THE PROBLEM WITH COMMUNICATION

James P. Duncan knows that when he became the CEO at Sumter Electric Cooperative (SECO) in Florida in 1990, he soon came to the realization that they were not where they should be with regard to good internal and external communication. They worked on a number of improvements in the succeeding years, but the real communication milestone came in 1996 when they created SECO's Department of Public Affairs. This department was charged with handling all of their communications efforts and developing new ways to interact with all those who might have an interest in the co-op. Employee communications is at the core of their overall communications effort. Another unique and effective component of their communications program has been that of consumer advocacy. The members feel that their co-op is looking out for their best interests.