More than 400 customers joined Benton PUD on October 1 for an 80th Anniversary Customer Celebration at its Kennewick office, marking eight decades of public power service while giving customers an opportunity to learn more about their utility.
The free, family-friendly event was designed to combine celebration with customer education and engagement, the Washington State PUD noted.
Throughout the afternoon, customers visited interactive booths staffed by Benton PUD employees and learned about customer assistance programs, energy conservation, the value of hydropower, electrical safety, outage preparedness and other programs and services.
To encourage customers to visit each educational booth, attendees received a “circuit card” when they arrived and filled in answers based on information they learned throughout the event.
Customers who completed and submitted their cards were entered into a drawing for a chance to win a $125 bill credit. The drawing provided an added incentive for customers to engage with employees and learn more about the programs and services available to them.
Children received hard hats and collected stickers along the way. The celebration also featured electrical safety demonstrations, a bucket truck photo opportunity, giveaways, cookies, popcorn and cotton candy.
The turnout of more than 400 customers, along with the interaction between customers and employees throughout the afternoon, made the inaugural event a success, the PUD noted.
For Benton PUD, the celebration provided an opportunity to recognize its 80-year history while strengthening the connection between customers and their locally owned public power utility.
