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Members Celebrate GEC’s 70 Years To mark seven decades of service, Glades Electric Cooperative brought the Touchstone Energy hot air balloon to the Annual Meeting on March 21. GEC staff—including Chad Sevigny— assisted with setup, and members were treated to tethered rides. Read more about the Annual Meeting on page 4. Take Time to be Safe PAGE 25 Feeding and Visiting With Legislators PAGE 26 Glades Electric Cooperative MAY 2015
Transcript

MembersCelebrate GEC’s 70 YearsTo mark seven decades of service, Glades Electric Cooperative brought the Touchstone Energy hot air balloon to the Annual Meeting on March 21. GEC staff—including Chad Sevigny— assisted with setup, and members were treated to tethered rides. Read more about the Annual Meeting on page 4.

Take Time to be Safe PAGE 25 Feeding and Visiting With Legislators PAGE 26

Glades Electric Cooperative

M AY 2015

Glades ElectricNeighbors Working for Neighbors

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In the Kitchen 16Florida Gardener 18

Festival Roundup 22Outdoor Pursuits 24Parting Shot 30

Inside

Your utility pages: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32

Also In This Issue

May 2015Vol. 4, No. 7

Life on the Track 10Central Florida horse trainer turns untested thoroughbreds into racing champions.

BE PREPAREDWith Glades Electric Cooperative

M AY 2015 3

Members Celebrate GECAnnual meeting marks 70 years of service to neighbors

Many members attending the 70th Annual Membership Meeting of Glades Electric Cooperative on March 21 got to cross an item off their bucket list: taking a ride in a hot air balloon.

It was all smiles as mem-bers climbed into the basket of the Touchstone Energy hot air balloon, with many mem-bers and employees heading straight out the door for their chance to take a ride—includ-ing GEC CEO Jeff Brewington and his wife, Michelle.

The rides were short due to time and weather constraints. But that did not stop mem-bers from enjoying the chance to get off the ground and wave at friends and family.

After taking a balloon ride, members registered and voted. They then were treated to refreshments; entertainment by singer Marti Capodiferro; and displays by the coopera-tive’s power supplier, Seminole Electric, the GEC Charitable

Trust, Friends of Istokpoga and Meter Treater.

Although the many prizes given away at the end of the meeting are always a big draw for members, the annual meeting features a number of important business items that keep GEC running smoothly.

The second cooperative principle, democratic mem-ber control, ensures members actively participate in setting policies and decision-making through the election of dis-trict trustees.

Each year, one-third of the Board of Trustees is elected, or re-elected, to serve three-year terms. Candidates are nominated by committee or petition from the member-ship and are voted on at the annual meeting. The Board of Trustees establishes the poli-cies by which the cooperative conducts business.

All three incumbents were re-elected this year: Jack Coxe, representing District 8, Lake

Josephine; Lee Henderson, representing District 6, Highlands Park; and Barney Goodman, representing District 2, Hendry County.

As the meeting began, President Jack Coxe welcomed members to the 70th anniver-sary gathering and reviewed the cooperative’s history.

He noted that in January 1945, 179 cooperative mem-bership applications had been gathered, allowing the cooper-ative to conduct its first annual meeting on the steps of the courthouse in Glades County.

In May of that year, GEC requested $475,000 from the Rural Electrification Administration to build its first generating plant and 132 miles of power lines.

In April, the first employee was hired, a bookkeeper named Mrs. H.C. Keenan.

The following year, an additional $238,000 was bor-rowed to extend power lines into Highlands County.

Coxe described how much times have changed, relating the current cost of the same power lines would be $3.3 million, and just one of GEC’s backup generators would cost $1.75 million.

Those original 179 mem-berships have grown to 12,278. The GEC system now includes 83 miles of transmis-sion line, 2,581 miles of distri-bution line, 16 substations, 11 backup generators and 16,180 meters. The one employee has grown to a family of 63 Glades Electric Cooperative staff members are ready to deliver door prizes to members at the 70th annual meeting.

Glades ElectricNeighbors Working for Neighbors

4 M AY 2015

full-time, three part-time and four temporary employees.

Coxe ended with a moment of silence in memory of for-mer Trustee Irene Lofton, who passed away November 18, 2014. Irene served the

membership for more than 18 years, representing Okeechobee for District 9.

Coxe turned the meeting over to CEO Jeff Brewington, who recognized several guests of honor.

First and foremost, Brewington asked all veterans to rise and be acknowledged.

This year, he also recog-nized Chace Barnes, a GEC employee who served two tours of duty in Iraq with the

U.S. Army. Also recognized were Trustee Jim Aul, who served in Vietnam, and Trustee Shannon Hall’s husband, Ken, who served in Korea.

GEC is proud to support not only these veterans, but the families who supported them and made sacrifices as the vet-erans protected our freedom.

Brewington began the busi-ness portion of his comments by reviewing the continual challenges a rural electric cooperative faces, including the lack of growth the past 10 years, which created a difficult business environment.

He noted the tenacity of members in our area.

“We are a people that can fend for ourselves,” he said, reflecting on the founding of the cooperative. “We take care of business, even to the extent of building our own electric distribution system.”

The Touchstone Energy hot air balloon was a popular draw during Glades Electric Cooperative’s 70th Annual Membership Meeting. Left, the tethered balloon lifts off as CEO Jeff Brewington and his wife, Michelle, watch along with GEC employees. Above, a happy member gives two thumbs up after her ride with balloon pilot Dave Champion, background.

Continues on page 6

M AY 2015 5

Glades ElectricNeighbors Working for Neighbors

One of the challenges Brewington has faced the past four years as CEO has been prosecution of employee fraud cases since 2011. The last case was set for trial in April. He said he looks forward to clos-ing this difficult, time-con-suming, distracting journey.

Although faced with many challenges, Brewington emphasized the past year was successful overall. All required financial ratios and debt cov-enants were met. As a result, member equity in the coop-erative has grown more than 2 percent to a total just shy of 27 percent. It is the third con-secutive year the membership investment has grown.

GEC is progressing toward the 30 to 35 percent range it needs to resume refunding capital credits.

Brewington then turned his attention to other ways the cooperative has been success-ful the past year.

In addition to providing

communities with afford-able, reliable and safe energy, through GEC programs, members also support youth livestock programs, school ath-letics, school academic associa-tions, teacher Golden Apple programs, Big Brother-Big Sisters and band boosters, to name just a few good causes.

More than 71 percent of members participate in Operation Roundup, allowing the Glades Electric Charitable Trust to provide more than $52,000 to your neighbors and other helping institutions.

Directors of the trust want to do more. They are restricted by whatever funds Operation Roundup gener-ates, which is limited by the nature of the program to a maximum of $11.88 per year per partnering member.

Recognizing that helping neighbors is what a rural elec-tric cooperative is all about, the GEC Board of Trustees is starting Operation Roundup Plus, allowing members not only to round up their bill, but

to donate whatever additional amount they choose to the Charitable Trust each month. Donations are tax deductible.

Brewington recognized the great things done in our community through the Glades Electric Educational Foundation, which uses unclaimed capital credits to provide $32,000 a year for scholarships to graduating high school seniors.

The cooperative also sends two high school juniors to Washington, D.C., as part of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Washington Youth Tour.

Brewington emphasized the important role coopera-tives play in ensuring costly, inappropriate legislation does not harm cooperative

members. NRECA calls upon cooperatives to help ensure all of our voices are heard in Washington, D.C.

Lisa Johnson, CEO of Seminole Electric—GEC’s power provider—recently was called on by NRECA to testify before a congressional committee regarding coal ash issues. That was a first for Seminole and a testimony to her expertise. GEC is fortu-nate to have her as an ally.

NRECA’s Action Committee for Rural Electrification helps finance battles such as coal ash issues. Brewington told members that a complement to the ACRE program, Cooperative Owners for Political Action, is an avenue for cooperative members to participate. Kelly Brantley is all smiles after winning a George Foreman grill.

Continues from page 5

Members Celebrate GEC

6 M AY 2015

Florida is second in COPA supporters, only behind Ohio. Brewington is sure Florida can be in the lead quickly if even half of GEC’s mem-bership joined COPA for as little as $2.08 added to their monthly bill. That support will help GEC and NRECA continue to fight for afford-able, reliable and safe energy.

Brewington ended his remarks by commenting on GECs new advanced metering infrastructure system—part of the Board’s continuous improvement directive.

AMI allows GEC to read meters from the office through its own power lines. The system gives members options such as choosing a billing date, converting depos-its to pay-as-you-go programs,

self-monitoring energy use and consistent billing periods.

The project is at its halfway point, with more than 8,000 new meters installed. GEC expects to complete the instal-lation process in July, with new opportunities available soon thereafter, including home energy audits provided by the cooperative’s meter specialists.

“The Board and every employee is dedicated to your cooperative’s contin-ued success and providing you and our homeland with exceptional service as a coop-erative was designed to do,” Brewington said.

He then welcomed honored guest and electric coopera-tive friend U.S. Congressman Tom Rooney, who noted how important rural communities

are to this country. He talked about the history of the Star-Spangled Banner and how small communities such as ours played a large role in forming our country.

Although Brewington allotted time for questions from the membership, it was clear all in attendance were ready for the next step on the agenda: the prize drawings.

More than 110 prizes were awarded, including TVs, gift cards, an Android tablet, cook-books and plants. All mem-bers present, including GEC employees who are members, were eligible to win prizes.

Glades Electric Foundation scholarship winner Brittany

Day, 19, the daughter of GEC member Dawn Day, helped with the prize drawing. Thanks to the scholarship, she is attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

As excited members waved their tickets as their winning numbers were called, antici-pation rose for the grand-prize drawing for a 2004 Ford Explorer. When the winning number was called, a single hand in the second row raised high in the air.

Jerry Chasteen from Lorida could hardly believe his ears.

“I never win anything,” he said, as friends hugged and congratulated him.

Chasteen called his wife, who could not attend.

He said Sandra, the mem-ber services representative who registered him at the annual meeting and assigned him the winning raffle ticket, “deserves a big raise.”

It is our sincere hope mem-bers enjoyed the Annual Meeting as much as Trustees, management and employees enjoyed hosting it.

It is truly our honor to be “Neighbors Working for Neighbors.” n

Above, Jerry Chasteen accepts the key as winner of the grand prize, a 2004 Ford Explorer, from CFO Jennifer Manning. Left, members enjoy their time at the annual meeting. Below, CEO Jeff Brewington addresses the members.

M AY 2015 7

$25Credit

Winners

More than 70 percent of Glades Electric Cooperative members participate in Operation Round Up, which helps people in GEC’s service area who have exhausted normal avenues of financial assistance.

Sign up today, and your electric bill will be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The extra is placed in the fund for deserving individuals and organizations.

As of March 10, your Charitable Trust Board of Directors has approved $871,122.08 in disburse-ments. These funds have provided assistance with food, emergency lodging, disaster relief and specific

emergency needs for 563 individuals and/or families and 121 community organizations.

The trust does not fund utility bills (electric, phone, water and gas) or budgets of organizations. Organizations in counties served may apply for funding for a specific need or project.

The Charitable Trust Board of Directors meets monthly to review applications for funding.

If you know of people who need and deserve assistance and live within our service area, encourage or help them to complete an application. Applications can be picked up at each of our three offices: Moore Haven, Lake Placid and Okeechobee.

Operation Round Up Monthly ReportCharitable Trust Board of DirectorsJack Wilson District 1 Moore Haven

Beverly Eaves District 2 Hendry County

Kelly Brantley District 3 Ortona/Palmdale

Dori Evans District 4 Lakeport

Lori Thompson District 5 Venus/Hicora

Lee Andrus District 6 Highlands Park

Jerry Chasteen District 7 Lorida

David McCadam District 8 Lake Josephine

Paula Byars District 9 Okeechobee

The Charitable Trust Board of Directors will meet in Lake Placid on May 28at 1 p.m.

Glades ElectricNeighbors Working for Neighbors

Travis and Katie Nolen No. 108786-001Ronnie Olden No. 77786967-002

Winners should call (863) 946-6200 or sign their name on this page and mail it to:

Florida Currents $25 CreditGlades Electric CooperativeP.O. Box 519Moore Haven, FL 33471

Church of the MonthBethel Holiness Church317 Monte Real BoulevardSebring, FL 33876-8060

High-Quality Surge Protection O� ered by GECGlades Electric Cooperative is proud to o� er members a new choice in home surge protection with Meter Treater, manufactured by M-Ti. This Florida-based company’s meter-base protection devices have been protecting

Florida homes since 1986. M-Ti also manufactures superior surge protection devices for commercial and industrial applications. The company has earned a

reputation for innovative design, high-quality workmanship and friendly, responsive customer service. Our members deserve nothing less! Contact a GEC o� ce for more information.

8 M AY 2015

Did you know more than 140,000 fires are caused by electricity each year? Or that extension cords should not be used to provide power on a long-term or permanent basis?

These facts are just the start toward understanding and appreciating electrical safety.

In May, Glades Electric Cooperative and electric utilities across the country celebrate National Electrical Safety Month.

Even though we dedicate the month to promoting and encouraging electrical safety, GEC strives to make safety a year-round priority for mem-bers and employees.

The most effective way to practice electrical safety is to be aware of your surround-ings and able to identify potential electrical hazards at work, at home and in your community.

Although most people con-sider the home to be a place of protection and comfort, electrical hazards may be closer than you think.

Here are a few facts and tips from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the Electrical Safety Foundation Institution to help you put safety first:

• Install smoke detectors in every bedroom, outside of each sleeping area and on every level of your home. Test them monthly and replace batteries annually to ensure they are working properly. Nearly two-thirds of fire-related fatalities result from fires in homes without work-ing smoke alarms.

• Assume all overhead power lines are energized, even if a wire is down or appears to be insulated.

• Ensure all countertop appliances are located away from the sink. When you are finished cooking, always dou-ble check to make sure you turned off burners and appli-ances. Keep appliance cords away from hot surfaces such as the stove or toaster.

• Frayed or damaged extension cords are dangerous

and never should be used. Damaged cords can expose wires and cause fires and shock hazards.

• Use covers on outdoor power outlets, especially near swimming pools. Keep cords and electrical devices away from the water. Never handle any electrical device before you dry off.

GEC values electri-cal safety and provides a

variety of employee training and education. In partner-ship with Seminole Electric Cooperative, GEC’s wholesale power provider, GEC is dedi-cated to providing you, our member-consumer, with safe and reliable electricity.

Electrical safety awareness and education can save lives. For more electrical safety tips, visit www.gladesec.com or www.esfi.org.

Glades Electric Cooperative Celebrates National Electrical Safety MonthMay is National Electrical Safety Month, and Glades Electric Cooperative is raising awareness about potential home electrical hazards and the importance of electrical safety.

Every year, thousands of accidents occur due to shock hazards. Electric cooperatives are committed to educating the public about potential electrical dangers.

In the U.S., home electrical failures or malfunctions cause more than 50,000 � res each year, resulting in 450 deaths, nearly 1,500 injuries and more than $1.5 billion in property damage, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

“It is critical that members understand their home’s electrical system and the safety concerns associated with the latest

residential technologies before bringing them into their homes,” says Glades Electric CEO Je� Brewington. “With newer technologies, such as solar panels, electric vehicles and more and more electrical gadgets in the home, members need to be well educated and make sure to have an electrical system that’s compatible with the increased load.”

GEC strives for safety excellence year-round through safety presentations in schools and in the community, training and conferences to promote employee safety.

The safety of our members and employees is a priority. Through electrical safety awareness and education, we can prevent electrical hazards and injuries.

Glades ElectricNeighbors Working for Neighbors

Take Time to be Safe

M AY 2015 25

Feeding and Visiting With Legislators

There is one sure way to get the full attention of state poli-ticians, and Florida electric cooperatives have figured it out. Host a gathering with amazing food from around the state and legislators are sure to come to you.

Clay Electric Cooperative annually hosts this outdoor event. Participants such as Glades Electric Cooperative prepare foods reflective of their service area.

The setting is the beauti-ful and historic Goodwood Museum and Gardens in Tallahassee, just a short drive from the Capitol.

The March 11 gathering was a time to meet with leg-islators and discuss the future of electrical generation, trans-mission and distribution, as well as implications current or

proposed legislation may have on the cooperatives’ members.

Along with individual meetings, the cooperatives gather in a central location and invite the legislators to come to them for a relaxing atmosphere with great food.

Glades Electric Cooperative offers fried gator tail, gator ribs and stuffed, bacon-wrapped jalapeno peppers.

Legislators and their staffs look forward to this unique fare, and make a point to stop by and visit with their folks from back home.

The neighborhood feel cre-ates a comfortable setting in which representatives from GEC, including CEO Jeff Brewington, stand shoulder to shoulder with lawmakers and convey the ideas, comments and concerns of members.

It is a far cry from meet-ing legislators in their offices, where they are pressed for time, awaiting phone calls or have another appointment waiting in the next room.

At the cookout, the legisla-tors and their staffs can sit and visit with folks from their district and enjoy an uninter-rupted conversation.

It also is a terrific way for cooperative employees and trustees to mix and mingle with colleagues from other cooperatives, share ideas and overcome roadblocks.

Meetings are scheduled through the Florida Electric Cooperative Association to report the status of pending legislation affecting coopera-tives and develop materials to consolidate and clarify com-munications on upcoming issues of importance.

This is critical to ensure

cooperatives are informed and deliver a consistent message to representatives in Tallahassee.

Rural electric coopera-tives enjoy a good reputation among lawmakers due to the integrity, openness and clarity of how they communicate the needs of their members.

The cookout, as it has come to be called, is a great example of the cooperative principle Concern for Community.

Glades Electric is pleased to have this opportunity to represent our members and the communities we serve, and carry their message to Tallahassee. We promise to always have our members’ best interests in mind and continue working hard to communicate their wants and needs to our legislators.

We are proud to remain “Neighbors Working for Neighbors.” n

Glades Electric Cooperative employee John Dean, left, works with GEC Trustees Barney Goodman and Jack Coxe to prepare food for the cookout. Below, Yvonne Bradley, left, director of employee services, and Michelle Brewington, wife of the cooperative’s CEO, serve the fried gator, gator ribs and jalapeno peppers.

Glades ElectricNeighbors Working for Neighbors

Great weather greets Florida electric cooperatives at annual cookout

26 M AY 2015

Make the Digital Switch

Just as you upgraded your television, cable and telephone from an analog sys-tem to digital for better sound and picture quality, the lighting industry has been modernizing its options and products.

For the past several years, traditional incandescent bulbs have been phased out in favor of halogen and compact fluores-cent lights that offer greater efficiency. More recent innovations have focused on light-emitting diodes.

LED bulbs are essentially digital light. Known for their longevity and effi-

ciency, LEDs have an estimated opera-tional life span of up to 50,000 hours. This equates to 17 years of continuous opera-tion, or 34 years of 50 percent operation.

LEDs are different from fluorescent and incandescent light sources, which

contain a gas or filament. LEDs use semiconductors to create light. Two con-ductive materials are placed together on a chip, or a diode. Electricity passes through the diode, releasing energy in the form of light.

Unlike fluorescent lights that require a few minutes to warm up before reach-ing their full level of brightness, LEDs achieve full illumination immediately.

Analog-era lighting operates at only 20 percent energy efficiency. Eighty percent of the electricity from those bulbs is lost as heat.

That inefficiency affects your wallet. If your electric bill for lighting with tra-ditional bulbs is $100, you are spending $80 to heat the room instead of light it.

Using LED illumination with 80 percent efficiency, your electricity cost would be about $20, saving you $80.

LEDs are ideal for outdoor use due to their durability. They are resistant to vibra-tions, shock and external impacts such as exposure to weather, wind and rain.

Unlike fluorescent lights, which may not operate as well in colder tempera-tures, LEDs are temperature-resistant.

LEDs also can be dimmed, allowing maximum flexibility in use.

If you have a portable generator or battery backup, LED lights are a smart complement. Because they draw so little power, using LEDs instead of other bulbs allows you to illuminate more areas or use the saved energy for other applications.

When buying an LED, look for the Energy Star label to ensure you have a high-quality product. Some bulbs manu-factured outside of the United States use components that produce low light levels, do not stand up on service life or have exaggerated energy-saving claims.

Like any other purchase, research before you buy. Visit www.energystar.gov for more information about LED lights.

While LEDs generally cost more to buy than fluorescent and incandescent lights, they are much less expensive to operate over time because they are energy efficient and long-lasting.

As with other electronics, prices are expected to fall as more products enter the market. But make the switch from analog to digital, and you will see an increase in your home energy efficiency and a decrease in your energy costs.

To compare LEDs to new energy-efficient incandescent bulbs and CFLs, visit www.energy.gov/energysaver. The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ free app, “Save Energy, Save Money” for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, includes a lighting calculator that shows the potential savings from replacing incandescent lamps with CFLs or LEDs.

To learn about more ways to save energy around the home, talk to a mem-ber service representative at Glades Electric Cooperative at (863) 946-6200. n

Glades ElectricNeighbors Working for Neighbors

Upgrade your lights from analog with LED bulbsBy Anne Prince

28 M AY 2015

Stay Connected: Update Your Contact InformationRough weather will occur, and power outages sometimes cannot be avoided. But did you know you can ensure your electricity is restored as quickly and safely as possible?

By keeping your contact information current, you can take full advantage of the services off ered by Glades Electric Cooperative.

You may have noticed prompts through GEC’s Facebook page, Florida Currents magazine and bill statements asking for your updated contact information. That is because if GEC does not have the correct phone number linked to your home address, it makes it much more diffi cult for you to report an outage.

Remember when you had to speak to a member service representative to report an outage? Waiting on hold can be frustrating and time consuming. Today, you can report an outage with the press of a button.

GEC uses the phone number you provide to link your service

address to the outage management system. When you call, GEC’s automated system instantly recognizes your phone number and can determine the particular service address from which you are reporting an outage.

Once you give the system a response, your outage is reported. It is that simple. But this only works if your current phone number is linked to your service address.

Updating your contact information also speeds up the power restoration process. With correct information, GEC’s outage management system can predict the location and possible cause of an outage, making it easier for crews to correct the problem.

You also can sign up for an Alerts & Reminder service that notifi es you via text or email for bill pay reminders and account notifi cations.

Call (863) 946-6200 and make sure you are up to date.

Annual Meetings From Then and Now Members gathering each year is a tradition for Glades Electric Cooperative. The top two photos are from the cooperative’s archives. At right is a photo from the 2015 annual meeting, bridging the gap between old and new. Claude Howerton served as a Trustee from the 1950s to 1982, when he was elected to the Highland County Commissioners. This was the first time he attended an annual meeting since he was a Trustee. He says he figured the 70-year anniversary was a good time to return.

M AY 2015 29

Offices

Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday

26733 U.S. Hwy. 27 East/P.O. Box 519Moore Haven, FL 33471(863) 946-6200Fax: (863) 946-2150

214 SR 70 WestLake Placid, FL 33852(863) 531-5000

111 SW Park St.Okeechobee, FL 34974(863) 467-5111

POwer interruPtiOn numberMoore Haven ............................. (863) 946-6200

Phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays. Please have your location or account number handy when you call.

bOard Of trusteesJohn “Jack” Coxe, President, District 8 Lake Josephine, (863) 655-3056James “Jim” Aul, Vice President, District 7 Lorida, (863) 441-0441 Russell Henderson, Sec./Treas., District 3 Ortona and Palmdale, (863) 946-0865Donnie Lundy, Trustee, District 1 Moore Haven, (863) 946-0402Barney Goodman, Trustee, District 2 Hendry County, (561) 414-8837Shannon Hall, Trustee, District 4 Lakeport and Brighton, (863) 946-3242Ladd Bass, Trustee, District 5 Venus and Hicoria, (863) 441-2227Lee Henderson, Trustee, District 6 Highlands Park, (863) 633-9281Angela Hodges, Trustee, District 9 Okeechobee, (863) 801-3140

The next meeting of the Board will be at 9 a.m. May 28 at the Moore Haven headquarters office. Any changes to this schedule will be posted in the lobby of all three district offices.

executive staffCEO Jeff Brewington CFO Jennifer ManningCTO Jesse WallaceDir. of Business Development Paul McGeheeDir. of Employee Services Yvonne BradleyDir. of Engineering Travis TurnerDir. of Member Services Margaret EllerbeeDir. of Operations Tracy Vaughn

FL-153

Members, thank you for attending your 70th Annual Meeting. I really enjoyed meeting you all face to face, and sincerely appreciate your comments and questions.

There is a great summary article beginning on page 4 of this issue for those of you who may have missed the event.

I look forward to seeing you all again next year when we return to Lake Placid.

Acknowledging the per-ils and devotion of a line-man’s life, last December the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association passed a resolution to declare a national day of recognition.

The resolution sets the second Monday of April as National Lineman Appreciation Day.

To honor our linemen on the first National Lineman Appreciation Day on April 13, we took our Lake Placid linemen to breakfast and our Moore Haven linemen to lunch.

A framed copy of the NRECA resolution was presented to each group as they were recognized. The resolution hangs in our boardroom on our Lineman’s Wall of Fame.

Please consider giving these deserving guys a thumbs up the next time you see them in the field.

Glades Electric Cooperative CEO Jeff Brewington with a framed copy of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association resolution honoring the nation’s linemen. It hangs on the Lineman’s Wall of Fame in the cooperative’s boardroom.

Saluting Our LinemenCEO’s Message

32 M AY 2015


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