Annual Meeting
Stimulus is Focus in Ad Campaign
On the day President Obama signed the stimulus bill, Touchstone Energy® announced that it has prepared TV spots explaining the benefits of the legislation to consumer-members.
Mike Sims (l) and Jim Bausell discuss Touchstone Energy’s new TV ads. (Photo By: Luis Gomez)
“We decided we needed to move quickly and to be out front explaining what parts of the new stimulus bill could affect them, especially as it relates to their purchase of energy-efficiency improvements,” Mike Sims, president of the Touchstone Energy Board of Directors, told the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives annual meeting.
In just five days, three short informative messages were created and made available for co-ops to run on local stations.
The stimulus includes tax credits of up to $1,500 for weather stripping, sealing and insulation, noted Sims, who is CEO of Butler REC, Oxford, Ohio. That is the focus of one spot, in which an announcer urges viewers to “be more comfortable and save big on your energy bill, while improving the environment.”
Another spot focuses on the maximum $1,500 tax credit for a new heating and cooling system. A third highlights tax credits for new windows and doors.
“All of these can be tagged with your local co-op’s logo,” noted Jim Bausell, Touchstone Energy COO.
In other meeting business, Sims announced that Touchstone Energy membership has climbed to 680 systems in 46 states. “We welcome all of our new members and promise to work hard to bring you the value you expect,” Sims said.
Jim Coleman, CEO of Shelby Electric Cooperative, Shelbyville, Ill., was presented with the Touchstone Energy Distinguished Service Award. Sims praised Coleman for spending “countless hours meeting and greeting people from all walks of life, all across the country, teaching them about the cooperative promise and dream.”
Tags: Annual Meeting, Efficiency and Conservation, Touchstone Energy