Storytelling Tactics From Different Types of Cooperatives, With Mary Miller

With a story-packed career spanning three different types of co-ops, WCTEL’s Mary Miller shares ideas for co-op culture-building, effective campaigns and co-opportunities for growth.

Creators & Guests

Host

Megan McKoy-Noe

Brand Storyteller

What is The StoryConnect Podcast?

StoryConnect features interviews with marketers, communicators, CEOs and other leaders at cooperative and independent broadband companies, electric cooperatives and municipal power providers. The goal of the podcast is to help listeners discover ideas to shape their stories and connect with their customers. It is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources.

Intro:
A production of Pioneer Utility Resources.

StoryConnect, helping communicators discover ideas to shape their
stories and connect with their customers.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
What storytelling tactics can we learn from other types of
cooperatives?

That's what we'll be talking about on this episode of The
StoryConnect Podcast.

Hi, I'm your host, Megan McKoy-Noe, one of the storytellers at
Pioneer Utility Resources, and I am joined by the amazing Mary

Miller, manager of marketing and communications at West Carolina
Tel in South Carolina, and a little bit of Georgia as well.

So you're one of my neighbors, which I always get excited about.

And in case you hear any chatter or cheering in the background,
which is completely possible when Mary is anywhere in the

vicinity, we are recording live at the Calix ConneXions
Conference in beautiful Las Vegas.

So any noise you hear is ambiance to set the mood for
storytelling and for sharing.

So Mary, thank you so much for joining us today.

Thank you for having me.

It's going to be exciting.

I am so excited.

Well, because you have a very unique story and a storytelling
experience with all different types of cooperatives.

I first met you in North Dakota when you headed the
communications team at Basin Electric, which I believe, if it's

not still, I know it was one of the largest generation and
transmission cooperatives in the nation.

Mary Miller:
Yes.

Yes. So Basin is classified as what you would call a "super G&T."

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Do you have capes?

I feel like we can circle back to that.

Mary Miller:
They really should.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
They should.

Mary Miller:
Shouldn't they? Yes, yes.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Well so, I met you then at Basin Electric, and then you led the
marketing team at the National

Information Solutions Cooperative, NISC, for short for several
years.

Mary Miller:
Yes. A little over five, I think.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Yeah, and now you are teaming up with the wonderful Shannon Sears
at WCTel, which is a telephone cooperative.

Mary Miller:
Yes.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
So three very different types of cooperatives.

You've got generation and transmission.

You've got your data information solution software, and then
you've got your

telecommunications and broadband and everything.

I think it just gives you a really powerful perspective on
cooperative storytelling.

So I wanted to start out by asking, what storytelling tactics
you've seen work effectively across all three types of

cooperatives that you've been a part of?

Mary Miller:
Well, first of all, thank you for having me.

I am so excited to be here because you and I both share a
passion for all things cooperative.

And so every time I see you, I just feel warmth and love.

And there is just no better way to spend my day, to top off my
day, than talk with you and talk about

storytelling. And I will tell you that it is, you know, Basin
Electric

is a generation and transmission cooperative.

And so, you know, we worked with the intermediate and the
distribution co-ops who would in turn then serve

and power homes on the retail level.

And then of course, NISC is a software cooperative.

And so NISC develops and provides the software that really is
the backbone to the

operations of broadband and electric co-ops.

And now here I am at the local level, which is so much fun.

But I will tell you, I mean, my whole career has been about
telling stories and finding stories.

And the best part of being in the cooperative family is that no
matter

where you fall in that cooperative spectrum, it's all about
changing lives.

And I don't care what your role is, you can talk about

impacting lives even with the software cooperative.

And it is about finding those human connections, and you find
the

stories. You meet the people.

You learn about how you are impacting their lives, and you learn
the whole person.

And so in many ways, the tactics are the same.

It's just talking to people.

Every person has a story, and we can always draw it back to what
we do.

And so, I mean, it just goes back to the people.

It really does.

It's that simple.

It's that simple.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Well, and I think with a lot of marketing, sometimes people get
caught up in telling the story of what they're doing or how

they're doing it, right.

And it's so important to remember to focus on why we do what we
do.

And with every different type of cooperative, we all share the
same co-op principles.

Mary Miller:
Yes.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
You know, cooperatives are created to fill needs.

So the needs might change, but our vision for making the
community a better place to live, to improving lives, to

filling those needs, that is the same across all different types
of cooperatives.

Mary Miller:
Yes. Absolutely.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
But I'm telling you, there's got to be stories because we don't
talk as much between different industries.

Which I hope – I mean, one of the things that The StoryConnect
Podcast tries to do is to bring together stories from the

electric and the broadband and telco side, because the more we
talk together and learn together, we all share the same

focus to make life better.

I bet there are things that we're doing that maybe other folks
don't know about.

So I figured I would ask you maybe what you've seen with
internal communications.

You know, we don't talk about internal communications enough.

And I think the odds are pretty good that you've seen some
really exciting ways across all the different types of co-ops

that you have been involved with, ways that folks are really
helping to engage their staff with the co-op stories.

So tell me what you've seen.

Mary Miller:
Oh, boy. You know, I have been so fortunate to work for some
incredible leaders throughout my career.

And leaders who believe in communications and recognize the
importance of communication.

And in my mind, the best leaders realize that an empowered
employee

group will better serve our members.

And I see that at West Carolina.

Jeff Wilson is a firm believer in communications and employee
empowerment and making sure that it starts

with our employee base.

And, I mean, I have experienced that at NISC and at Basin as
well.

You know, at NISC, I was really fortunate to work for Vern Dosch
for many years, who was a co-op celebrity.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
He is in the co-op hall of fame.

Mary Miller:
Vern is wonderful.

And you know, Vern was always just, obviously he led a
technology cooperative, and he was just always

thinking ahead.

And he was innovative, and he did an employee podcast before
podcasts were even cool.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Oh, podcasts have always been cool.

Mary Miller:
For years, for years.

And I remember – that's right.

They've always been cool.

But I remember even before I went to work for NISC, you know,
his podcasts were strictly internal, but I had

somebody text me the transcript of one just because it was that
good.

And, that was, you know, that was Vern's style.

And that was just a medium that worked for him.

Employees loved it.

We all waited for when his podcasts came out.

We also did at NISC quarterly learning sessions.

Or we'd have a quarter every year where we would just really
focus on employee learning.

And, you know, back in the day, we would bring speakers in and
employees would sit in a room and listen to the speakers.

Well, as NISC grew and expanded its offices and also its virtual
employee

base, that was getting harder and harder.

So they moved it to a podcast format so people could consume
that in whatever way worked for them.

And so that was just one medium and one example that worked
really well.

Another thing that we started to do is to really try to tell the
stories of the people who worked there.

And it strengthened not only internal relationships by getting
to know your coworkers, but

also it helped our customers get to know the faces behind the
brand.

And so in many ways, I think internal and external
communications can serve a dual role.

And so one area was around International Women's Day.

We started to interview different women.

And, you know, we didn't necessarily ask them what you do, but
we asked them what their story was

and –

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Who you are.

Mary Miller:
That was a really incredible way.

I think the more that we can just humanize people and each other
and share

stories, it just strengthens bonds.

And you connect with people in a way.

And so I love employee communications.

Jeff Wilson, our CEO, is so committed to that.

We have monthly all employee meetings.

Our board and our leadership team are very, very intentional too
about bringing employees together

for meals.

So at least quarterly, we're getting together.

We have our board of directors.

They're serving lunch.

We have board members that cook and bake and bring this food in
and

serve. It is servant leadership in action.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
I love that.

Mary Miller:
We have a customer service week that is so fun, because every day
we're just kind of surprising and delighting employees with

little things to brighten their day.

And it culminates in this luncheon where the board is grilling
for us and serving us.

And I mean, it is incredible, but they are very intentional
about bringing us together

and making sure that every employee understands the value

that they bring to the organization and to our members and
customers.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Well, and talking about, because that's all with WCTel, right now
.

I'm reminded of some amazing pictures of the staff at Basin
Electric many years ago in something called

Brave the Shave.

Mary Miller:
Yes, yes.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Tell me about that.

Mary Miller:
Oh, yes.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
She's getting sentimental about this.

Mary Miller:
It really. Oh. You know, it started with one of our

employees, Emily McKay.

Back in the day was married to another one of our employees, Ted
Cash.

And she had listened to, it was the radio at the time, and she
had heard about this organization.

And at the time, it was Saint Baldrick's.

And if you shaved your head in solidarity of these kids fighting
cancer, you raise money, and you had this

tremendous impact on children's research.

And so Emily is a dear friend and a dear person.

And she went home and told Ted, "You know, what?

I'm going to shave my head." And she had this long, beautiful
red hair.

And Ted said, "Dear, how about I shave my head, and you don't?"
Anyway, long story short,

they brought this idea to our boss, Mike Eggl, and said, "Hey,
do you think

Basin would want to form a team?" And you know what?

From there, we had a goal of getting ten people to shave their
heads and raise $10,000.

And that first year we had, I think, 169 people and raised
almost $100,000.

And over time, that just parlayed.

And we eventually evolved into Brave the Shave, so we could also
provide direct financial support to the

families in need.

And it has grown.

And now today, Brave the Shave is its own independent 501c3.

I mean, they've raised millions of dollars, and it was the spark
of an employee with an idea and a

leader who said, "Yeah, let's do it." And I think you could say,
what did that have to do with

Basin Electric and generating electricity?

But no, it had everything to do with it.

Because as a cooperative, like you said, we exist to solve
problems, and we exist to serve our community.

That is one of our cooperative principles.

And so when you find whether it's marginalized groups or groups
in need, and you help where help is needed, that is the power of

the cooperative difference.

And I have just been so fortunate to work for cooperatives that
walk the walk and change lives for the better.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Well, and we're talking about ways that you can get your
employees to really buy-in to the co-op

culture as well. And what better way than to take an idea from
an employee and put your principles into action?

So I still see that.

And it's not just doing the commitment to community and filling
out that principle.

It also was a way to bring the employees together, to show that
they have the power to make a difference in their community,

especially when they can't as a generation and transmission
cooperative, they're a little further away from the members that

they're serving at the end of the line.

So it gave them like this direct line to to making a difference.

Mary Miller:
Absolutely.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
It was their smiles.

I still remember Chris every year.

Mary Miller:
Every year, he still does it.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
I know he does.

Mary Miller:
He still does it.

He is incredible.

But that's just it, you know.

And Basin was very committed to the communities where it had its
presence.

Still is.

And I just remember, I spent 18 years there, and it was just an
extension of who I was.

And pretty soon just the cooperative way became a part of who I
was.

And I, you know, I've always said I cannot imagine not working
for a cooperative.

And I'm really fortunate to have been able to work for different
cooperatives in different industries and see t

he similarities between them all.

AndI'll tell you, the biggest one is the people.

It takes a special person to, I think, recognize the value of a
cooperative and commit a career to

it. But I'll tell you what.

I mean, this conference is proof right here.

There are so many incredible people that I've known throughout
the years, and we are a family.

And that's another thing that we see with cooperatives helping
each other, whether it's with storm outages or

wildfires or what have you.

We all help each other.

It is a giant family of some of the best people in the world.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
It's a certain type of person is drawn to a purpose-driven job.

Really. And, yeah, I mean, it's co-op month.

So I get very excited about co-ops now.

But one of the things I'm excited about is that a lot of younger
folks coming into the workforce, they want

to have a purpose. They want to see the value in what they do.

And I think there's a lot of opportunity, especially if we
position ourselves well and explain our story and share why

cooperatives are a good choice for them and how it matches with
their values.

There's a lot of potential, even as we have all the retirements
going on, and we can recruit folks that share our same values.

Mary Miller:
Yes. And you know what?

You are seeing a lot of that in Gen Z.

You know, I think Gen Z gets a bad rap.

I think some of, I'm raising a Gen Zer.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Congratulations. Good luck.

Mary Miller:
And I will tell you that our future is bright because these kids
are incredible, and they

are all very purpose-driven.

And I've seen them innovate within their own schools and build
things that

are impacting each other.

And I am seeing that they want to go out and make the world a
better place.

And so I think the cooperative business model fits that.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
But we have to tell them.

Mary Miller:
You're absolutely right.

And we have to build that awareness.

You know, the days where people remember where the lights came
on, and they remember their co-op, and it's, you know.

We have to move our story beyond that.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Yeah, we have to look forward.

Mary Miller:
You know, and I think that's where we're seeing kind of this
next, I don't know what what you would want to call it,

this next phase where it's people are remembering the day that
they get

high speed fiber internet service, and that is changing lives,
right now.

And I get to be on the front lines of that, and I love it.

I think starting at the regional level, then going to the
national level, and then the

retail level, I wouldn't do it any differently because it gives
me that perspective that you mentioned.

And to be able to see how we are changing lives.

But to your point, we have to start telling those stories.

And we need to actively talk about the people that we serve

and start telling their stories.

Because, I mean, we did a little exercise one day at work and
just asking each other, how do you use

internet? And my gosh, you found out there's hobby woodworkers.

There's hobby, you know, people that use YouTube to look up
something.

It was crazy.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Oh, we have folks on the team that use TikTok to figure out how
to, like, do it yourself things around the house.

And I was like, you do that with TikTok?

And they're like, "Yeah, of course.

Don't you?" I was like, "Uh, not yet, apparently.

I will." But, there's so many things, so many opportunities out
there and ways that folks are taking advantage of it, and I love

that. So you're asking the staff, how do you Wi-Fi?

Mary Miller:
Yes. In fact, we're even, so our ad campaign this year

is building around the concept of anything is possible.

Because where we are in Abbeville, South Carolina, it's a rural
community.

There's generations of families that have lived in Abbeville,
and that is their legacy to their

kids is to have land that their kids can continue to stay, work,
and build a future.

And so right there in rural South Carolina, and there's lakes
all around and campgrounds, but it's rural.

And they have high speed fiber internet that rivals service that
some of the most

urban areas get, and that enables them to build careers, to work
from home, to have industry come here.

They truly are able to have a future because of this.

And it is so gratifying to see.

And so next year we're going to be building on that.

And, you know, Jeff Wilson is really, really a firm believer in
our employees are our brand.

And he's absolutely right.

Our employees are local.

They're talking, you know, and our employees will say, these are
not our customers.

These are our family.

This is our family.

And so, it gives our communities a lot of comfort when they

see people in the grocery store that they recognize.

Oh, you were on the billboard.

Or I heard you on the radio.

But the next evolution of anything is possible is, you know, what
is

possible? Tell me how you use the internet, and let's highlight
local businesses.

Let's highlight our customers, and let's highlight our employees
and have those conversations because truly,

what can't you do?

Megan McKoy-Noe:
I love that. And I have to tell you, and every time I talk to
you, I get ideas and get excited.

But as you were talking about letting someone hold onto their
family farm and stay there while still be connected to the

future, I'm just thinking that it's not about the fiber, right?

It's about, you know, WCTel helped connect my family's legacy to
the future and made my

legacy possible. Or it's keeping it on, and it's just it's so
stories.

It's not about what we do.

It's it's more about how we are empowering stories in our
communities.

So I just –

Mary Miller:
Exactly. Well, and just to add on to that, you know, we have the
Freshwater Coast Foundation, Community Coast Foundation,

and part of that is the Abbeville Promise, where any graduating
student

who chooses to go to a local technical school, that will be paid
for by the

Abbeville Promise.

And so it's giving these kids an education for free, and then it
allows them to continue to find employment

within our communities, because they have the expertise and that
education, and it just fulfills

that promise.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Yeah. That helps them stay rooted in their community and to
continue to grow.

Mary Miller:
So yeah, it's pretty incredible.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
It's just, I get excited because I start thinking of things in a
different way, which is why I wanted you to join us today.

I mean, it's just nice to catch up, too, but just to get the
ideas.

And I know we've already been talking for a while about this.

I could keep going.

I get excited, but what are the opportunities that folks are
missing right now?

What do you wish that folks would say?

This is what we need to be doing.

Mary Miller:
You know, you kind of hit on it.

I think there's a real tendency to talk about, you know, blazing
fast internet, low cost,

anybody can do that.

And we heard that in the general session today that speed is a
commodity.

You don't see Apple focusing on getting granular about the ins
and outs of its Apple Watch.

It it focuses on the lifestyle that your Apple Watch enables you
to have.

And the same thing is here.

You know, we just launched ten gig service in the upstate area
because we're partnering

with Blue Ridge Electric to bring fiber to the upstate.

And these are underserved and unserved areas.

And now they are capable of getting ten gig internet, which is
crazy.

But the focus of our campaign is not on, you know, this is what,
ten gig.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
This is what ten gig can do for you.

Mary Miller:
It is the focus of – allowing everything that

you need to do to run optimally.

It is about every device running as it should.

So whether you are doing homework, you're on Zoom calls, you're
working from home, you're

streaming, what have you.

It allows it this ease of life.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Worry free.

Mary Miller:
Worry free. And so the focus is on that.

And, I think more than anything, we need to just focus on the
experience we

provide. And, you know, Shannon, my boss Shannon, talks about,
you know,

we've never said we're going to offer the cheapest service, but
we will offer the best.

And I think by creating that experience is what makes customers
sticky and

makes them stick around.

And it is that community presence.

It is, you know, we were talking about the installers who go in
and install service and someone

needs help hanging their TV.

It's hanging their TV for them.

It is showing respect in their homes, taking their shoes off.

It is that whole customer experience journey that is so
important.

And I think, you know, I was on the electric side for many
years, which was not necessarily competitive.

But here we are on the rural broadband side, and we do have
competitors.

And, you know, they're breathing down our necks, and they're
offering cheaper service.

So we can't lead with that.

We've got to lead with how we're changing lives.

Yeah. Because we do have the power to change lives.

It is beyond service.

It is the role that you play in your community.

It is the sponsorships.

It is the volunteer hours.

Like, you know, at West Carolina, every employee is given two
days off a year to volunteer.

And it's expected that you serve your community.

And yeah, it is just walking the walk and focusing on that.

And so I think, to answer your question more succinctly, if we
could just start focusing away from the what

and really honing in on the why, and just leading with that, I
think that's going to just

make all the difference.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
I could not agree more.

And I appreciate you coming to share, especially in October.

And I know this is going to be airing after October, but really,
National Cooperative Month shouldn't be limited to a month.

Mary Miller:
It shouldn't.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
It's a mindset.

And you mentioned that you have come from a noncompetitive
environment and now are in a competitive environment.

I would counter with the fact that we should all be telling our
story as if we are in a competitive environment.

Mary Miller:
Absolutely.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Because that power, you don't know what tomorrow is going to
bring.

But you should be building those relationships, building that
trust, and earning it every day through your storytelling.

Mary Miller:
Right. Right. That, you know, Vern Dosch used to say, "We need to
always

be paranoid." And it was, it's so true.

I mean, and of course, on the software side, it was a
competitive environment.

But I think you're absolutely right.

Whether you're on the electric side or the broadband side, you
have to

not be complacent.

And, you know, we were talking about innovation yesterday in one
of the sessions, and we can't be focusing on what we're

doing now. We need to be constantly thinking about who we're
going to be in 20 years.

You look at the evolution of Amazon.

That wasn't because they were hyper-focused on books and going
to just cling to books.

Amazon is where they're at today because they are constantly
looking forward.

And I'll tell you what, as rural broadband, we need to watch
Amazon because they are launching wireless.

And we have to constantly be innovating, so that service, the
community

experience and customer experiences is a huge part.

But make no mistake, innovating is gotta also be a focus.

We need to be laser focused on that.

And, I don't care what industry you're in, you have to
continually innovate.

Megan McKoy-Noe:
Yeah, I could not agree more.

Well, Mary, thank you so much for sharing your story with utility
pioneers.

She is Mary Miller, manager of marketing and communications at
WCTel.

And I'm your host, Megan McKoy-Noe, at Pioneer Utility
Resources.

And until we talk again.

Mary Miller:
Thank you for having me.

I can't believe it's over.

Outro:
StoryConnect is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources, a
communications cooperative that is built to share your story.

StoryConnect is engineered by Lucas Smith of Lucky Sound Studio.