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Federated Connections Wins Award
Federated Connections connects with national judges; wins award
(Jackson, Minn.) -- The Council of Rural Electric Communicators announced that Connections, won an award in the 2009 "Spotlight on Excellence."
The cooperative received an Award of Excellence in the Best Newspaper/Magazine Category for the 2008 Connections magazine. Andrea Christoffer, marketing & communications manager, is the editor of the award-winning member magazine. Steve Ruthenbeck, communications specialist, also works on this publication.
"The judges' descriptions of this year’s entries ranged from extraordinary to impressive," said Maggie Tilley, administrator of Spotlight on Excellence. "The consistent comment was that consumers are being well-served by communications that seek to inform and to add value for co-op members."
Participants in the awards competition competed with electric cooperatives of similar sizes in 19 categories. Electric cooperative communicators and marketing professionals submitted more than 744 entries in the Spotlight on Excellence program, now in its 21st year. Faculty members from the University of Missouri, Columbia; and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; judged the entries.
Connections is the member magazine that serves four neighboring electric co-ops and their 15,000 members: Brown County Rural Electrical Assn., Sleepy Eye; Federated Rural Electric, Jackson; Nobles Cooperative Electric, Worthington; and South Central Electric Assn., St. James.
"This is the ninth year that Connections has won an award," Christoffer stated. "Besides this year's award, Connections won an Award of Excellence, which is equivalent to first place in its category, in 2000, 2001 and 2007. In 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 Connections won an Award of Merit or second place. We strive to provide valuable communication with our customers. This award again demonstrates the content and quality of our communication. It is recognized among the best throughout the nation for content and design."
Connections was created in 1997 to provide timely information in an attractive manner, while splitting the production costs among the four co-ops to make it more affordable.
The Council developed the Awards Program as an annual event to showcase top-rated performance by electric cooperatives and related organizations. The cooperatives entering the contest are classified by size so they compete with similar-sized co-ops.
The Council, organized in 1982, seeks to advance the recognition, education and professionalism of electric cooperatives' communicators and their affiliated organizations. It is a volunteer association working on behalf of 3,100 rural electric communicators across the United States.