NWPPA Announces Expansion of Member Services

VANCOUVER, February 22, 2005 - Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA) announced today an expansion of their online member services by partnering with Apogee Interactive, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia. This creative alliance brings to the membership a broad offering of some of the most cutting-edge and innovative Internet applications available today. This offering includes Apogee's website applications for use by end-use customers and eLearning services for the membership.

Aimed at increasing customer satisfaction while reducing costs, Apogee's applications enable customer self-service at the website. Applications include comprehensive energy information reference libraries, kids's energy "edu-tainment," online home and business energy use calculators, vendor locators and outage alert systems.

According to NWPPA's Barry Fuchs, "Our members are looking for ways to better serve customer's needs. Increasingly, customers are going to the utility's website looking for answers. If they find them there, there is no need to call or visit, which not only saves time and money, it makes customers more satisfied with their energy provider."

In addition to the website applications, the partnership provides NWPPA members with easy access and discounted prices on Apogee's extensive curriculum of more than 150 online industry-specific courses. Covering subjects from "Fundamentals of Electricity" to "Situational Spanish for the Energy Industry," these courses are available 24/7, whenever and wherever trainees want to study. Online learning has the additional advantage of letting trainees move at their own pace, giving them access to information when they need it-not just when a class is offered. All that's required is an Internet-connected computer. "At NWPPA, we've watched training evolve over the years and now see that eLearning is going to be a major component of our member's training plans." Fuchs explains. "As more existing employees experience its convenience and effectiveness, and as more people joining the utility learned this way in school, it will continue to grow."

"We've seen the adoption rate of eLearning accelerate as companies realize see the economic benefits and organizational improvements," added Apogee president Susan Gilbert. She cited industry studies that show eLearning can reduce training time by 60 percent or more, increase retention rates by well over 100 percent, and eliminate travel time and expenses altogether.

As an organization dedicated to serving the interests of our members and the customers they serve, this partnership with APOGEE is a great match," says Fuchs. "Apogee seems to anticipate our members' needs, pioneers new applications, perfects them, and then makes them available at a price smaller utilities can afford."

"Bringing APOGEE's offerings through NWPPA enables us to keep our costs down and allows us to reach utilities that might otherwise never hear of our services," said Gilbert. "Working with NWPPA, the firm will be conducting webinars and presenting at NWPPA conferences to help get the word out to members," she added.

Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA) (www.nwppa.org) is an organization of over 150 public/people's utility districts, electric cooperatives, municipalities and crown corporations in the Western U.S. and Canada. NWPPA also serves the sales and networking needs of over 200 Associate Members across the U.S. and Canada who are allied with the electric utility industry. NWPPA is dedicated to serving the interests of its members and the millions of electric customers they serve. We provide our members with training and education, surveys, communications, federal legislative coordination, data and networking opportunities and products and services for the utility industry.

Apogee Interactive Inc. (www.apogee.net) is a leading provider of online solutions for the energy industry. Serving more than 200 utilities nationwide since 1994, Apogee's Web-based content and tools reach millions of electricity consumers daily. The company also provides eLearning systems, call center programs and load management platforms to utilities and their trade associations throughout North America and New Zealand.

Contact: Apogee Interactive Inc.: