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planning committee for member appreciation day
PPEC employees on the Member Appreciation Day Drive-In Movie Committee included (L-R) Samantha Kuhn, Barb Rife, Todd Taylor, Joanne Mobley, Eric Herman, Peter Niagu, Tara Schlatter, Dee Renollet, Heather Hunt. The committee showcases their silver “Best Event” award in the national co-op Spotlight on Excellence Contest, along with magazines from the event and the gift bag giveaways. See the event online at www.ppec.coop/driveinrecap.

Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative (PPEC) recently received recognition in the national 2022 Spotlight on Excellence Awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators (CREC) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).  PPEC received a 2nd place silver award in two categories: “Best Video” and “Best Event.” Both awards were from the co-op’s July 2021 Drive-In Dinosaur-themed Member Appreciation Movie Night, for the event overall and for the video broadcast featuring employees, a walk-and-talk with CEO George Carter, and a co-op update to announce a bill redesign, COVID update, supply chain issues, and more.

Eric Herman and Samantha Kuhn PPEC video award
Communications Coordinator Eric Herman and Marketing and Communications Manager Samantha Kuhn with their silver “Best Video” award from the national Spotlight on Excellence contest. Watch the winning video on YouTube or ppec.coop.

The video was shot and produced by Communications Coordinator Eric Herman and Marketing and Communications Manager Samantha Kuhn.

The 2021 Member Appreciation Day planning committee consisted of nine dedicated employees: Energy Advisor Peter Niagu (Event Co-Chair), System Software Analyst Tara Schlatter (Event Co-Chair), Lead Member Service Representative Joanne Mobley, Engineering/GIS Tech Barb Rife, Safety and Compliance Manager Dee Renollet, IT Manager Todd Taylor, HR and Administration Manager Heather Hunt, Communications Coordinator Eric Herman, and Marketing and Communications Manager Samantha Kuhn.

“I am proud of our hardworking staff for planning such a successful member appreciation event last year at the Van-Del Drive In, especially not knowing what would happen with the pandemic situation and wanting to prioritize the safety of our members while giving their families a fun night out to de-stress,” said PPEC CEO George Carter. “Our marketing department also stepped up to produce a quality – and humorous – drive-in worthy video that allowed me to communicate effectively with members on a variety of important topics. This was essential after waiting nearly two years to hold an in-person event and update the membership on our current status.”

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PPEC designed a special cover wrap with a registration card featuring a T-Rex on the cover of the July member magazines (Ohio Cooperative Living and Indiana Connection), as well as created a variety of flyers, banners at parades, and online content to help get word out about how much the co-op cares for its members.

Other staff at the national trade level agree; a variety of member communication is crucial in today’s shifting environment.

“Printed news publications, social media and videos are all more important than ever to keep members updated on issues affecting the electric cooperatives and their members,” added Scott Peterson, Senior Vice President Communications for NRECA.

The contest winners are recognized annually during the CONNECT conference, a national conference for communications and marketing professionals. Marketing and Communications Manger Samantha Kuhn attended on behalf of PPEC to accept the awards.

Samantha Kuhn with Spotlight Awards 2022
Marketing and Communications Manager Samantha Kuhn accepts PPEC's Spotlight Awards at the NRECA CONNECT conference in Seattle, WA, in May 2022.

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More information about the award

The annual Spotlight on Excellence Awards program recognizes a body of outstanding work in 16 categories produced by electric cooperative communication and marketing professionals from across the country. Cooperative communicators and marketing professionals submitted more than 720 entries in the Spotlight on Excellence program for 2021. Faculty members from the University of Missouri – Columbia and University of South Carolina, as well as noted professionals in the fields of marketing, web design and digital communications, and newspapers judged the event, which uses a finite scoring system to determine the winners.

NRECA is a national trade association representing more than 900 consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives, public power districts, and public utility districts in the United States. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape.