Rushmore Electric Power Cooperative hosts first annual Key Accounts Conference

Basin Electric Class A member Rushmore Electric Power Cooperative recently hosted the first annual Key Accounts mini-conference in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The conference brought together the key players in various electric cooperative communities and empowered them with valuable tools to grow and improve their key account programs.

“Rushmore Electric was searching for ways to add additional value to our members,” says Matt Brunner, Rushmore Electric chief marketing officer. “We recognize that a significant portion of our members’ revenue comes from commercial loads, so we wanted to ensure that our member cooperatives are well-equipped to support and grow their key account programs.”

“Key accounts play an important role in the success of a cooperative as they usually make up a large portion of the sales of electricity and the revenue of a cooperative,” says Jeremy Woeste, Basin Electric member media coordinator. “We want our commercial and industrial accounts to understand how co-ops can add value to their operations and be a single point of contact when they have energy-related questions or issues.”

Attendees included representatives from Rushmore Electric, Basin Electric, the mayor of Wall, South Dakota, and Basin Electric Class C member West River Electric Association’s largest energy user, a plastic pipe manufacturer, who shared the story of how the key account program had brought tangible benefits to their business. After recently hiring a safety instructor to train their employees, they were unable to have full employee participation in the training due to cost and time constraints. However, when the co-op offered them the opportunity to send their employees to the same training at no cost, they were amazed at the value provided by the key accounts program.

“We provided attendees with an update on Basin Electric, Rushmore Electric, along with an update on the electric industry and the importance of key accounts, what makes them special to us, and how we serve them differently from other members,” says Woeste. “This was a great opportunity to interact with consumer-owners who are vital to the success of local cooperatives and used the opportunity to educate members on their power supplier and the electric industry in general.”

There were other local businesses and organizations in attendance as well. A representative from a local water system brought up their current concerns and challenges, to which the group brainstormed potential solutions and explored available resources to help address the issues.

A local trade school’s presence sparked discussions on electric vehicles, solar energy, and renewable energy credits offered by Rushmore Electric. These conversations helped the school to begin exploring the possibility of applying for federal grants to support their programs in these areas.

“As the first annual Key Accounts Mini-Conference drew to a close, attendees left feeling inspired, connected, and confident about the future of their electric cooperative,” says Brunner. “The event successfully laid the foundation for a roadmap to foster collaboration, growth, and innovation among the distribution electric co-ops, ensuring they would not face challenges alone.”