2024 American Business Awards (ABA) Recognize Publication Excellence

(KANSAS CITY, Kan.) — The Kansas City, Kansas Board of Public Utilities (BPU) customer newsletter, BPU Connection, recently received national recognition for its helpful, timely, and relevant information and design – and the awareness it provides consumers and stakeholders on key utility programs, new service initiates, and more. The 22^nd Annual American Business Awards (ABA) named BPU Connection a recipient of its 2024 “Gold Stevie” Award under the Best Newsletter Publication category.

The newsletter is printed and mailed to BPU customers several times a year and remains an important and popular communications tool – reaching a broad audience of residential, commercial, and industrial customers, as well as other key stakeholder groups. It allows for added background and detail on a wide range of topics and issues including new customer service initiatives, energy efficiency and water conservation efforts, safety protocols, utility assistance programs, and more.

In addition, printed hard copies are also redistributed to neighborhood groups, business organizations, and others creating additional awareness of relevant and emerging utility related matters. A dedicated webpage on BPU.com offers both interactive and downloadable electronic versions, as well as an archive of previous editions, with thousands of views and downloads. Newsletter content is regularly referenced in other publications and social media, and call-to-action articles contribute significantly to utility program enrollment and usage. The Summer edition also includes a copy of the Annual BPU Water Quality Report.

The American Business Awards are considered the nation’s preeminent business awards program, with more than 3,700 submissions considered in the judging process this year across a wide variety of categories. The winners were determined by the average scores of more than 300 professionals over a three-month judging process, with recipients receiving either a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie in their respective category.

Other recognized organizations in the publications category included BMO Financial Group, AT&T Business Multimedia Services, Centene Corporation, and others. All Gold Stevie Award recipients will receive an ABA trophy, and will be recognized along with others at an Awards Banquet on June 11^th in New York City.

BPU’s water department was originally created in 1909, and its electric utility was operational in 1912. The purpose of the utility, then and to this day, is to provide the highest quality electric and water services at the lowest possible cost. Today the publicly owned utility serves approximately 65,000 electric and 53,000 water customers, primarily in Wyandotte County, Kansas. The mission of the utility and its employees is “to focus on the needs of our customers, to improve the quality of life in our community while promoting safe, reliable and sustainable utilities.” BPU’s Web site is www.bpu.com.