Community Outreach

American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) takes pride in its community involvement. AMP has a number of projects, programs and awards in place to keep it involved in its member communities.

Special Events Kit

Get the word out about public power at fairs, festivals, community events and Public Power Week celebrations with a Special Events Kit. The kit includes a variety of promotional items imprinted with the powerwheel or AMP logo. Members can purchase kits for a small fee to cover costs. Please give as much advance notice as possible to process requests and ensure availability of promotional items. To request a Special Events Kit, please contact Amanda Smithey, Member Events and Program Manager, at [email protected].

Ernie Energy

Ernie Energy is the official mascot of AMP’s public power communities. The mascot is available to members as a large inflatable that can “stand around” at fairs, festivals and other gatherings. The mascot is reserved on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the year. To reserve Ernie Energy, contact Amanda Smithey, Member Events and Program Manager, at [email protected].

Awards

Each year, AMP honors member communities for their outstanding achievements. Nomination information is sent to member communities each summer. The awards are presented during the awards banquet at the AMP Annual Conference. The following awards are presented annually:

  • Electric System Sustainability Award – recognizes utilities that have made significant efforts in sustainability in terms of understanding the interconnections among economy, society and environment. 
  • Innovation Award – recognizes municipal electric systems that have completed an innovative and/or unique project. Innovation as described in the dictionary is a new idea, device or method; the introduction of something new.
  • Public Power Promotion Award – honors utilities that have taken significant strides to promote public power through marketing, consumer awareness and branding.
  • Safety Award - recognizes municipal electric systems for their safety performance and encourages municipalities to improve their present safety program.
  • System Improvement Award – recognize utilities that have made a significant improvement in electric service and reliability to their customer-owners.

AMP also presents these individual awards annually:

  • Seven Hats Award – recognizes a utility manager who serves a smaller community, and whose management responsibilities extend well beyond the scope of a manager in a larger system who has a larger staff. The award parallels American Public Power Association (APPA) requirements. The AMP recipient will be nominated for the APPA Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award.
  • Hard Hat Safety Award – honors utility employees who have contributed to safety within their community during the past year, shown adherence to on-the-job safety procedures, and promoted electrical safety within their department and community.
  • AMP Service Distinction Award - recognizes utility employees, partners and consultants who have made significant local contributions to public power. 

For more information about our awards program, please visit the AMP Awards Program webpage here.

Public Power Connections

Public Power Connections is a content hub located on the password-protected Member Extranet on AMP’s website. It is designed to benefit AMP members with a repository of toolkits and sharable content to communicate with their customers, helping to provide a better understanding of the electric industry and benefits of public power. To receive more information about the Public Power Connections toolkits and materials, contact Michele Lemmon, Interim Director of Communications and Public Relations, at [email protected].

Scholarships Program

AMP’s Scholarships Program was developed to encourage high school seniors in AMP member communities to further their education and to create an awareness of careers in the municipal electric utility field. The Richard H. Gorsuch Scholarship is a one-time award presented to a student whose parent or guardian is an employee of an AMP member municipal electric department or an employee of AMP. The Lyle B. Wright Scholarship is a one-time award to eligible students whose households receive electricity from AMP member communities.

Learn more about AMP’s Scholarships Program here.