Hats Off to the Texas Governor's Office!

Congratulations to the Texas Governor's Office for a job well done in communicating effectively to their citizens about Hurricane Rita. The Texas Governor's Office used GovDelivery to send out more than 45,000 e-mails to inform citizens of the evacuation and recovery efforts. Because the Governor's Office demonstrated poise under pressure, many people were able to receive warnings early enough to safely evacuate their homes and get back to their lives more quickly when the danger had passed.

GOVDELIVERY SUCCESS STORY:
The City of Saint Paul, MN

http://www.stpaul.gov

St. Paul sent more than 18,500 snow emergency notifications in December

As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, Minnesotans have only one thing on their mind: Snow. For the thousands of people that park on city streets, the question becomes: How will I know where to park when a snow emergency is declared? Since the city of St. Paul started using GovDelivery, residents need to look no further than their inboxes or wireless devices for timely notifications about parking restrictions that occur when the snow flies.

Five years ago, the city of St. Paul looked to GovDelivery to provide a reliable way to inform residents when special parking restrictions go into effect when more than three inches of snow accumulates on the streets. These restrictions are aptly called "snow emergencies." With an average annual snowfall of nearly 50 inches, snow emergencies are a regular occurrence in St. Paul and one that can cost a resident upwards of $250 in towing and ticketing fees if they are caught unaware and parked on the street when a snow emergency is declared by city officials. Offering e-mail and wireless alerts for snow emergencies keeps residents informed and prevents them from incurring the cost and stress of having their cars towed.

The snow emergency update is just one of more than 475 subscription items that the city of St. Paul offers its residents. Other popular items include city living mortgage applications, park guides, recreation programs, fire alarm requirements, mayor newsletters, road closings, and much more.

Since launching GovDelivery in January of 2001, St. Paul:

• Sent more than 500,000 e-mails to 17,000+ subscribers.
• Generated more than 60,000 additional hits to its website.
• Offered wireless alerts on snow emergencies and other topics.

View a detailed case study on the City of St. Paul

GOVDELIVERY FEATURE HIGHLIGHT: Wireless Alerts

34 million Americans send and receive text messages on their wireless devices, and this number is growing every day*.

GovDelivery Wireless Alerts serve this growing population of wireless device users, allowing subscribers to receive updates via e-mail, on cell phones, pagers, PDAs, and other text-message-enabled devices.

Here is a sample subscription page from the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada that shows the wireless alert option. Subscribers simply select the subscription options that have this icon next to them to receive Wireless Alerts.

GovDelivery Wireless Alerts work alongside existing subscription functionality, allowing subscribers to choose and receive updates via their text-message-enabled device in addition to their regular e-mail. Wireless Alerts provide real-time information wherever subscribers are located, on the device of their choice.

The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul implemented Wireless Alerts to notify citizens immediately in the event of a snow emergency in order to communicate special parking regulations. Together, these two cities have more than 20,000 subscribers to snow emergency Wireless Alerts.

"By expanding this popular and valuable service to include updates that can be read on wireless devices, we are staying on the cutting edge of public communication and customer service," said former St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly.

For more information on Wireless Alerts, please e-mail info@govdelivery.com.

* Pew Internet & American Life Project

BEHIND THE SCENES:
Dave Sommerness, COO

Dave joined the GovDelivery team in 2000, immediately following the launch of the company, and managed the development of the GovDelivery E-mail Subscription Management system and the GovDocs labor law poster website. Now, Dave oversees all operations and product development at GovDelivery. His favorite aspect of working at GovDelivery is the quality of people. "Everyone here is smart, creative, and above all hard-working, and these aspects keep me engaged and loving my job," Dave said.

Prior to joining GovDelivery, Dave spent four years as a Plant Manager for H.B. Fuller Company. He graduated with honors from West Point Military Academy before serving as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was awarded the Bronze Star for actions during Operation Desert Storm, where he was second in command of a 158-person engineering unit. Dave has an MBA from the University of Michigan. Outside of the GovDelivery office, Dave enjoys fly-fishing, canoeing, and spending time with his wife and two sons.

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