Posts

, ,

Co-ops Pull Together

Some 25,000 people attended the 2015 Lions’ Club Super Pull of the South in Chapel Hill on Friday and Saturday, July 24 and 25. The event was sponsored by the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Tennessee and TECA.

More than 70 volunteers from eight of Tennessee’s 10 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives volunteered to make the event a success. Each participating co-op as well as TECA and The Tennessee Magazine had displays set up and greeted co-op members from across the state. The Touchstone Energy hot air balloon team flew over the stands with the American flag during the opening ceremony and gave tethered rides each evening.

“The Chapel Hill Lions Club was extremely appreciative of Touchstone Energy and TECA sponsorships and the involvement of the electric co-ops. It was a record-setting event with huge crowds each night,” says Steve Oden, director of member services for Duck River EMC. “Thanks goes to the more than 70 employee volunteers from eight Touchstone electric cooperatives who helped make the brand shine.”

“It was great to see so many of our co-ops work together on this event,” says David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “The partnerships between Touchstone Energy, participating co-ops and TECA allowed us to have a presence and reach our members in ways that no single co-op could have done. We hope this is the first of many opportunities for co-ops to partner and tell our story.”

Touchstone Energy produced the video below as a part of their On Tour project. You can read more about their experience in Chapel Hill at ontour.touchstoneenergy.com.

/by

Touchstone Energy Balloon Team comes to Tennessee

The 37th Annual Chapel Hill Lions Club Super Pull of the South has held on Friday and Saturday night, Aug. 19 and 20, drawing some of the biggest crowds in the history of the event.

The weather was beautiful both nights and the track was in perfect shape as pullers came from all over the country to take part in one of the premier events of the National Tractor Pull Association (NTPA) circuit.

Touchstone Energy Cooperatives were a proud sponsor of the event, and the balloon team was on site for tethered rides both nights. A few lucky co-op staffers and directors had an opportunity to fly with the team.

 

/by
,

Gibson EMC’s Rodamaker Recognized with National Honor

Gibson Electric Membership Corporation President and CEO Dan Rodamaker recently received the Touchstone Energy Brand Champion Award in recognition of living the “power of human connections.”  Rodamaker was the only co-op leader in Tennessee and one of only six co-op leaders in the nation to receive this award.

“I’m honored to receive this award, but I’m more proud of what it represents,” Rodamaker said.  “Gibson EMC, our leadership and our employees work conscientiously every day to provide our members with the highest level of service excellence,” he said.  “This is our ongoing commitment to our members and to the communities we serve.”

As part of its efforts toward service excellence, Gibson EMC surveys member-owners and benchmarks its survey results against those of other electric energy providers.  The rating from Gibson EMC’s last survey was a 91 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a system used nationally to rate performance and customer satisfaction among energy providers.  This was nine points higher than the average of 82 for other Touchstone Energy Cooperatives for the same period and 16 points ahead of the national utility industry average.

“Naturally we’re honored by our member-owners’ ratings and by Touchstone Energy’s recognition of our utility,” said Rodamaker, “but it only strengthens our commitment to serve our members and our communities even better going forward.”

Touchstone Energy is a national alliance of local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives providing high standards of service to customers large and small.  More than 700 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives in 46 states are delivering energy and energy solutions to more than 27 million customers every day.  Touchstone Energy Cooperatives serve members with integrity, accountability, innovation and a longstanding commitment to communities.

Gibson EMC, a Touchstone Energy Member since 2006, is a local, not-for-profit, member-owned and member-controlled electric cooperative. Gibson EMC serves about 35,000 member-owners in Gibson, Crockett, Dyer, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, and Obion counties.  Its corporate customer service center is in Trenton and its satellite customer service centers are in Alamo, Medina, Tiptonville and Troy.

/by