A management style for growing cooperatives Text and photo by Chris Powell
Jeff Edwards set a course for the Albemarle EMC electric cooperative to handle a suddenly growing membership.
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y 1998, Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation in the northeast region of the state faced a major transition. The 11,200-member co-op had served members for decades with very few changes required in its system, including poles, lines, staffing and services. But the 1990s had ushered in an era of change. A four-lane highway was coming in from the Tidewater and Hampton Roads areas of southeast Virginia, and the first wave of retiring baby boomers was already starting to push up the prices of properties along the Albemarle Sound. As has happened in other rural areas of the state, electric service here would have to grow to meet the new demand. The Albemarle EMC board of directors at this time saw their longtime general manager, Dorris White, retiring. The directors looked for someone with experience in a growing service territory. “We knew that the five counties we serve were about to grow like none of us had ever seen,” said L.A. Harris, the cooperative’s board president who has served for more than 30 years as a director elected by the membership. “The board hoped to find a manager who would be prepared to handle some heavy-duty challenges.” After interviewing a host of candidates they selected Jeff Edwards, who was 35 years old. Edwards had worked 13 years at Union Power Cooperative, based in the suburbs of Charlotte, the fastest-growing cooperative in the state. As Union’s director of operations, he supervised substations, right-of-way management, telecommunications and power quality. When he was offered the job at Albemarle, Edwards knew he would face challenges. The infrastructure was adequate but aging. The co-op had no transmission lines 28 JUNE 2007 Carolina Country
or substations that are vital to transferring large amounts of electricity. The office had just one computer and two incoming phone lines. The line trucks were aging. And the co-op was still relying on members to read their own meters and calculate their own power usage for payment. Edwards asked the board members if they would support changes and allow him to budget for them. The directors agreed without reservation. They approved the installation of networked computers and a billing system used by many other electric cooperatives. They asked Edwards to replace the phone system, hire contract meter readers and supervise renovation of the Winfall office building. Edwards then set his sights on the workforce. “We had a good group, but we needed people with particular strengths,” he said. The cooperative hired staff with expertise in engineering, technical systems, personnel and community relations. Among the systems introduced were a Web site that allowed for online bill payment, a Geographic Information System (GIS) to enable accurate mapping for managing outages, and an outage response call-handling system. The new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system enables an operator to control electrical switches remotely from the office, which enhances safety and efficiency. All of these systems were intended to improve operating efficiency and directly benefit consumer-members. The average annual outage per member was more than 10 hours when Edwards arrived. It is now less than two hours, excluding major storms. The board of directors also asked Edwards to manage the construction of the Tanglewood Substation, in Elizabeth City, which will have the ability to serve northern Pasquotank County well into the future. Another substation is currently under construction. “I am very proud of the directors and workforce here,” Edwards said. “All of these folks know what they are doing and why they do it. They have the members’ best interest at heart. And the fact that we have become a technological leader in the state is something the cooperative can be very proud of.” This spring Jeff Edwards accepted the general manager’s job at Southside Electric Cooperative, a 51,000-member co-op headquartered not far away in Crewe, Va., near Petersburg. As its new general manager, the Albemarle EMC board appointed Brad Furr, who had worked alongside Jeff Edwards at both Union Power and Albemarle EMC. “We feel Jeff’s style of management brought the cooperative solidly into the 21st century,” said L.A. Harris. “And Brad Furr has deep knowledge of our electrical infrastructure and internal management and will make an ideal general manager. Albemarle EMC is in good shape to continue providing safe, reliable and affordable service to its members.”
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Chris Powell is director of public relations for Albemarle EMC.