H T WATTS
October
The 75th Annual Meeting of Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative will take place Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Sallisaw High School Gymnasium, located at 2301 W Ruth Avenue in Sallisaw. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and the meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. This meeting is a great opportunity to fellowship with other members and the Cookson Hills Electric team, hear a message from the CEO, and visit with your Board of Trustees.
Make sure to bring your official notice with you to the meeting because it will serve as your “ticket” for a $20 credit on a future electric bill and a chance to win some great prizes.
We look forward to seeing you at the 75th Annual Cookson Hills Electric Members’ Meeting!
The official notice you received in the mail will serve as your ticket for a $20 electric bill credit!
WATTS INSIDE
retires after 34 years
page 2 Playing it safe online >> page 4 OCTOBER 2023 Published monthly by Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Forrester
>>
Join us for the Annual Meeting!
2023 ANNUAL MEETING
7, 2023 | Registration begins at 8 a.m., meeting begins at 10 a.m. Join us for our Annual Meeting at the Sallisaw High School gymnasium.
W Ruth Avenue Sallisaw,
2301
OK
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Headquarters Office
PO Box 539 • 1002 E. Main Stigler, OK 74462 • 800-328-2368
Branch Office
PO Box 587 • 1800 KOA/Power Drive
Sallisaw, OK 74955 • 918-775-2211
Pay-by-Phone: 1-888-678-1937 www.cooksonhills.com
Alternate Emergency Only: 918-552-0016
Passing the Keys
Donnie Forrester retires after 34 years
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Joe Ogle, President District 6
Rocky Woods, Sr., Vice President District 1
Ronnie Pevehouse, Sec/Treasurer District 7
Dan Callahan, Trustee District 2
John Dillard, Trustee District 3
Dart Drummonds, Trustee District 4
Mike Rose, Trustee District 5
STAFF
Juli Orme, General Manager
Mark Blaylock, Director of Operations — Stigler
Marty Huff, Director of Operations — Sallisaw
Ellen Mattison, Manager of Accounting Services
Kristie Cash, Manager of Office Services
Rockey Oldham, Manager of Broadband Services
Jeremy Stubblefield, Chief Technology Officer
Brad Martin, Director of Member/Public Relations and Economic Development
Dallin Shaw, Director of Engineering
Russell V. Barber, General Counsel
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. welcomes members to submit photos, and articles which will be subject to editing. Cookson Hills reserves the right to publish or modify any article. Companies and individuals featured in the Hot Watts newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or view of Cookson Hills.
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
If you find your account number hidden in this issue of the Hot Watts, you’ll receive a $25 credit on your electric bill.
Donnie Forrester has announced his retirement effective October, 2023. Donnie began his employment for Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative in 1989 and serves as the purchasing agent for Cookson Hills Electric and Cookson Hills Connect. He has spent the last 34 years as a dedicated employee who has worked to ensure the employees have everything they need to keep the lights on for the members. While he takes pride in his essential role, he also has a lighter side. Quick-witted with a slight ornery streak, he even has his own
phrases called “Donnie-isms.” He is well known around the company as the person to go to if you need a laugh or some history about what happened a third of a century ago.
“This is certainly a bittersweet moment for me,” said Juli Orme, CHEC general manager. “I have worked with Donnie for 27 years, and he is just like a family member. He has been a blessing to so many over the years, and I’m excited for him as he looks forward to spending more time with his family.”
We want to congratulate Donnie and wish him a happy retirement!
bit.ly/CHEConFB (case-sensitive)
2 | October 2023
Electric Co-ops Grow for the Communities They Serve
October is National Co-op Month
October is National Co-op Month, and CHEC is joining cooperatives across the U.S. to celebrate. Co-ops come in all shapes and sizes, but they each have a common goal: to provide goods or services for the members of the co-op.
Electric co-ops, including CHEC, exist to serve their members. Our priority is to provide affordable, reliable energy to our local communities. Because we are led by you, the members we serve, we can evolve to meet your needs.
This October, as we celebrate Co-op Month, we’re focusing on the ways “Co-ops Grow” for their members. 774905
Co-ops Grow Communities: Co-ops help communities grow by promoting economic empowerment, fostering community engagement and supporting the unique needs of co-op members. “Concern for Community” is one of our core principles––and being communityfocused is essential to everything we do.
Co-ops Grow Together: Coops are all about cooperation, not competition. That’s why electric co-ops work together to share lessons learned, successful strategies and better ways to serve our members. We’re better when we grow together!
Co-ops Grow Tomorrow’s Leaders: Electric co-ops serve as fertile ground for growing tomorrow’s leaders through a variety of youth engagement programs. Whether through school demonstrations, community events or the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour program, we’re committed to providing opportunities for local youth to learn and thrive in our community and beyond.
Co-ops Grow for You: At CHEC, your satisfaction is our number one goal. It’s why we were formed many years ago to fulfill a uniquely local purpose. We’ve come a long way since then, and your needs continue to evolve. That’s why we’ll never stop growing for you!
CHEC offices will be closed until 3 p.m. for employee training on Oct. 12. Personnel will be on standby in the event of an outage.
www.cooksonhills.com | 3
Playing it Safe Online
By Anne Prince
In today’s world, most of us don’t leave the front door unlocked. We protect our homes, loved ones and valuables from intruders with locks, alarms and other security measures. Cybersecurity is no different. It’s the practice of protecting other valuables such as your identify, banking and health records and other sensitive information from digital attacks and theft. Given our increased reliance on internet-connected devices and gadgets, this month, I’d like to share a few cybersecurity tips and let you know how CHEC is working to boost our own cybersecurity efforts.
According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for strengthening cybersecurity and infrastructure protection, these are the four best ways to keep you and your family safe online.
update, make sure it’s coming straight from the company that created it. Beware of fake pop-ups that request urgent downloads. Better yet, turn on automatic updates.
3. Think before you click. Most successful cyber attacks start with a phishing email. Don’t take the bait when cyber criminals go phishing. Avoid emails (or texts) that look too good to be true, oddly urgent, poorly crafted or include unusual requests.
4. Create strong passwords, using long, unique and complex words or phrases. Consider using a password manager to save time, work across all devices, protect your identity and notify you of potential phishing websites.
For the young people in your household
New zones open now!
1. Implement multi-factor authentication (also known as two-step verification) on your accounts. The additional layer of protection makes it much harder for criminals to access your information. Even if a hacker obtains your password, they may be unable to access your accounts if multi-step verification is enabled.
2. Update your software. This is one of the easiest ways to protect your personal data. When downloading a software
Just as you would talk with your children about safety in the physical world, discuss ways to stay safe online. Help them understand the public nature of the internet. Young people need to know early on, that what is shared online stays online and is difficult (if not impossible) to take back. Just as you would guard your money or valuables, children need to learn to guard their personal information, especially on social networks. As a parent or guardian, help your children learn about and use the privacy and security settings on social networks and gaming sites.
Keeping the electric grid and your data secure
We’re doing our share on the cyber front. Part of offering excellent service is keeping that service secure and reliable. For CHEC, reliability means repairing wear-and-tear, upgrading our equipment to withstand storms and severe weather and using technology and best practices to keep our system secure from cybersecurity issues.
While we can’t stop a storm or predict every disruption, as a co-op, we do everything we can to keep the lights on and our members protected. Because if we all do our part, our interconnected world will be safer and more secure for everyone.
Anne Prince writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines
Substation Feeder 1 – STI 1, 2, 3, 4 2 – ENT 1, 2, 3, 4 4 – TEN 1, 2 5 – SAL 1, 2, 3, 4 6 – MUL 1, 2, 3, 4 10 – KEO 1, 2 12 – NIC 1, 2, 3 13 – VIA 1, 2, 3, 4 14 – LIB 1, 2 15 – AKI 1, 2, 3 Substation and feeder numbers can be found on your electric bill.
