Kelley Dearing Smith

Before joining Consolidated Utility District of Rutherford County in a communications role, my knowledge of water was that it’s wet. Therefore, I needed to immerse myself (pun intended) in all aspects of public water utilities. During my time at CUD, I discovered a data point that became a game changer in my work – and should be a call to action for all utilities. A study by Accenture and discussed by Questline Digital noted that customers think about their energy/water providers for about 10 minutes each year. For perspective, a study by One Poll on behalf of Blue Diamond Almonds noted that Americans spend about 40 minutes per day thinking about food. So if you work for a utility – and you get only 10 minutes of your customers’ attention each year – how does that impact your communications? I would suggest finding every avenue to ask your customers these two questions ... · What topics do you care about related to your water supply? · What can a public water utility do to increase your trust in our work? By embracing transparency and accountability, you make the most of those 10 minutes – and you might even expand that number. #water #utility #customer

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We covered some great topics in this issue!

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Join us for the "Alphabet Soup: Communicating on LCRR, PFAS, CCR, and More!" webinar, designed for water utility managers, public affairs and communications specialists, and anyone responsible for community outreach and regulatory compliance. This webinar will delve into the latest regulatory challenges and communication strategies surrounding the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), and Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR). Our expert panel, composed entirely of communication professionals from the AWWA Public Affairs Council, will guide you through best practices for effectively communicating about these complex topics. You'll gain insights from AWWA's comprehensive guides, including the Lead Communications Guide and Toolkit and the Trending in an Instant: Crisis Communications for Water Utilities. These resources offer valuable strategies for building public trust, responding to crises, and maintaining transparency in the face of evolving regulations. This webinar will also review recent revisions to the Consumer Confidence Report Rule and look at some examples that effectively utilize the report as an opportunity to strengthen the water brand, enhance its reputation, and engage the audience. Whether navigating the intricacies of lead service line replacements, addressing PFAS concerns, or ensuring compliance with new reporting requirements, this webinar provides the tools and knowledge you need to communicate effectively and maintain public trust. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the best in the field and strengthen your utility's communication efforts.   Register: https://lnkd.in/gnmKkfW4 *This webinar is included in the 2024 Annual Webinar Subscription.

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We started with zero subscribers to our quarterly newsletter, and now we're closing in on 5,000 subscribers -- as a public water utility serving one county in Middle Tennessee. Here are the keys to how it happened ... 🗝 From the outset, build a strong privacy policy that establishes boundaries: Simply put, we don't share our subscribers' email addresses with anyone for any reason. 🗝 Introduce the idea of a newsletter during our annual customer service survey, which reaches about 40,000 inboxes. Include an easy signup opportunity in each year's survey. Note: this typically nets us 500-1,000 new readers. 🗝 Recognize that email is permission-based communication. The expectations are different from social platforms. 🗝 Imagine you're racing your readers' attention span in each issue. No fluff, no content that's better on social media, all news you can use. 🗝 Use Google Analytics to learn what your customers care about when they visit your site. Build each newsletter accordingly. 🗝 Adjust each edition based on heat maps and open rates. 🗝 Include dashboards and descriptions of how public funds are being spent. 🗝 At the foundation of it all is a core thought. We're a public water utility. We're not your favorite sports team, clothing brand, or hobby. We're unsexy, and yet we're essential to everyday life. #utility #water #survey #marketresearch #email #customerservice

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The North Carolina Utilities Commission and Public Staff heard a briefing from SERC Reliability Corporation’s Director, RAPA & Technical Services, Gaurav K., Senior Reliability Engineer, Nancy DeLeon, and State Government & Regulatory Affairs Associate, Megan Litz on key reliability topics.   Highlights of this briefing included:   - 2024 Extreme Weather Overview: Hurricanes Helene and Milton  - SERC's 2024-2025 Winter Reliability Assessment   - The Interregional Transfer Capability Study (ITCS)     SERC is a trusted and independent resource on risks to electric reliability for state policymakers and regulators. We welcome the opportunity to discuss the challenges and questions surrounding electric reliability in your state. Please contact us to learn more about how state policy impacts the reliability and security of the electric grid.

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On Energy Efficiency Day, we’re focused on making sure that the benefits of the clean energy transition apply to everyone. TRC’s Duane Baldwin talks about how our industry can bring energy efficiency & renewables to households of all income levels, with a focus on equity, fairness & trust. Read the conversation here: https://okt.to/8xOmnu #EnergyEfficiencyDay

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As renewable energy’s role in the energy mix increases, energy equity programs help address the disproportionate impact of costs to low-income households and overcome obstacles to customer satisfaction. In Renewable Energy World, TRC's Duane Baldwin offers approaches for improving renewable energy availability to underserved communities. Read more: https://okt.to/ASWCsd #Renewables #EnergyGeneration

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Data Centers are now coming in blocks of 100 MWs, but its a good visual to understand how much power that is.

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This report from #DOE is a fascinating look at commercial pathways to innovative grid deployment. If you are an early or growth stage company seeing federal funding for your #innovation take a read. https://buff.ly/3w7KZ8F

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Below you will find our monthly NERC regulatory update. If you are needing compliance help, please reach out to me - we have an amazing and very experienced team that can help you with all your compliance needs! A newly approved standard from NERC brings stricter criteria for IBRs to increase stability during grid disturbances. The new standard outlines ride-through criteria, including an improved definition for the industry. ⚡Learn the impacts to your organization in our new regulatory update: https://okt.to/Bws3ZH #NERC #RegulatoryCompliance #EnergyTransition #Renewables

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It’s #NationalRiversMonth, a time to highlight projects helping to keep rivers healthy, mitigate flooding, and deliver the clean, reliable water communities need to thrive. For example: when #PFAS was identified in the Cape Fear River. Turning to Black & Veatch, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) integrated granular activated carbon (GAC) technology at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant, whose intake draws from the river. The project gave CFPUA critical operational flexibility to operate the plant in multiple configurations and adapt to changing source water conditions as well as rapidly evolving regulations. Since the project was completed, testing has shown at or near non-detect levels for PFAS in the plant’s treated water – a victory for the Cape Fear River’s water quality and the communities served by CFPUA. Get the details: http://ms.spr.ly/6047YhPc1

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What are you doing to ensure your organization's culture is moving in the right direction? Hear from Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, Inc.'s Bob Paulling why it's important to focus on culture in a recent conversation with NISC Chief People Officer Kari Reichert. For the full conversation, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/g6DaYR2T #NISCValue #ThoughtLeadership #OrganizationalCulture #Culture

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Trust and transparency are built through consistency, not perfection. That has to start internally & your comms team has to live this core value. Why? ⤵️ PR often helps lead the charge in mobilizing the internal and external distribution of your message, so it’s helpful for communications pros to be honest with themselves on where they themselves might be the issues. Been there. We can all improve. Recognizing when you’ve skewed towards the “bad” examples from sports PR below -- and then working to quickly shift back to the fix -- is how you grow, sustain or rebuild trust. Small shifts in approach can dramatically improve team effectiveness.

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📄 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 📄 In this week’s Association Insights, I’m covering why a solid boilerplate is essential. •𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: A boilerplate quickly explains who you are and what you do, helping journalists and the public understand your impact. •𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲: Using the same boilerplate reinforces your message across all press materials, supporting a strong, recognizable brand. •𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: A pre-written, polished description ensures accuracy and consistency without needing to start from scratch. A small piece of content, but a big influence on how your organization is seen. 💬 Does your association use a boilerplate? Share your thoughts! #AssociationInsights #MediaRelations #Boilerplate #OnWrdUpWrd #Communications

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Building stronger communities, increasing local self-reliance for our basic needs, reducing dependence on distant supply chains and huge corporations -- these are beneficial, no-regrets efforts no matter what you believe about climate change or whom you voted for for president. Humans evolved over 200,000 years as communities, not as individuals, so community is in our DNA, we just have to remember, and find the others. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has been providing valuable intelligence, tools, examples and insights to this end for half a century.

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I just read an article in The New Yorker about cyber attacks so am especially glad there's DOE support for reducing risks from the multiplying distributed energy resources needed for the #cleanenergy future.

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