Serving Members Well

Whether you're a new member or have been a member for over 50 years, chances are you've spoken to Carletta Denison, Membership Coordinator of the Petroleum Equipment Institute.

Employed by PEI since 1976, Carletta Denison has met or spoken over the telephone with most of the association's 1,607 members. Responsible for processing member applications, sending out dues statements and promoting membership, Carletta's is usually the first voice you hear when you have a question about your membership and the benefits that come with it.

Members pose lots of questions to Carletta. They ask how they can be listed in the Membership Directory and how they can change their company profile on the association's Web site. They ask about their dues or about receiving member publications. “They call me,” says Carletta, “because we've spoken during the application process and they know my name.” She makes it a point to know members' names and to understand what their companies do. Fielding more than 50 emails and countless phone calls from members each week, Carletta adds, “I like meeting members and explaining the PEI benefits that they are entitled to.” Her favorite question is, “How do I become a member?”

“My number one goal is to serve members,” says Carletta. “The rule is that if a member calls, we either take the call or return that call as quickly as possible. An email is always acknowledged, even if I don't have an immediate answer.” Carletta points out that PEI's membership has grown and evolved over the years. “Member companies used to be all around the same size; today some are very large and some are very, very small. We have had to evolve as member needs have evolved.” Regardless of how member needs have changed, all members can be assured of one constant when they call Carletta: They will receive what she refers to as Oklahoma hospitality.

In addition to singing in her church choir, Carletta volunteers as a mentor at a facility for incarcerated youth and spends her summer vacation working as a camp counselor for children whose parents are incarcerated. “I like children of all ages, and it seemed like a good thing to do,” she says. She also counts spending time with her husband of 37 years, her daughter and two stepsons, as well as three grandchildren, as her greatest pleasure.

A history buff, Carletta likes to explore old cemeteries when she travels. “You can learn a lot about how people lived their lives from what is written on their headstones,” she says. As examples, she points to family plots with “beloved son of” versus just the name of a daughter. “Dates also reflect a time in our history when many women died giving birth.” Prior to visiting a cemetery, Carletta goes online to read its history. While Carletta found the above-ground tombs in New Orleans most fascinating, the most boring cemetery was in Las Vegas. The treeless flat landscape was monotonous.

If members are looking for good old Oklahoma hospitality, they do not have to look far. Along with that hospitality, they are also assured of getting all their questions answered. Says Carletta, “If a member is not getting what he or she needs, all they have to do is call me. I will always figure out a way to help them.” Carletta Denison provides Oklahoma hospitality, PEI style.

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The PEI Journal • Second Quarter 2007 • Volume 1, No. 2 • Contents are Copyright © Data Key Communications, Inc.
All rights reserved. • Nothing may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission of the publisher.