Innovative communication program in the spotlight.

• Author: Johnson, Susan M.
• Position: Martin A. Hillert, Jr. receives J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award

Martin A. Hillert, Jr., CEO of Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative in Friendship, WI, was selected as the winner of the 2006 J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award. This award was established in 2003 by the Certified Cooperative Communicator (CCC) Program in conjunction with the Council of Rural Electric Communicators. The award memorializes the late J.C. Brown and his unwavering dedication to the importance of communication as a vital link connecting electric cooperatives with each other and with their consumer-owners, and to advancing the cooperative business model. The nominees for this award demonstrate through their actions a clear understanding of, and commitment to, the strategic role of communications in employee, member and community relations.

This article examines some of the innovative communications initiatives at Adams-Columbia that prompted the judges to select Marty as the recipient of this prestigious award. Mr. Hillert's personal reflections on the importance of communications follow this article.

During their deliberations and the selection of this year's award winner, the judges of the submissions were struck by several characteristics of the communications initiatives at AdamsColumbia. Most notably, they highlighted the strong commitment to employee development, the effective use of employee teams for solving problems, a novel new method for nominating co-op directors, and strong CEO participation in internal and external communications activities.

The Co-op's Communications Plan

In early 2005, Mr. Hillert directed staff to begin work on a comprehensive marketing and communications plan. The purpose of the plan is to ensure that marketing and communications functions are well coordinated, effectively managed, and responsive to the needs of the cooperative, its members and employees. The plan is intended to provide direction for communications and marketing programs for a period of three to five years and to promote solid and consistent messaging for the cooperative.

The first step in that process was to review the strategic plan set forth for the cooperative by the board of directors to ensure that subsequent communications initiatives were consistent with the direction set forth in that document. A team of managers and supervisors discussed each objective and determined that the marketing and communications plan would support, directly or indirectly, thirteen of the 22 corporate objectives. They include:

* Effective communications with members

* Increase level of loyalty of members

* Evaluate member input and opinions

* Recognize and anticipate changing member demographics

* Enhance the Public Safety and Electricity Awareness...