Issuu

SEPT

2021

• PrePay Initiative • Uptick in Retirements • Recent Retirees • Welcome and Congrats

EMPLOYEE NEWS

SOLAR INTEREST SOARS AMONG JACKSON EMC MEMBERS While Jackson EMC does not sell or install solar panels, we offer rebates and interconnections to our members on those products. We have seen a significant increase in requests for both recently. According to Christy Queen, Director of Residential Marketing, and Jonathan Weaver, Director of System Engineering, solar requests have skyrocketed since 2019. In 2019, the Residential Marketing team issued 22 rebates to members who installed solar panels on their homes. In 2020, they issued 46, and in 2021, they have issued 95 year-to-date. Christy projects Residential Marketing will issue more than 140 solar rebates this year. Members must contact Jackson EMC before installing solar panels and have a solar audit conducted through Residential Marketing to receive a rebate. With an increase in solar inquiries comes an increase in interconnection work for System Engineering. Once members have decided to install solar on their property, they apply to interconnect the solar and operate with Jackson EMC’s distribution grid. System Engineering reviews the system design to make sure it can be operated safely. Then, field service representatives install a bidirectional meter that can register both the electricity consumed by the members and the

generation from the solar. Interconnections have increased tenfold since 2019, according to Jonathan. In 2019, Jackson EMC had 27 solar installations. In 2020 there were 79 solar installs, and in 2021, there have been 268 interconnection applications for solar installs as of July, though many of the members are still in the process of installing their solar panels. “Residential solar is increasing proportionally across our service area, even in rural areas like Madison County,” said Jonathan. “We’ve had a few commercial members like Toyota, Kubota and now Makita, who chose to put solar panels and electric vehicle chargers at their new facilities.” “We want to be the trusted energy experts for our members, and that includes solar and electric vehicle technology,” said Christy. “Our residential energy advisors help educate our members on their options for solar installations. Our goal is to help them decide what solution works best for them. We try to set realistic expectations and encourage members to speak with multiple contractors before choosing to install solar panels.” A cross-departmental team is currently working to define Jackson EMC’s renewable energy strategy for the future. “Solar is here to stay,” said Christy. “We want to be the first place our members come when considering anything related to solar energy.”

SOLAR STATS REBATES

22 2019

MEMBER INSTALLS

2020

2021 YTD

27 2019

268

79 2020

2021 YTD planned, plus installed

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EMPLOYEES

GROWTH FROM THE 80s AND 90s MEANS UPTICK IN RETIREMENTS Jackson EMC’s service area experienced tremendous growth in the 1980s and 1990s, especially along the I-85, I-985 and Highway 316 corridors. This growth brought familiar names like Panasonic and Kubota to populate new office parks. In 1986, Gwinnett County was named the fastest-growing county in the nation. With this growth in both residential and commercial development came the need for more employees to support this increased demand for electricity. During that time, around 50 new services were connected every day. Today, that number is closer to 20 new service connections per day, according to Jonathan Weaver, Director of System Engineering. Now, some 35 years later, employees hired during this time of exponential growth are approaching retirement. “Based on our normal retirement age of 62, projections show that we can expect an average of about 15 employees to retire each year over the next five years. However, we know that some employees decide to retire

as early as age 55, so we could actually see slightly higher numbers during that time period,” said Keith Johnson, Vice President of Human Resources and Employee Development. “Almost every area of the cooperative will have retirements, with Engineering and Operations and Marketing, Member Services and Governmental Affairs potentially having the most,” said Keith. To help preserve the wealth of knowledge these employees have amassed during their careers at Jackson EMC, emphasis is being placed on job shadowing, professional development and educational assistance. Human Resources is working with the Leadership Team to create a more robust succession planning process. This process will identify the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to perform certain roles, and then develop the plans to fill these future positions.

“Based on our normal retirement age of 62, projections show that we can expect an average of about 15 employees to retire each year over the next five years.” — Keith Johnson, Vice President of Human Resources and Employee Development.

PREPAID METERING STRATEGIC INITIATIVE TEAM UNDERWAY Employees have said that offering more payment options is one of the most significant opportunities to increase the level of service provided to members. Thanks to employee feedback and a desire to shift to more member-focused initiatives, the Process: Prepaid Metering Evaluation and Implementation Strategic Initiative Team (SIT) kicked off in July. The SIT will research prepaid metering programs, make recommendations on key decisions (i.e., rate, deposit, etc.), support employee training, conduct an employee-member pilot program, and work with NISC to launch PrePay, a prepaid metering program for our members. PrePay is a payment option that will be offered to residential members who wish to pay for their electricity before using it, not afterward as all members do now. Instead of receiving a monthly bill after consuming electricity, members will be able to enroll in PrePay and pay as much, or as little, as they want in their accounts before using electricity. Once an account reaches a specified threshold, members will receive a notice to replenish funds in their account.

WHY PREPAY? PrePay provides a variety of benefits to Jackson EMC members including: • Increased education on their energy use patterns

Over time, PrePay will offer Jackson EMC new opportunities to reduce debt write-offs and reduce disconnect/reconnect truck rolls due to remote meter installs. “PrePay is an exciting payment option for members who could benefit from its flexibility and no deposit or reconnection fees,” said Leslie Nichols, Director of Accounting and Prepaid Metering Team Project Manager. “Along with implementing the technical aspects of PrePay, the project team will develop resources for Customer Service Representatives to identify members who may benefit from PrePay and encourage them to switch. I think we’ll hear that members appreciate having this option to pay their bills, if that’s best for their household,” said Leslie.

WHEN WILL PREPAY BEGIN? A targeted pilot program for employees who are Jackson EMC members will start in December. Participating employees will be asked to perform several tasks to fully test PrePay and provide feedback on their experience. “The project team will ensure the prepaid metering program is thoroughly tested before rolling the option out to members by conducting a targeted pilot with employees who are also Jackson EMC members,” said Leslie.

• No deposit, reconnection or late fees

The pilot program will allow ample time for testing before the program is available to members starting in March 2022.

• Access to 24/7 payment options

HOW?

• Improved satisfaction

Since the implementation of NISC in 2019, the cooperative has laid the groundwork for prepaid metering, including installing self-service payment kiosks in all district offices in 2020.

• Flexibility and more control of their bills

PrePay may be a good option for members who want to make smaller, frequent payments to use electricity or members who wish to pay several months in advance. Other cooperatives using a prepaid metering program report improved member satisfaction because it offers another payment option for members.

As part of the PrePay implementation, leadership and the board of directors will be asked to consider the team’s recommendations for revising deposit fees, minimum balances and payment agreements.

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MEMBERS

TEAM MEMBERS 1 Leslie McMillin,

Director of Finance & Accounting, Project Manager

2 Anna Guzman,

District Office Supervisor, Gainesville

3 Briana Glenn,

Contact Center Supervisor

4 Dylan Munn,

Business Intelligence Analyst

5 Jonathan Weaver,

Director of System Engineering

6 Kerri Testement,

Member Communication Manager

7 Mark Reynolds,

Director of Facilities

7 Sheconda Benton,

IT Service & Support Manager

9 Tiffany Pethel,

District Office Supervisor, Neese

10 Tracie Morris,

Billing & Support Services Manager

11 Trae Hill,

Software Developer I

WHAT IS A CORPORATE SIT? A Corporate Strategic Initiative Team (Corporate SIT) is formed to bring together subject matter experts from across the cooperative to tackle companywide strategic initiatives. A Corporate SIT typically has a wide-spread involvement with employees from many areas of the co-op to address an initiative with companywide impact and a high member impact.

WHAT IS PREPAY? PrePay puts members in the driver's seat when purchasing electricity, allowing them to pay before consuming electricity. PrePay gives members more control by providing tools for monitoring their energy use – through the MyJacksonEMC website and mobile app – and allowing them to decide when to add more money to their accounts to use electricity.

4 ail.com

jsmith@gm

••

••••••••

Start with setting up a MyJacksonEMC account. Members will be 5

able to edit communication preferences, and monitor account balance.

2 See account balance change with energy use.

3 Add funds when minimum balance is reached. Pay through the

PREPAID ACCOUNT FUNDS

MyJacksonEMC website and mobile app, IVR, payment kiosks or offices during business hours.

REF UE LY O

ENERGY USE

T UN CO C A

TO RECENT RETIREES! Barry Smith After more than 36 years of service, Barry Smith retired from Jackson EMC in August. During his time at Jackson EMC, Barry worked as a distribution design specialist, a staking technician and a cable locator. Barry recalls working on the Sugarloaf Country Club residential development for more than 10 years, which became the host for the AT&T Golf Classic. “When I started in 1984, the Operations department in the Lawrenceville office had two Rolodexes, one for the residential customers and one for commercial customers,” said Barry. “If a new customer applied for a meter, we would add another card to the Rolodex. Addresses, county inspections and any other information were written on the cards. Penmanship was important. The work orders were created and kept in a written logbook. We’ve come a long way to where we are now.” During retirement, Barry plans to play golf, take guitar lessons, travel and fish with his grandchildren. “I've enjoyed my career at Jackson EMC working in different districts, departments and so many people within the company and the community,” said Barry. “It has been like family, and I have truly been blessed!”

Dan Varner

Paul Roach

After 35 years, Dan Varner retired from Jackson EMC in July. Dan worked as a staking technician, a lineman and a field service representative during his time at Jackson EMC.

Paul Roach, Engineering Technician, retired from Jackson EMC in August. Paul worked at Jackson EMC for 22 years and worked 21 Annual Meetings.

Dan says the most memorable events during his time at Jackson EMC were Hurricane Fran in 1997 and Hurricane Irma in 2017. During retirement, Dan plans to enjoy a slower pace and live each day to the fullest.

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EMPLOYEES

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

EMC SECURITY SPONSORING HAIRY DAWG’S HOUSE Hairy Dawg has been helping lead the University of Georgia Bulldogs to victory since his first appearance at the 1981 Sugar Bowl. Hairy Dawg continues to cheer on the team today – 40 years later. Lucky for him, he can relax in his Dawg House, provided by the Official Home Service Team of the Georgia Bulldogs, after a long day of cheering on the Dawgs. Hairy Dawg can feel safe and secure knowing that EMC Security has equipped his house with state-of-the-art security features, including interactive cameras in case any troublesome tigers or yellow jackets decide to stop by. Jackson EMC employees and retirees pay only $12.95 per month for monitoring as compared to EMC Security’s regular $16.95 monthly charge with no contract required. In addition, Jackson EMC employees receive a 10% discount on equipment. To receive your discount, call EMC Security at (770) 963-0305 and let them know you are an employee or retiree.

For more information on their many services, visit EMC Security at emcsecurity.com

WE VALUE

EMPLOYEES

BRIAN CORLEY joined Jackson EMC as a Residential Energy Advisor with the Gwinnett District.

welcome & congrats

JONATHAN STEEB joined Jackson EMC as a part-time Courier with Finance and Accounting.

CONNIE BOHANAN has been selected for the Executive Assistant position with the Corporate Office.

COREY WILLARD has been selected for the Lineman position with the Jefferson District.

KAREN JAMES has been selected for the Customer Service Representative position with the Neese District.

JEREMIAH HELTON joined Jackson EMC as a College Intern with Fleet Services.

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