Accounts Summit on Jan. 20, including a strategic breakout session for G&T’s.
- Free registration for co-op business customers
- ValuePack registration for co-op colleagues
- Added exposure for your co-op by signing up as a Co-op Ambassador to help welcome energy managers
Visit the NET2009 Web site for information on content, sponsorships and registration. Contact Kathryn Momot for further details at 703.907.5707 or kathryn.momot@nreca.coop.
Brand to Sponsor New Orleans Service Project at Annual Meeting
Hurry--Space is Limited!
Attendees of the 2009 NRECA Annual Meeting, set for Feb. 11-18, 2009, in New Orleans, have an opportunity to give back to the host city and demonstrate their concern for community. On Feb. 14, Touchstone Energy Cooperatives will sponsor a one-day “REbuilding Together New Orleans” project in which a group of co-op attendees and guests at the Annual Meeting will fan out to help revitalize several low-income homes in Orleans Parish. Participants will pitch in at homes that need landscaping, flooring, painting, siding repair or carpentry.
No special skills are required to participate—just a desire to serve. Tools, supplies, lunch and transportation are provided. Registration is free and first-come, first-served, and can be done online while registering for the Annual Meeting. The group will be limited to 150 participants.
Contact Touchstone Energy’s Ann Maggard with questions at 703.907.5986 or ann.maggard@nreca.coop.
Brand Leadership Summit Set for May 12, 2009
Mark your calendars for the 2009 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Brand Leadership Summit. After a year absence, the summit will return in conjunction with the Connect 2009 Conerence, which is set for May 11-14, 2009, at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The Brand Leadership Summit will take place May 12 from 8 a.m to noon, prior to the start of the first Connect 2009 general session.
Stay tuned for registration and program details!
Best Practices Knowledgebase Adds New Material
Co-ops seeking to improve member satisfaction and improve operations need look no further than the Best Practices Knowledgebase, an online library with a wealth of proven best practices. The Knowledgebase offers case studies that detail co-op success stories in a broad array of operations.
Two new case studies were recently added:
Helping Control Costs with Pre-Pay Metering
This study highlights the efforts of Brunswick EMC, a co-op serving 75,000 members in coastal North Carolina that has succeeded in creating a ‘win-win’ solution to bad debt while giving members a choice. Brunswick EMC instituted a pre-pay program in the late 1990’s that protects the financial health of the cooperative while actually improving member satisfaction. In fact, during this era of rising energy costs, the pre-pay solution helps Brunswick EMC’s most financially stressed members to better manage energy costs.
Management Focus on Member Satisfaction Leads to Dramatic Improvement
Blue Ridge EMC, located in the mountains of North Carolina, has been engaged in an ongoing member satisfaction measurement process since 1998. Member feedback is used to identify and adopt operational improvements, develop key pay-for-performance indicators, improve internal team work and better communicate their ‘cooperative difference’ to members. This study examines the co-op’s continuous efforts to use the data to enhance member satisfaction.
Lands’ End Offers Limited-Time Deal on Polo Shirts
Lands’ End Business Outfitters continue to offer great savings on logo apparel to Touchstone Energy co-ops.
Now through Dec. 19th on phone orders only, co-ops can purchase five long-sleeve mesh polo shirts and save $6.00 per shirt. To place an order, call 877.312.4567 to reach a Lands’ End consultant dedicated to serving Touchstone Energy co-ops.
Touchstone Energy co-ops can take advantage of a year-round 10 percent discount on all logo apparel by calling the number above or visiting the Touchstone Energy store on the Land’ End Web site.
TouchstoneEnergy.coop Offers One-Click Sign-In
Co-op employees can now log in to the TouchstoneEnergy.coop member resource section with one simple click. Employees can enter their login information directly on the public landing page. Once in the member resources section, they can navigate seamlessly between the public and private sections of the site.
Editor, Erin Keogh
erin.keogh@nreca.coop
703.907.5572