Sam Houston Electric Cooperative recently received recognition in the 2013 “Spotlight on Excellence” national awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Sam Houston EC received awards of excellence for projects including the Co-op’s employee newsletter, “The Wire”; the 2012 Board of Directors Election Ballot; the 2011 Annual Report to Members; a contact information note cube; and an individual print advertisement. The Co-op also received an award of merit for a feature story from the pages of Texas Co-op Power magazine.
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative chief communications officer Keith Stapleton, communications specialist Mary Kate Scott and communications specialist Lesa Teer, produced the award-winning projects.
“The judges noted that electric cooperatives are being challenged to communicate to the people they serve in more ways than ever before,” said Carol Crabtree, administrator of Spotlight on Excellence. “Printed newsletters, news releases, websites, social media, videos and information in bills are all more important than ever to keep members updated.”
A special luncheon honored the award recipients during the Connect ‘13 Conference held in Orlando, Fla., on May 15. Winning entries were displayed during the event.
The annual Spotlight awards competition recognizes the top-rated communication and marketing efforts by electric cooperatives and related organizations. Participants in the awards competition competed with electric cooperatives of similar sizes in 19 categories. Electric cooperative communicators and marketing professionals submitted more than 740 entries in the Spotlight on Excellence program, now in its 25th year. Faculty members from the University of Missouri – Columbia, University of South Carolina and Ohio University Scripps-Howard School of Journalism judged the entries.
The Council of Rural Electric Communicators was organized in 1982, and seeks to advance the recognition, education and professionalism of electric cooperative communicators and their affiliated organizations. It is a volunteer association working on behalf of more than 4,000 electric cooperative communicators across the United States.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the service organization representing the national interests of cooperative electric utilities, coordinates the Council’s activities. Other national organizations supporting the work of the Council are the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, the National Cooperative Services Corporation and Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange.
