Kasey Martin & SYEMC file photo | SYEMC
Karen Lloyd said goodbye to Surry-Yadkin EMC at the beginning of July after 30 years of service. (At left) Lloyd takes down an annual meeting prize winner’s information.
Lloyd retires after 30 years at SYEMC By Kasey Martin
K
aren Lloyd has been a dedicated employee of Surry-Yadkin EMC for 30 years. A graduate of Surry Central High School’s class of 1975, Karen is a native of Surry County where she has lived her entire life. Following high school graduation, she attended Surry Community College, earning an Associate in Applied Science in 1977. The year of 1977 proved to be a memorable one for Karen as she not only graduated from college that year, but also got married and began working her first full-time job as a new college graduate. She served Cato Equipment Company in Jonesville as its secretary and bookkeeper, a position she kept for 14 years. The dealership eventually closed, and Karen found herself working for several months as a temporary employee at ABTCo. in Roaring River, while seeking full-time employment. Having heard about a potential opening for a full-time position at SYEMC, Karen applied and interviewed for the position of executive secretary in 1992. She was hired for what would be a long-lasting employ-
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ment with the cooperative. During her employment at SYEMC, she has managed to hold several titles. In addition to being an executive secretary and assistant, she also has been a Human Resources clerk and a Human Resources representative. “While working with benefits, it has been extremely satisfying to know that I have been able to assist employees and to ensure their claims, payments and any other concerns were treated fairly and respectfully,” said Karen. Karen also feels blessed to have served a company that has allowed her to create wonderful memories for 30 years. Some of her favorites include sporting events with fellow employees, holiday parties, and humorous moments that happened while in the office. “I have participated in (and won) softball games where our SYEMC female staff members played against the female staff members of Surry Telephone, watched as co-workers revealed hidden talents during special events, and countless moments in the office where something funny was always happening,” said Karen. One event in particular involved what she and some of her colleagues
thought was a snake … but after thorough investigation and slight hysteria, the “snake” was actually a belt that had been left in the restroom floor! Karen also fondly recalled memories made during power outages after-hours, where she and her co-workers would stay at the office to assist in answering calls until the power was restored. These events occurred prior to the technology that is in place now which allows members to call and report outages via an automated system. Like the advancements in the telephone system, Karen also recalled how different the computer systems were when she first arrived versus how they are now. “When I first came to SYEMC, I had no computer experience. I took a couple of night classes (Word Perfect and Lotus), and we finally transitioned our system to Microsoft — where we were introduced at that time to Excel, which was a significant improvement,” said Karen. “With the improvements in computers, you can now save files online where each department can access the files which has greatly reduced the amount of printing that once took place.”
See Lloyd, page D
August 2022
7/11/22 12:28 PM
