APRIL 2020
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Employee Spotlight: Heather Ziverk
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Operation Round Up report
A supplement to the Oklahoma Living
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Savor deviled egg recipe
Lig ght Post
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PUBLISHED FOR MEMBERS OF KIAMICHI ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
National Lineworker Appreciation Day is April 13 Lineworkers serve on the frontlines of our nation’s energy needs, and on April 13, 2020, KEC, along with other electric cooperatives across the country, will honor the brave men and women who work hard to keep the lights on. Line crews work around the clock, sometimes in difficult and dangerous conditions, to keep power flowing to our local communities. Whether they’re restoring power after a major storm or maintaining critical infrastructure to our electric system, lineworkers are at the heart of our co-op. When a storm hits, they set aside their personal priorities because Mother Nature doesn’t work around holidays, vacations and birthdays. A serviceoriented mentality is one of the many admirable characteristics of an electric lineworker. KEC is proud to honor the lineworkers who maintain our thousands of miles of power lines in our service territory. KEC invites all co-op members to take a moment and thank a lineworker for the important work they do. On April 13, you can use #ThankALineworker on social media to show your support for the brave men and women who power our lives.
Thank you KEC linemen! Area Maintenance: Dakota Boren Josh Bray Roy Culley Jason Few John Ford Casey Nichols Rowdy Russell Brian Sawyer Jeremy Shaffer
Clayton Schrock Chris Upton Justin Wade Construction: Brett Lowrie Curtis Bray Allen Knoy Kevin Pietzyk Intern: Carson Grey
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ceo’s report BRETT ORME
C HI E F E X E C U T I V E O F F I C ER
Kiamichi Electric Cooperative 944 SW Highway 2 PO Box 340 Wilburton, Oklahoma 74578 tele: (918) 465-2338 toll free: (800) 888-2731 FAX: (918) 465-2950 www.kiamichielectric.org email: support@kiamichielectric.org HOURS OF OPERATION Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm 24-HOUR OUTAGE HOTLINE (800) 888-2731 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Don Parr, President DISTRICT 5 Mark Ichord, Vice President DISTRICT 6 Ron Pelanconi, Treasurer DISTRICT 3 Russell Shaw DISTRICT 1 Amy Miller DISTRICT 2 David Ray DISTRICT 4 Larry Culwell DISTRICT 7 Brett Orme Executive Vice President-CEO Kiamichi Electric provides reliable and affordable electricity to members in Pushmataha, Leflore, Latimer, Atoka and Pittsburg Counties.
KEC lost a dear friend and man who helped shape the coop into what it is today with the passing of former General Manager, Tom Ratliff. Tom had an impact on every life that he touched. He earned the respect of his employees and peers by leading with wisdom, fairness, and compassion. An observer of Tom’s life could see the hand of God directing his path and always leading him back to the co-op. Tom shared the story of leaving a job with the Airforce base in Wichita Falls, Texas to come back to the home place to care for his cattle, trusting the Lord to provide him with a job close to by. That provision came quickly. As Tom and his wife, Marie pulled into the driveway of their home in Gowen, OK the then Co-op Manager, Otha Beard pulled in behind them with an
offer of the accountant job at KEC. Tom served in this role for several years, then answered God’s call to serve as Pastor to a Baptist Church in Ramona, Oklahoma. Tom said that the very day when he knew that his ministry there was coming to an end, once again Otha Beard called him to ask him to lunch to discuss coming back to KEC to serve as Office Manager. Tom held this position until accepting the General Managers position in 1974. He retired from the cooperative in 1987. But that was not the end for Tom and KEC. Tom came back to serve as interim manager in 1997. Tom was a treasure trove of wisdom to KEC and to all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.
Employee spotlight: Heather Ziverk One of the signs that is displayed in Heather Ziverk’s office is a good reminder for all of us. It simply states, “Dreams don’t work unless you do”. This sign, given to Heather by her daughter, reflects her career at KEC and, indeed, everything she does. Heather graduated from Wilburton High School. After receiving her Associates Degree in Office Administration from Eastern Oklahoma State College she went on to work at EOSC. While working at the college, she went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Management of Human Resources from Bartlesville Wesleyan. In her 18 year career at KEC, Heather has served in almost every department. She started as a Billing Clerk and then went on to work as Connect/Disconnect Clerk. She has also served as Dispatcher in the engineering department, and then as Operations Clerk. What Heather considers her “greatest accomplishment” at KEC occurred in 2017, when she was hired as Manager of Member Services. Heather has enjoyed working with KEC employees, both past and present. “We all care about each other and this makes for a very pleasant work environment,” says Heather. She loves her work and strives to help KEC members and protect the entire membership. When not taking care of KEC members, Heather takes care of her family. She has been married for 19 years and is the proud mother of a teenage daughter. Heather enjoys the outdoors and especially loves the fall. According to Heather, “It is hard to beat hunting during the day and sitting by a campfire at night.” Heather has a strong belief that “hard work pays off and God has a plan for each of us”. We’re just glad that part of the plan for Heather involved KEC!
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Right-of-Way Clearing Scheduled for 2020 You might see crews trimming vegetation away from power lines throughout 2020 in the following areas: Cabiness, Scipio and Choate Prairie areas Northwest of McAlester, in the Poteau area the surrounding communities of Latham, Bokoshe, Milton, Calhoun, Dog Creek, Witteville, Pleasant Valley, Cavanal Mountain, east of Panama and Shady Point, Williams, Cameron, Rock Island, Neff’s Corner, Gilmore and Liberty Hill. Keeping vegetation properly pruned ensures system reliability and a lower impact on outages during storms due to trees.
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operation round up
Classic Savory Deviled Eggs
M O N T H LY U P D AT E Operation Round Up® is a voluntary bill roundup program that benefits local communities, organizations ,and needy families. Funding applications are available at Kiamichi Electric, local social services, or online at www.kiamichielectric.org. YEAR-TO-DATE COLLECTIONS 2020: $6,460.44 YEAR-TO-DATE DISBURSEMENTS: $3,415.78 TOTAL COLLECTED SINCE INCEPTION: $1,614,335.30 TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS SINCE INCEPTION:
$1,559,308.10
INGREDIENTS • • • •
6 hard-cooked eggs, halved 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
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1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 12 sprigs fresh dill (optional)
DIRECTIONS • Scoop egg yolks into a bowl and set egg whites aside. Mash yolks, mayonnaise, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon chopped dill, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and salt. Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites. Garnish with dill sprigs. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Recipe from Jeff Sikes, AllRecipes.com
Energy Efficiency
Tip of the Month This spring, consider using a rain barrel to save energy. Rain barrels capture rainwater from a roof that can be used later for watering your lawn, garden or indoor plants. Source: Energy.gov
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