Spring 2004, Volume 20, Number 2 - American Public Power ...

A member service of the American Public Power Association Spring 2004, Volume 21 Number 2Advice on dealing with the news mediaShow them the hardwareHow should you deal with yournews media? “Tell them the truth,give them a good story, and showthem the hardware so that whenthere’s a crisis they’re familiar withyour business,” said Llewellyn King,publisher of The Energy Daily, to agroup of public power executivesand governing board membersin April at APPA’s WashingtonInstitute, an exploration of howpublic policy is made.Get reporters “in” early on astory about a utility project, Kingsaid, and tell them why it has publicvirtue and how things work. “Puta reporter in a bucket truck,” headvised. “Everyone in the worldwants to ride in a bucket truck.”The local newspaper becomesalmost a “utility,” with aburdensome responsibility to thecommunity that makes the papervulnerable politically, King told theaudience. And reporters are oftenunderpaid, overworked in badconditions, and looking to moveon to a bigger town paper. Youwill need to humanize your story tobuild relationships.King also said that if youhave a television opportunity, beprepared. “You wouldn’t go on‘American Idol’ without a song." Wind program generates positive media coverageKissimmee, Fla., Utility Authority printed theabove advertisement to promote its annualfi reworks display at the city’s Fourth-of-Julycelebration. For more information about theevent, contact KUA Corporate CommunicationsManager Chris Gent at 407/ 933-9836;cgent@kua.com. 3InsideListen to employees and keep yourcustomers happyA local meteorologist interviewed City of Edmond, Okla., Electric Director CharlieBurgett (left), about the utility’s wind program. The reporter’s knowledge about weatherlivened up the interview as he asked questions about the optimum wind speed for theturbines and the percentage of time they were used. The coverage was positive and agood example of how an interested reporter and a knowledgeable utility spokespersonmake the perfect team. 4Turn6on your community toPublic Power WeekSeeds of ideas plant energy savings inUtah community

2Bulletin BoardAPPA Quarterly Communicator Spring 2004, Volume 21 Number 2The 21 st annual National Night Out,America’s Night Out Against Crime, isscheduled for Aug. 3. More than 34 millionpeople from 10,000 communities participate inthis national crime and drug prevention eventthat emphasizes the security benefits of lights.Along with the traditional display of outdoorlights and front porch vigils, cities, towns, andneighborhoods celebrate with various outdooractivities. Awards are given each year and thereis a special category for electric utilities. For moreinformation, visit www.nationalnightout.org.ElectriCities of North Carolina, Raleigh,and Mansfi eld, Mass., Municipal ElectricDepartment, both launched improved Websites. View ElectriCities' Web site by visitingwww.electricities.com, for MMED’s site, visitwww.mansfi eldelectric.com.Oberlin, Ohio, Municipal Light & Power System installed a newsign on its power plant to make sure that the town’s residentsknow that they live in a public power community. The sign isvery noticeable both day and night. The Electrical Safety FoundationInternational (ESFI) released two newproducts designed to help consumerskeep their homes electrically safe indoors andout. EFSI revised its Indoor Electrical SafetyCheck booklet, and issued a Spanish version ofthe companion Outdoor Electrical Safety Checkbooklet. These booklets include basic questionsto help consumers determine whether or not theyshould have their homes electrically inspected.A new Spanish version of the Indoor ElectricalSafety Check booklet will be available soon.These and other electrical safety publicationsare available at www.electrical-safety.org, or byphone at 703/841-3229.The APPA 2004 Economic Development &Utility Marketing Workshop will take placeJuly 26-28 at the Renaissance ClevelandHotel in Cleveland, Ohio. Theworkshop includes seminarsabout key accounts, marketing,and Web site programs. Formore information, contactAPPA Membership andEducation Associate HeidiLambert at 202/467-2976;hlambert@APPAnet.org.Estimate the effectivenessof your tree-plantingefforts with APPA’s newTree Benefi ts Estimator.The estimator, which wasdeveloped as part of APPA’sTREE POWER program bystaff of the Sacramento, Calif.,Municipal Utility District(SMUD), allows utilities toestimate energy savings,demand reduction, andgreenhouse gas emissionsreductions achieved byplanting trees. The estimatoris a free tool. Check it out atwww.APPAnet.org. To learnmore about the estimator orto join TREE POWER, contactAPPA's Communicationsdepartment at 202/467-2900;TreePower@APPAnet.org.Gain a greater, more efficientunderstanding of the Best Practices inMarketing Green Pricing Programs with anew resource guide for renewable energy marketers.The information is based largely on a survey ofutility green pricing program managers, and alsorepresents the personal experience, expertise, andinsight of the author, and the valuable input andsupport from a team of renewable energy industryprofessionals from the Center for ResourceSolutions and the City of Palo Alto, Calif., Utilities.The resource guide was made possible through aDEED grant from APPA and through sponsorshipand support from the City of Palo Alto Utilities andthe Western Area Power Administration, Lakewood,Colo. Contact APPA Membership and MarketingAssistant Barbara Bolton at 202/467-2926;bbolton@APPAnet.org. Director of CommunicationsMadalyn Cafruny(202) 467-2952mcafruny@APPAnet.orgCommunications Specialist, EditorAngela Nazworth(202) 467-2927anazworth@APPAnet.orgCommunications AssistantLeah McKeeman(202) 467-2958lmckeeman@APPAnet.orgQuarterly Communicator is publishedwinter, spring, summer, and fall by APPA'sCommunications Department.2301 M St., N.W.Washington, DC20037-1484

APPA Quarterly Communicator Spring 2004, Volume 21 Number 2 3Listen to employees and keep your customers happyBy Colby Swann, Manager of Marketing & Communications, EPB, Electric Power, Chattanooga, Tenn., 423/648-1385; swanncm@epb.net.EPB Electric Power was established in 1935 and serves more than 160,750 electric customers.Customer satisfaction is a buzzwordheard with increased frequencythroughout the utility industry.Regardless of their competitivesituation in the marketplace, utilitiesare realizing that positive customerperception and loyalty are fundamentalfor long-term survival. Ultimately,there is only one person who can tellyou how customers feel about yourutility—the customer. At EPB, we’verelied on multiple customer researchstudies to teach us how the customerperceives our business, our brand, andthe level of service we offer. In virtuallyevery major business decision we make,we make sure our customers are heardthrough surveys, focus groups, andcustomer intercepts.Through research, we’ve discoveredthe profound effect our employees haveon our customers and the perceptionof our company. Satisfied customerssimply won’t exist without motivated,well-trained and satisfied employees.As such, we’ve found it crucial to useour research expertise to understandwhat motivates our employees. Wemeasure employee satisfaction, theirknowledge of the company, and thetools and training they need to dotheir job well. Our most recent studywith employees focused on an area ofour company every employee dependson—Human Resources.Organizational evolutionLike many businesses that have beenaround for 65 years, we’ve undergoneorganizational changes to fit the needsof the business and the employees.One of our more recent shifts is themovement from a reactive personneldepartment to a more employeefocused,proactive Human ResourcesDivision. The goal of the division was toinfuse a new culture into the company,promote a safe working environment,help develop employees and provide acompetitive compensation and benefitsprogram. Since this was an integralpart of and major change for ourcompany, after one year we wanted tounderstand how well the division wasmeeting employee needs and companygoals. We also wanted to understandthe actions that would positivelyinfluence employee satisfaction.Satisfi ed customers simplywon't exist without motivated,well-trained, and satisfi edemployees.Research has to be actionableEPB’s Marketing & CommunicationsDivision acted as a “third-party”researcher on HR’s behalf. Ourdivision had the expertise to conductthe survey and could take an objectivestance when reviewing the results.Most importantly, we could formunbiased recommendations for HumanResources, an important factor in anyresearch effort.The first step was to develop asurvey that was actionable. Several pastexperiences with marketing researchsimply left us with no action plan. Weknew how customers felt, but didn’tknow what to do about it. Havinglearned the lessons of the past, thedivision teamed up with HR to developa comprehensive questionnaire thatwould give HR a clear result anddirection for the future.Every voice countsAn important consideration wasgiving every one of our 400 employeesthe opportunity to be heard. To bestatistically accurate, we needed a muchsmaller sample than this, but we feltwe would have broken a cardinal ruleof employee satisfaction had we notallowed all employees a voice.EPB developed a plan to go to eachwork area in the company. Marketing& Communications assigned meetingtimes for each work area andadministered the written surveyanonymously to ensure confidentiality.To further guarantee employeeprivacy, the division used a blindcollection method and forwarded thewritten surveys to an outside researchcompany, who provided us with thetabulated data. We then developedrecommendations for HumanResources.The path becomes clearThe survey produced good results.More than 90 percent of employeesparticipated. The resulting feedbackled HR to review enhancements topolicies, benefit plans, compensationprograms, employee communications,and HR processes that will positivelyimpact employee satisfaction.The division has identifiedopportunities to implement the types ofeducation, training, and developmentprograms employees value most, aswell as the high value employees placeon participating in safety meetings andgetting vital safety information.Most importantly, the division isramping up its already-intense focus ondirect employee involvement. More HRstaff members are talking to employeesone-on-one than ever before. Thedivision even made a strong showingat EPB’s annual Family Festival byhosting “The HR Challenge,” a gamedesigned to bolster interaction betweenmembers of the HR staff and theemployee base.Every utility should hear fromemployees. They are the greatest assetany organization has.

4APPA Quarterly Communicator Spring 2004, Volume 21 Number 2Turn on your community to Public Power WeekEvery day, your customers turn on topublic power as they flip light switches,surf the Internet, dance to their favoritesongs on the radio, and open freezerdoors to scoop out some ice cream.They rely on their local electric utilitywith confidence. Infact, unless they are inthe process of payingtheir electric bill, orencounter a poweroutage, you may bethe last thought ontheir minds.Public Power Week,which was launchedby APPA nearly 20years ago, gives youan opportunity toturn your communityon to the concept andbenefits of communityownedutilities. Thenationally coordinatedpublic event was developed as a conduitfor public power systems to explainlocal goals, current operations, futureplans, and community contributions.For this years Public Power Week,Oct. 3-9, APPA will make availablenumerous communication materialsthat can be used for the week and yearround.Look for the offerings posted onAPPA’s Web site, www.APPAnet.org, tobe updated by the end of July. We’ll alsomail and post information about thelow-cost special eventitems listed below.The items currentlyon the site are stilluseful as you promotethe communitywidevalue of yourutility: safe, reliableservice; reasonablerates; innovativetechnologies; and localownership.Plan now to makethis year the best PublicPower Week yet and tokeep public power’ssteady image bright. Promote energy effi ciency at your Public Power Week celebrationIt’s important to be energy efficient throughout the year, but Public Power Week is your chance to spread that messageto your community. This year, APPA has the items you need to reach out and educate your customers on the importanceof using energy wisely.Energy Efficiency Pays is anew booklet that includes anintroduction to energy efficiencyand list of simple energy savers. Itis divided into five topic sections,it's short and easy to read, and it'spacked with useful information onhow to save energy. This bookletmakes a great hand-out at yourPublic Power Week celebration andis very reasonably priced.For the youngsters in yourcommunity, the Find-A-Lightwill be a very popular item. Thisunique light switch cover fits overa standard light switch, requires noelectricity, and glows in the dark.Not only does it conserve energy,but it promotes safety. APPA willoffer these in the shape of a lightbulb with the message "ConserveEnergy - Turn Off the Light". TheFind-A-Light face plates can also becustomized to include utility logosand even community mascots.APPA also offers special eventitems that are imprinted withthe "Public Power: An AmericanTradition That Works" logo. Showyour support for public power withitems such as hats, t-shirts, magnets,balloons, chip clips, screwdrivers,outlet safety caps, mints, pens,placemats, mouse pads, and travelmugs.For more information, or toplace your order, contact APPA’spublications department at202/467-2926 or visit our web siteat www.APPAnet.org/publicationsand click on Special Event Items.Place your order early to avoid therush.

APPA Quarterly Communicator Spring 2004, Volume 21 Number 2 5Communicators on the MoveBenton Public Utility District, Kennewick,Wash., and The Grand River Dam Authority,Vinita, Okla., have earned the Certifi cate ofAchievement for Excellence in Financial Reportingfrom the Government Finance Offi cers Association.Benton PUD won for its 2002 comprehensiveannual financial report. GRDA won for its 2002annual report, An Oklahoma Tradition.Snohomish County Public Utility District,Everett, Wash., received the “Best of Show” awardat the 2004 Totem Awards, held by the PublicRelations Society of America’s Puget SoundChapter. The award was given for the utility’scommunity affairs campaign.Randy S. Howard, former director of corporatecommunications for Los Angeles, Calif.,Department of Water and Power, executiveassistant to the general manager. In this newposition, Howard oversees the legislative andregulatory affairs, natural gas supplies, andsupports the offi ce of the chief operating offi cer.Santee Cooper’s Web site won fi rst place honorsin the South Carolina Press Association’s AnnualNews Contest competition. Judges commentedthat the Moncks Corner, S.C., based state agency’ssite, www.santeecooper.com, “offers a wealth ofinformation in an easy-to-navigate format.”Kissimmee, Fla., Utility Authorityhas garnered nine awards for excellence incommunications. Five awards came fromthe International Communicator Awards,and four were given by the Orlando Chapterof the Florida Public Relations Association.KUA communication tools that were honoredinclude: the 2002 annual report, The Powerof U; the 2003 annual report, On; the 2004energy conservation calendar; and, theemployee newsletter, Powerline.Mark Heuberger, manager of corporatecommunications, Memphis, Tenn.,Light, Gas and Water, was named“Best Communications Executive” duringthe annual “Stevie Awards” ceremonyhosted by the American Business Awards.Judges included international businessleaders such as real estate mogul DonaldTrump and Forbes magazine publisher,Rich Karl. Additionally, MLGW also won severalcommunications awards from the MemphisChapter of the Public Relations Society ofAmerica.Linda Chou joined Roseville, Calif., Electricas its manager of public relations. She replacedBernie Fargen, who is now the electric programmanager at Redding, Calif., Electric Utility. Chouhandles communications, media relations andThe following utilities are recipients of APPA’s 2004Community Service Award, which recognizes “goodneighbor” activities that demonstrate the commitmentof the utility and its employees to the community. Formore information about this award and the specificaccomplishments of this year’s list of recipients, visitwww.APPAnet.org; or contact APPA's Communicationsdepartment at 202/467-2900.Alameda, Calif., Power & TelecomMassachusetts Municipal WholesaleElectric Company, Ludlow, Mass.Nashville, Tenn., Electric ServiceNew Braunfels, Texas, UtilitiesScottsburg, Indiana, Municipal Electric UtilityTullahoma, Tenn., Utilities Boardgovernment affairs for the utility. Previously, shewas communications manager and legislativedirector for the California Consumer Power andConservation Financing Authority.City of Riverside, Calif., Public UtilitiesDepartment received awards from its localchapter of the Public Relations Society of America(PRSA) for various communications campaigns.The utility’s Green Power and Tree Power programsreceived the highest honors for developingawareness and support forenvironmental initiatives.RPU’s use of the back ofevery customer’s monthlyutility bill to deliver keyinformation also earnedthe utility an award.City Public Service ofSan Antonio, Texas, wonthe “Best of Texas Award,’from the Texas PublicRelations Association(TPRA)for its improvedand redesigned Intranet,CPSnet. Additionally,CPS Director of CorporateCommunications BobMcCullough servedas chair of TPRA’s 50 thanniversary conferencethat was recently held inSan Antonio.

American Public Power Association2301 M St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-1484Address Service RequestedSeeds of ideas plant energy savings in Utah communityMurray City, Utah, Power, distributes packets of seeds to promotethe concept of energy savings. The backs of the seed packets containinformation about the plant and the phrase, “For more seeds of thoughtsand fertile ways to save energy and money visit www.murraypower.com.”Electricity usage reachesits peak on hot summerafternoons, so Murray City,Utah, Power is promotingenergy conservationto make its city a “coolcommunity.”As part of its Arbor andEarth Day celebrations,the utility, which servesabout 16,000 customers,distributes packets of seeds.An educational tool, theseed packets provide adultsand kids with informationabout the positive impactplanting trees and flowershave on the environment.The names of the seedsare tied into the energy andmoney saving campaignmessage. For example, thepacket of “Money Plant”seeds carries the slogan,“Wish for a ‘Money Plant,’but Reduce your Useand Chill your Bill.” Thepackets are customizedwith the utility’s name, logoand contact information,and are also available fordistribution during PublicPower Week and othercommunity events.In addition to theseeds, Murray City Poweruses bill stuffers, flyers,and brochures to shareenergy-saving tips with itscustomers.For more informationabout Murray City Power’scommunication efforts,contact General ManagerGary O. Merrill at801/264-2730, or visitwww.murraypower.com.