CRC Names 2009 Employee of the Year

Austin, Minnesota - Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC), headquartered in Austin, Minn, recently completed its fourth annual Employee-of-the-Month/Year program. Throughout the course of 2009, one CRC employee was selected by their peers each month based on "Catch Me at My Best" cards. These are cards turned in by fellow employees pointing out achievements or extraordinary performance.

The following employees received Employee of the Month during 2009:

January - Gayle Oldenkamp, Customer Service Representative 1
February - Melissa Barr, Marketing Specialist
March - Kristina Hastings, Central Station Operator
April - DeVon Kuphal, Customer Service Representative 4
May - Jennifer Pascal, Senior Accountant
June - Aaron Dudas, Programmer
July - Nick Johnson, Network Administrator
August - Amanda Wencl, Customer Service Representative 4
September - Laura Beavers, Customer Service Representative 4
October - Jessica Strand, Customer Service Representative 4
November - Cheryl Haney, Regional Account Representative
December - Vickie Miller, Operations Analyst

Following 12 months of 2009 Employee of the Month nominations, CRC named Laura Beavers, Service Excellence Coordinator, as CRC's 2009 Employee of the Year. Laura, who has worked at CRC's Dunlap, Tenn., office for early nine years, was selected as the September 2009 Employee of the Month for her dedicated service to CRC's membership. Throughout the year, Laura consistently demonstrated her dedication to CRC, its values, Mission statement, membership and employees.

Laura Beavers
2009 CRC Employee of the Year

Cooperative Light & Power Association's Steven Wattnem
Appointed to CRC's Board of Directors

Austin, Minnesota - Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of a new district 1 director to its nine-member Board of Directors.

On December 17, 2009, CRC's Board of Directors appointed Steven Wattnem, CEO of Cooperative Light & Power Association (CLP) in Two Harbors, Minn., as a district 1 director to its nine-member Board. Wattnem, who has a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Cloud State University, has worked at CLP as its general manager/CEO since 1984. CLP is an electric cooperative providing retail electric and other services to nearly 6,000 members in northeastern Minnesota. Wattnem also serves as the chairman of both the Lake View Memorial Hospital Foundation and the North Shore Business Enterprise Center.

"CLP is a charter member of CRC," Wattnem says. "I'm excited to be on CRC's Board of Directors and learn more about how the company operates." "CLP has had many business opportunities in the technology area, and therefore CRC's tagline of 'Focusing on the Human Side of Technology' has real meaning to me," Wattnem added.

Wattnem was appointed to fill the Board seat of recently retired Board member Dale Hendrickson, former general manager of Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative in Wadena, Minn. Hendrickson held a seat on CRC's Board of Directors since 2001, serving as its secretary since 2008. CRC would like to thank Hendrickson for his dedicated service to CRC during the past eight years. David Oelkers, General Manager of Riverland Energy Cooperative of Arcadia, Wisconsin, was elected as secretary of CRC's Board of Directors, the role previously held by Hendrickson, also at its December 17, 2009, Board meeting.

CRC to Award $5,000 in Scholarships to Area Students

Austin, Minnesota – Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) is pleased to announce its scholarship program for the 2010-2011 school year. CRC, which has offices in the Austin, Minnesota, and Dunlap, Tennessee, communities plans to award up to $5,000 to area students.

CRC will award up to three $1,000 scholarships to Austin/Mower County students and up to two $1,000 scholarships to Dunlap/Sequatchie County High School seniors that will graduate in May 2010 and college students attending Riverland Community College/Chattanooga State Technical College who live in the Austin or Dunlap communities are eligible to apply. CRC employees and family members of employees are also eligible.

This is CRC's second year funding scholarship programs for area students. Last year's scholarship recipients include Melissa Bauer, Tyler Otteson, and Courtney Flemming from the Austin, Minn., area and Haylee Layman and Heather Breland from the Dunlap, Tenn., area. CRC's Corporate Giving/Community Involvement Program continues to have a major focus on education, youth development, culture and arts, and health and welfare.

"CRC's scholarship program is another example of their strong commitment to our community," said Sandy Forstner, Austin Chamber of Commerce Director. "These scholarships reward and encourage top students in our community to obtain the quality education they will need as leaders in our future workforce," Forstner adds.

The deadline to apply for one of CRC's $1,000 scholarships has been extended from Friday, January 29, 2010, to Friday, February 26, 2010. For more information or for a CRC scholarship application, 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, Minn., and Dunlap, Tenn. CRC serves 253 members and associate members in 37 states, representing 3.3 million consumers.

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