http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentpages/newsfeed.aspxThe latest news from Cooperative Response Center.(c) 2010, Cooperative Response Center. All rights reserved.5Austin, Minnesota - Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) is pleased to announce its scholarship program for the 2012-2013 school year, awarding up to $6,000 to students attending high schools in the communities in which it works. CRC will award up to six $1,000 scholarships to seniors attending high schools, both public and private, in the following communities: Austin, Minn., Dunlap, Tenn., and Abilene, Texas. High school senior sons and daughters of regular full- and part-time CRC employees are also eligible. CRC’s Corporate Giving/Community Involvement Program continues to have a major focus on education, youth development, culture and arts, health, human services, and animal welfare. This is CRC’s fourth year funding scholarship programs for area students. Last year’s scholarship recipients include Zach Fadness, Michael Lindahl, and Spencer Otteson from the Austin area and Madison Harmon and Tao Johnson from the Dunlap area. This is the first year students in Abilene, Texas, will be eligible to participate in CRC’s scholarship program. CRC opened a regional office in Abilene in May 2011. “CRC is proud to be able to assist local students with continuing their education at the collegiate level,” said Chris Holt, CRC’s President and CEO. “By helping these individuals achieve their dreams, our hope is that the scholarship recipients pay it forward by contributing their gifts and talents to the community, both professionally and personally, for many years to come.” The deadline to apply for one of CRC’s $1,000 scholarships is Wednesday, February 29, 2012. For more information or for a CRC scholarship application, contact Julie Schramek, Executive Assistant/Corporate Communications Manager, at 507.437.2304 or info@crc.coop. About CRC CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center and central station. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices currently in Austin, Minn., Dunlap, Tenn., and Abilene, Texas. CRC serves 283 members and associate members in 38 states, representing 3.9 million consumers. Visit CRC on the web at www.crc.coop. http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=119Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMTAustin, Minnesota - Cooperative Response Center, Inc.’s (CRC) Board of Directors announced today that Christopher Holt has been appointed to President and CEO of the company. Holt has been serving as CRC’s interim President and CEO since March, and previous to that, as its Vice President of Operations/Chief Operating Officer. After CRC’s previous President and CEO left the company in March 2011, a nationwide search was held to find a replacement. The applicants were narrowed to three final candidates in September who were recently interviewed by the board at CRC’s headquarters in Austin. Holt was selected based on his experience, commitment to excellence, proven leadership, and vision that parallels that of CRC. Under Holt’s leadership, the board is confident CRC will remain innovative and relevant to the markets it serves. “We are very fortunate to have Chris as a leader of CRC,” said Brenda Swartzlander, CRC’s chairwoman of the board. “Chris has been an integral part of the CRC team for 18 months now. The board is confident Chris will continue to position the company strategically to accommodate future growth and industry advances, strengthening CRC’s position as an industry leader.” Prior to joining CRC, Holt served as a consultant in the publishing, e-commerce, and outsourcing industries and prior to that held senior management positions at CDS Global in Des Moines, Iowa, a leader in the fulfillment industry. He comes to CRC with over 20 years of service bureau experience. About CRC CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center and central station. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices in Austin, Minn., Dunlap, Tenn., and Abilene, Texas. CRC serves 274 members and associate members in 38 states, representing 3.9 million consumers. Visit CRC on the web at www.crc.coop. http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=118Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMTAustin, Minnesota - Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) celebrated the grand opening of its new southwest regional contact center in Abilene, Texas, with a ribbon cutting and open house on Friday, September 23. The contact center is the third CRC contact center to open since 1992, offering call handling for organizations in the utility industry. Chris Holt, CRC’s Interim President and CEO, led the ceremony thanking CRC’s Board of Directors, its employees, and Abilene officials for their support and assistance in opening the new office. “This contact center continues CRC’s commitment to our membership,” said Holt. “CRC’s new office in Abilene is a great complement to our Minnesota and Tennessee offices, fulfilling an essential need in the utility industry.” Holt also mentioned the importance of Abilene in the success of CRC’s newest regional office. “Abilene was more than welcoming to CRC as we searched for the best location for our office. CRC found a good match with Abilene and is excited to further experience the talent that Abilene has to offer.” CRC’s board chairwoman, Brenda Swartzlander, President and CEO of United Electric Cooperative in DuBois, Pennsylvania, and Richard Burdine, President of the Development Council of Abilene, also spoke at the ribbon cutting. Earlier this year, 30 employees were hired in Abilene and trained as customer service representatives (CSRs) to take inbound calls from mostly rural electric cooperatives. The center, located at 2 Village Drive in Abilene, houses mostly bilingual agents to handle calls during the day and evening hours. CRC’s other contact centers take calls 24 hours a day. About CRC CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center and central station. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices in Austin, Minn., Dunlap, Tenn., and Abilene, Texas. CRC serves 274 members and associate members in 38 states, representing 3.7 million consumers. Visit CRC on the web at www.crc.coop. http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=117Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMTEach month, CRC recognizes a national charitable organization or recognition event, with the goal to have employees working together to raise awareness of each charity/event at CRC and its surrounding communities. In June, CRC recognized the Make-A-Wish Foundation at all CRC sites. The Make-a-Wish Foundation helps grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. In June, a fundraiser was held at all three sites, including a drawing for a garden gazebo and gift basket of family friendly activities. Overall, CRC employees raised $400 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each site’s total will be donated its local Make-A-Wish chapter, with the donation going towards granting the wish of a child in the community with a lifethreatening medical condition. On Thursday, June 23, CRC’s Austin Center employees Angie Duis, Team Leader, Jeff Langan, Help Desk Specialist, and Julie Schramek, Executive Assistant, utilized their volunteer PTO to spend a day helping the Make-a-Wish Foundation hold their Swinging for the Stars golf tournament at Somerby Golf Course in Byron, Minn. Sixty-four golfers signed up for this event, with all proceeds going to grant the wish of a local child – Hannah – to go to Disney World. Through the generosity of donors, Hannah was granted her wish at that evening’s dinner and program.http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=116Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMTAustin, Minnesota - Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) is pleased to announce the re-election of two board members and the addition of one new board member following CRC’s 18th annual membership meeting held Monday, June 13, in San Francisco, Calif. Pre-meeting elections selected the directors to serve as part of CRC’s nine-member board. Board members re-elected to three-year terms are Steven Wattnem, CEO of Cooperative Light & Power Association (CLP) in Two Harbors, Minn., as a district 1 director and Boyd Huff, President and CEO of Whitewater Valley REMC in Liberty, Ind., as a district 2 director. Neil Hesse, General Manager of Cooke County Electric Cooperative Association in Muenster, Texas, was newly elected to the board for a three-year term as an at-large director. Hesse replaces Robert Matheny, President and CEO of Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative in South Pittsburg, Tenn., who retired from CRC’s Board of Directors on June 13 due to meeting the seat’s term limits. Matheny served on CRC’s board for 12 years. Officers After the annual meeting, CRC’s Board of Directors met and elected the following officers to serve on its executive committee: Chairwoman – Brenda Swartzlander, President and CEO of United Electric Cooperative, DuBois, Pa., leads an 18,750-consumer electric cooperative that operates in parts of 10 counties in northwestern Pennsylvania. Swartzlander had served as the board’s vice chairwoman since 2009. Vice Chairman – Dale Bradshaw, CEO of Prince George Electric Cooperative, Waverly, Va., leads Prince George Electric Cooperative’s 11,000-consumer electric cooperative that operates in six counties in southeastern Virginia. Bradshaw has served as the board’s treasurer since 2004. Secretary – David Oelkers, General Manager of Riverland Energy Cooperative, in Arcadia, Wis., leads a 16,750-consumer electric cooperative that operates in three southwestern Wisconsin counties. Oelkers has served as board secretary since 2009. Treasurer – Timothy Stewart, CEO/General Manager of Clark Electric Cooperative in Greenwood, Wis., leads an 8,800-consumer electric cooperative that operates in six counties in central Wisconsin. This is Stewart’s first officer position with CRC’s board, which he joined in 2007. About CRC CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center and central station. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices in Austin, Minn., Dunlap, Tenn., and Abilene, Texas. CRC serves 266 members and associate members in 38 states, representing 3.7 million consumers. Visit CRC on the web at www.crc.coop. http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=115Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTAustin, Minn. - Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2011-2012 scholarships, each awarded $1,000 for their post-secondary education costs. This year’s CRC scholarship recipients are as follows: Zach Fadness is a 2011 graduate of Austin High School in Austin, Minn. This fall, Zach plans to attend the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities to pursue a degree in engineering. Madison Harmon is a 2011 graduate of Sequatchie County High School in Dunlap, Tenn. Madison plans to become a nurse practitioner and will attend the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga this fall. Tao Johnson is also a 2011 graduate of Sequatchie County High School. Tao, the son of CRC employee Karen Fletcher, will attend the Nashville Auto Diesel College (NADC) in June and plans to work in the automotive industry upon graduation. Michael Lindahl is a 2011 graduate of Austin High School. This fall, Michael plans to attend Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash. His study area of interest includes programming, graphic design, or another creative computer field. A 2011 graduate of Byron High School, Spencer Otteson, son of CRC employee Dan Otteson, will attend Rochester Community and Technical College in the fall to pursue a degree in law enforcement. When selecting each year’s scholarship recipients, CRC looks not only at the academic achievements of each applicant, but also his or her school and community involvement activities. “It’s amazing to see the hard work and dedication displayed by of all the applicants that applied for the scholarship,” said Chris Holt, CRC’s Interim President and CEO. “CRC is proud to be an integral part of the success in these students’ future.” In January 2011, students in the Austin and Dunlap communities as well as CRC employees and family members of employees were invited to apply for a 2011-2012 CRC scholarship. The scholarship recipients were selected in May. Students in the Abilene, Texas, community – the location of CRC’s southwest bilingual regional office that opened on May 2, 2011 – will be eligible to compete in CRC’s 2012-2013 scholarship program. For more information regarding CRC’s community involvement/corporate giving efforts or scholarships, contact Julie Schramek at 507.437.2304 or info@crc.coop. About CRC CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center and central station. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices in Austin, Dunlap, and Abilene. CRC serves 266 members and associate members in 38 states, representing 3.7 million consumers. Visit CRC on the web at www.crc.coop. http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=114Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTCooperative Response Center, Inc. will soon be opening the doors to its new Abilene Bilingual Center. The Abilene Center team will be led by Contact Center Manager Michael Saavedra. Saavedra, who joined CRC in February 2011, brings almost 10 years experience in the call center industry. “Operating in Texas is a very exciting step for CRC,” said Saavedra. “The Abilene Center will work seamlessly with CRC’s other two sites and, by offering bilingual Spanish services, will be a definite value-add to CRC’s membership.” Kerry Wylie, CRC’s Sr. Contact Center Manager agrees, noting, “The Abilene center will allow CRC to accommodate our Spanish speaking member-customers nationwide. We are very excited to offer this new service to our members.” In preparation of the new location, CRC also welcomed more than 25 new bilingual customer service representatives from the Abilene area. The Abilene Bilingual Center is scheduled to go live at the beginning of May. http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=113Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMTAustin, Minn. – Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) is pleased to announce its employees raised $580 in March to support local community groups involved in raising money in the fight against cancer. CRC’s Austin, Minn., office raised $395 to benefit the Mower County Relay for Life and its Dunlap, Tenn., office raised $185 to support the Sequatchie County Cancer Support Network (SCCSN). In 2011, CRC launched a new corporate giving program designed to recognize a pre-designated national charitable organization or recognition event each month. The objective of the program is to engage all CRC employees in philanthropy/volunteerism in the communities in which they work. Throughout the year, CRC will offer both internal and community-wide events/fundraisers to recognize a particular local or nationwide organization or event. In March, CRC’s focus was the Mower County Relay for Life in Austin and the SCCSN in Dunlap. Relay for Life offers communities world-wide the chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and to fight back against the disease. At a Relay for Life event, teams of people camp out and take turns walking around a track or path. Because cancer never sleeps, relays are usually overnight events up to 24 hours in length. The Mower County Relay for Life event is scheduled August 6 and 7, 2011, at Bandshell Park in Austin. CRC’s Relay for Life team will donate all amounts raised for the 2011 event. Founded in 2002, SCCSN assists residents of Sequatchie County suffering from cancer, offering financial help for expenses related to medical bills, medicine, etc. On July 7–9 at the Sequatchie County High School, SCCSN will host its biggest fundraiser of the year—a popular take on the Hee Haw variety show—which traditionally raises $20,000 for their cause. CRC will donate all amounts raised for the SCCSN during the Hee Haw fundraiser. To raise funds for the cancer charities in March, both CRC’s Austin and Dunlap offices held mini-relay events. Employees were invited to purchase and decorate luminaries to recognize the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and celebrate those who have survived. A lighting ceremony was held on Thursday, March 24, in honor of those people in our lives affected by cancer. On Friday, March 25, CRC held a Wii Relay for Life/Wii SCCSN Mario Kart tournament fundraiser. Employees purchased chances to score one of the top three fastest race times to win a gift card to a local restaurant. “CRC is proud that so many of its employees participated in the fundraisers developed by their fellow coworkers during March,” said Julie Schramek, Corporate Communications Manager. “Great teamwork took place to raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer.” About CRC CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center and central station. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices currently in Austin, Minnesota, Dunlap, Tennessee, and Abilene Texas. CRC serves 266 members and associate members in 38 states, representing 3.7 million consumers. Visit CRC on the web at www.crc.coop. http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=112Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMTCRC is pleased to announce its central station has recently earned the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) Five Diamond Program Certification. According to the CSAA website, the Five Diamond Program is a certification program consisting of five points of excellence, as follows: 1. Commitment to random inspections and quality criteria standards by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or FM Approvals, 2. Commitment to the highest levels of customer service, 3. Commitment to ongoing job-related education and testing by having 100% of its central station operators certified using the CSAA online training series, 4. Commitment to raising the industry standards through CSAA membership and participation in its activities, and 5. Commitment for reducing false dispatches. "According to the Central Station Alarm Association, less than 5% of all central stations are Five Diamond Certified," said Randy Ambrus, Central Station Manager. "This recognition is important in that in shows CRC's central station service offerings exceed most others in the industry." The CSAA Five Diamond Alarm System Certificate highlights central stations that offer consistent quality service, operation, and equipment. “The program ensures that CRC is utilizing best practices in the alarm monitoring industry,” continued Ambrus. “The significance of the Five Diamond Certification is that there is a real commitment on part of the organization to achieve this certification. But it also means our members can feel good knowing that when a call comes into CRC’s Central Station, it will consistently be answered by a highly trained operator." http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=109Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMTCRC employees focused on American Heart Month in February. The Red Cross held a three-day blood drive in Austin beginning on Monday, February 7. Elaine Hanson, Executive Director of the Mower County Red Cross office, was pleased the Red Cross exceeded their goal. CRC employees helped the Red Cross come in 97 units over goal for the three-day blood drive. "With all the severe weather in January and February, a lot of blood drives had to be cancelled," said Hanson. "The extra units we obtained during the blood drive is comparable to one day's worth of donations and were very much needed!" At the Dunlap Center, the Chattanooga branch of Blood Assurance, a non-profit regional blood center, sponsored a blood drive in CRC's parking lot on Monday, February 7. According to Craig Glass, Blood Assurance's Director of Donor Recruitment, 13 employees gave that day. Glass said that CRC's Dunlap Center employees were personally responsible for saving 40 lives with their contributions (each donation saves three lives). Glass noted that within four days, the products collected at each blood drive are donated to a patient in the Dunlap/Chattanooga area. http://www.crc.coop/crcweb/contentPages/newsDetails.aspx?NewsID=111Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT