JEA Dispatch

The

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Dispatch

Jackson Energy Authority Newsletter

Retirements

3 Charlotte Armstrong

s u l EP and b d a o Br es a mak er m m u s h s a l sp

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3 Jeff Becker p3

More inside …

Jim Ferrell appointed to APPA Board p3

3 EPlus TV6 upgrades equipment EA purchased new mobile equipment for EPlus TV6 that allows producers to create higher quality location shots with fewer personnel.

The portable high definition production system is used for fixed events outside of EPlus TV6’s studio. It features three cameras that can be programmed for pre-set shots or switched on and off during the broadcast via remote control.

The equipment is contained in three or four boxes of gear, which makes broadcasts more flexible without the need of the studio’s production truck. The system also allows for editing video on the fly, which makes the finishing process much faster.

“It’s a very efficient way of producing a goodlooking product for our shows,” said Production Manager Thomas Varughese. “It’s a very low-impact system, and you don’t need a lot of room. It can be done with very few people.”

JEA’s use of the system is possible through the speed and bandwidth of its EPlus Broadband fiber optic network. The purchase of the equipment is part of EPlus TV6’s strategy to upgrade all broadcasts to high definition.

The first major use of the new system was during in-service training for Jackson-Madison County

July/August 2016

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Broadband’s summer splash p4

New equipment New channels Hashtag campaign TV everywhere More on page 4.

School System teachers. In previous years, teachers met at the Carl Perkins Civic Center, which was not an ideal location for the training.

Jackson-Madison County Schools approached EPlus TV6, which produces a monthly show for the school system, and asked about a video-streaming solution. JEA set up a broadcast with the new equipment at Liberty Technology Magnet High School.

The broadcast was streamed into classrooms, meeting rooms, auditoriums and gyms throughout the district. Teachers were able to receive districtwide training from their own schools.

“None of the teachers had to leave their location,” Thomas said.

After the in-service training, EPlus TV6 successfully covered the August election returns with the new mobile equipment.

Future uses of the equipment will include school board and county commission meetings. The multiple cameras will allow EPlus TV6 to produce a more compelling broadcast than the current single-camera, single-point-of-view system.

Thomas said viewers should expect to see the equipment used for other broadcasts as EPlus TV6 plans to find new ways to bring the high-definition viewing experience to audiences.

“We’re looking at various ways to utilize it without having to roll out our production truck.”

Employee drops 100 pounds p5 Steve Raper appointed to state board

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Sympathies

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A wedding

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Anniversaries p6-7 New employees

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Promotions

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Congratulations p6 Births

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A picture with Peyton p7 Relay for life

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Employees play softball, help family

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New substation provides reliable feed to hospital p8

Retirements

Page 2 Mission Our mission is to provide exceptional utility services that create value for our customers and our community.

Vision JEA will continue to improve the quality of life in our community through the delivery of high-quality services to our customers.

• JEA will be an industry leader in providing utility services, exceeding the expectations of our customers.

• JEA’s employees will be recognized by those we serve as the most knowledgeable, highlyskilled and customer-focused workforce available.

• JEA will be a leader in the economic development of the community we serve.

Values The values that reflect our culture and which our employees must possess to ensure our mission and vision are: Integrity • Respect Fairness • Loyalty Innovation

E

The Dispatch

is the employee newsletter for Jackson Energy Authority, 119 E. College St., Jackson, TN 38301.

731-422-7500 www.jaxenergy.com n

Publisher: Aletza Boucher Editor: Mary S. Reed Contributors: Stacy Scoggins Janet Wilbanks Chrissy Vandiver

Charlotte and Ernie Armstrong, holding hands in center, are surrounded by her co-workers at her retirement party. They are, from left, Mechele Williams, Alex Taylor, Julia Lester, Braxton Williams, Amy Hollowell, Cliff Diller, Jeff Becker, Joey Coley and Linda Stapleton.

Charlotte: ‘No other company in Jackson treats their employees so well’

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harlotte Armstrong is thankful for the many connections that gave her the opportunity to work at JEA for the last 20 years.

She retired from the company in June, though she will continue to work part-time at Tennergy.

She graduated from Union University with a degree in music education, but teaching piano lessons was not fulfilling. Charlotte looked for fulltime work, and in 1996 she began working as a temp in the meter shop with Bill Bailey. Twenty years later, she still has weekly communication with the meter shop, gathering industrial data.

After her first month at JEA, she was hired by Janet Morgan to work with the cashiers, which gave her the opportunity to get to know more employees, and eventually it opened the door to her becoming Tennergy’s Administrative Assistant.

“I’m so thankful for the interview committee: Mechele Williams, Pam Carney and Phillip Bell, and to John Williams for hiring me; there’s no other word for how I feel about my job other than to say that I love it.”

After a few years, Charlotte became the Ener-

gy Supply Coordinator and has been buying, scheduling and monitoring natural gas on six different pipelines for the last 18 years.

“Steve Wyatt, who had previously held the position, taught me everything he knew, so it was an easy transition,” she said. For the last 10 years, she has been thankful to work with Braxton Williams, Senior Vice President of Gas for JEA. One of her passions has been growing her own flowers, and nearly every week, Charlotte brought bouquets of flowers grown in her own garden to the office. She also played piano for her church for over two decades until she was diagnosed with cancer several years ago; she has been cancer-free for five years.

In her newly-found free time, she is most looking forward to spending time with her husband, two children and five grandchildren, but she will miss JEA, she said.

“The thing that I will miss the most at JEA is the security that they give their employees,” Charlotte said. “No other company in Jackson treats their employees so well.”

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The next issue will be

September/October.

Send items for the next issue to Aletza Boucher by September 20, 2016.

Charlotte’s flower displays are famous. She decorated the Tennergy board room for Thanksgiving, above.

Page 3

Jeff Becker and his wife, Lisa, seated in center, are surrounded by his co-workers at his retirement lunch. From left, they are Julia Lester, Mechele Williams, Charles Harris, Charlotte Armstrong, Alex Taylor, Braxton Williams, Jim Ferrell, Stacy Scoggins, Philip Bell, Linda Stapleton, Aletza Boucher and Amy Hollowell.

Jeff: ‘We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. It’s the support you provide … when the issues in life come up.’

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eff Becker started at JEA as a construction inspector for water and wastewater, but two major developments in JEA’s history gave him the opportunity to change his career path twice.

The first occurred in 1993 when the company reorganized from a structure that separated each utility to an organization set up by function. Jeff joined the new Business Development team, comprised of employees who were knowledgeable about different utilities and used to working with customers.

Later, Jeff joined the Tennergy staff after JEA created Tennergy to handle the gas purchase and supply for West Tennessee utilities.

“Both were opportunities to be a part of something new,” said Jeff, who retired June 30 as Manager of Business Development for Tennergy.

Jeff’s nearly 40-year history with the company started June 25, 1979. A South Side High School graduate, Jeff was working parttime and going to technical school when he was hired at JEA by Philip Bell.

As his job responsibilities increased, he

was put in charge of the cross connection program, which prevents used and possibly harmful water from flowing back into the water supply, and later he added the industrial pre-treatment program to his duties.

After the reorganization, he continued his work with pre-treatment and cross connection, but found himself working with other team members in marketing JEA. Environmental issues became a part of his job, too.

Early members of Business Development included Susan Cook, Philip, Lynn Pappas, Richard Owens, John Scofield and Mary Reed, who worked as a consultant helping the team with marketing pieces, such as bill inserts and The Dispatch.

Then Tennergy was formed in 1998. “It was an opportunity to explore another utility,” Jeff said. Philip already was managing Tennergy, so it was an opportunity to work with him again, too, Jeff added.

His job at Tennergy was recruiting customers and maintaining relationships with existing customers. He learned how to do natural gas modeling, which mapped a cus-

tomer’s distribution system with its pressure, load and supply.

“We could determine on a peak day what the gas system looked like. If the gas utility was adding another industrial customer, for example, we could put it into the model to see if the utility had the capacity to handle the new industry.”

Jeff and his wife, Lisa, have two children: Josh, who works at USB AG and lives with his wife, Brittany, in Nashville, and Jessica, an ophthalmic assistant at Hughes Eye Center. Jessica and her husband, Zach Hall, had their first child and Jeff and Lisa’s first grandchild on June 30 – the day Jeff retired.

Jeff is certainly happy in retirement.

“There’s no pressure at all. I’ve been busy every day since I retired.”

As most retirees say, Jeff also will miss his coworkers at JEA. “I’ve always said, it’s the employees who make the organization. What ties it all together is being around good people. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. It’s the support you provide one another when the issues in life come up.”

Jim Ferrell new APPA board member J

Jim Ferrell

im Ferrell, President and CEO of Jackson Energy Authority, was appointed to the 2016-2017 American Public Power Association (APPA) Board of Directors.

“The JEA Board of Directors is pleased to congratulate Jim upon his election to the American Public Power Association Board of Directors,” said Ken

Marston, Chair of JEA’s Board of Directors. “And, we hasten to commend APPA for its good judgment in choosing him. That he is chosen for such a significant national honor is recognition of Jim's excellent leadership of Jackson Energy Authority. It honors him, the entire JEA family, as well as the city of Jackson. We offer our sincere, happy congratulations.”

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EPlus Broadband makes a summer splash

3 New channels

3 Watch TV Everywhere

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Watch TV Everywhere, which has been offered for the past three years, is a service that allows EPlus Broadband cable television customers to view content on their computer or mobile device. By signing in to watchtveverywhere.com, customers can watch programming from anywhere with a high-speed internet connection.

JEA launched the service with a few channels, and more have been added over the years. A full list of channels is available at watchtveverywhere.com.

The number of channels available to customers is based on their subscription’s service tier. For example, an Expanded Cable subscriber has access to more than 50 networks when they log in.

The number goes up if customers also subscribe to a digital tier or any premium channels like HBO or Starz.

Customers actually have more than the standard 50plus networks with Watch TV Everywhere because some networks cover more than one channel. Hallmark, for example, includes Hallmark Movies as well as Hallmark Mysteries.

Special events throughout the year, such as March Madness and the Rio Olympics, are also included with the access.

“This is a great way to watch programming you may have missed while at work or catch video highlights,” said Kerrie Jones, Creative Services Coordinator I. “You can watch behind the scenes video, full episodes you may have missed on TV, live streams and more.”

To view the programming, visit watchtveverywhere.com.

Choose “EPlus Broadband” as your television provider. Then, click the login button to sign in with your email and password.

First-time visitors will need to click the “New Users Register Here” button to setup a Watch TV Everywhere account. Use your JEA account information during the registration process to setup an account.

“It works best with a high speed Internet connection,” Kerrie said. “Also, if using a data plan on a mobile device, you may want to be mindful of data charges from your service provider.”

EA’s EPlus Broadband is making moves felt throughout the community with new programming and services, as well as a new marketing campaign across multiple platforms.

Customers received a preview of EPIX premium channels during the month of June, and JEA began selling the channels for $15 per month in July.

The package includes four digital movie channels – channels 340 to 343 – and four high definition channels – 840, 841, 842 and 844. Programming includes big movies like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2, Spectre and more. EPIX will have original programming coming soon.

JEA will offer another free preview event this fall. Customers interested in adding the premium service can all 731-422-7500.

3 #EPlusBroadband EPlus Broadband launched a hashtag blitz campaign in August that is getting attention around Jackson. Marketing personnel created several hashtags that promote broadband services.

The hashtags, which serve as links to more information on Facebook and Twitter, are being used in billboards around town and in other ads.

“For example, you can go to Facebook and search for #JEAgig and see a chart representing the speeds JEA offers, as well as stories about technology here in Jackson,” said Kerrie Jones, Creative Services Coordinator I. “The hashtags serve as a way for customers to stay connected to more information about EPlus Broadband services on Facebook and Twitter.”

Hashtags used in the campaign include: w w w w

#GetTheJEAfacts #JEAfiberisfaster #JEAgig #JEAlocalservice

w #JEAnoBox w #JEAnoGimmicks w #JEAreliability

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Employee drops 100 pounds for health, family

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hen Braxton May found out he and his wife were going to have their first baby, he immediately began to wonder if he would live to be an old man and see his child

grow up.

Braxton, who is only 25 years old, had recently discovered that his liver wasn’t functioning properly and his cholesterol was dangerously high. “I got my lab results on November 18, 2015, and that day, everything changed.”

Since November, Braxton has lost nearly 100 pounds.

Braxton began working at JEA as a Telecom Installation Tech in March 2015. As a JEA employee, he was able to join the LIFT at a discounted rate. He mostly lifted weights, but didn’t start a cardio routine until last November when he began to aggressively try to lose weight.

“Exercise has just been part of getting healthy; I also pay close attention to what I eat,” said Braxton. “I eat mostly whole foods, and I try to eat local as much as possible. I think that we all should pay closer attention to what we are putting in our bodies.”

Braxton’s doctor prescribed a low-calorie diet, but he took it a few steps further, following a vegan diet for several months. He also eliminated alcohol.

As a result, after months of dedication and hard work,

Steve Raper appointed to new state board

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teve Raper, JEA’s Senior Vice President of Water/Wastewater has been appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam to the Tennessee Underground Utility Damage Enforcement Board. The Tennessee General Assembly created this board last year as part of new state utility damage prevention act.

Tennessee state law requires Steve Raper anyone about to dig, excavate or do any type of activity that disturbs the earth to first notify Tennessee 811 so damage to underground utility lines can be prevented.

Tennessee 811 (Tennessee One Call) will then notify the member utilities of the proposed work. The utility company locator will then locate any underground utilities within 72 hours, excluding holidays and weekends.

he feels that he is a better employee. “JEA has been very supportive of my journey to being a healthier person,” said Braxton.

JEA regularly conducts health fairs so that employees can discover underlying health issues and take steps to improve their health. A few months after Braxton started working at JEA in early 2015, the company offered a health fair with biometric screenings for its employees. Braxton wishes he had attended that health fair; he would’ve discovered the seriousness of his weight problems much sooner, he said.

“Sometimes the only motivation we need to make a healthy life change is seeing the numbers on how unhealthy we actually are,” said Barry Cross, Vice President of Human Resources. “Thanks to the biometric screenings at the health fair, our employees can easily get a picture of their overall health.”

Since last November, Braxton’s liver has begun functioning properly and his cholesterol is now in check.

“Today, there is no doubt in my mind that I will be able to take care of my daughter and see her grow up,” Braxton said.

Braxton May before his diet, at left, with a young friend. At right, Braxton after losing 100 pounds.

With sympathy to:

w Mabel Collins, whose sister-in-law died on June 19. Mabel is a Customer Service Representative at the Columns Customer Center. w Retiree Kenneth Martin, whose son died on July 11. Kenneth is JEA’s former Vice President of Water and Wastewater Systems. w Mark David, whose mother died July 14. Mark is a Serviceman III in Pro Gas. His son, Matthew David, works as Plant Maintenance Technician in Wastewater. w Lee Ann Priddy, whose stepmother died July 16. Lee Ann is a Senior Billing Coordinator in the Billing Department. w Gail Lewis, whose father died August 5. Gail is a Credit Representative in Customer Service.

I do!

Ethan Long, a Groundsworker in Operations, married Christina Collins on May 21 at the Goodman Ranch in Chester County.

Ethan is the son of retirees Lottie and Ray Lamport.

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Anniversaries July John Coley

7/24/78

Garey Cupples

7/21/83

Michelle Albea

7/23/90

Mike Diggs

7/13/92

Rodney Stegall

7/27/92

Paul Chapman

7/05/94

Monte Cooper

7/10/96

Richie White

7/23/97

Ken McCorkle

7/28/97

Don Chatman

7/03/99

Keith Bond

7/24/00

Judy Phelps

7/24/00

Clifton Love

7/30/01

Steve Berkley

7/01/02

Tom Exum

7/31/03

Thomas Varughese 7/31/03 Jason Compton

7/19/04

Angie Stafford

7/26/04

Sandra Mullins

7/03/05

Courtney Bingham 7/10/05 Charlie McCurry 7/17/05 Ashley Martin

7/17/06

Adam Phillips

7/17/06

Karen Johnson

7/31/06

Delisa Love

7/01/07

James Wells

7/23/07

Ryan Collins

7/25/11

Wes Davis

7/01/13

Beth Wilson

7/04/13

Jim Oakley

7/29/13

JEA will be closed Monday, September 5, for Labor Day. Enjoy the last holiday of summer!

Welcome, new employees!

w Meter Reader Tyler Deaton joined JEA after working for Reliable Pallet Source. w Justin Moore joined JEA as a Plant Maintenance Tech II. He previously worked for The Carlstar Group. w Groundman Jordan Zimmerman joined JEA after working for A&W Water Service in Colorado.

Tyler Deaton

Justin Moore

Jordan Zimmerman

Ryan Dickey

Julia Lester

Quarteze Martin

Eddie Preslar

David Yates

Wes Alexander

Luke Cain

Mike Diggs

Miller Pounds

Promotions

w Ryan Dickey was promoted from Telecom Provisioning Clerk to Telecom Network Technician. w Julia Lester, former Financial Analyst at Tennergy, is now a Financial Analyst in JEA’s Finance and Accounting Department. w Quarteze Martin was promoted from temporary Water and Wastewater Pipelayer to Installation Technician in the Telecom Department. w Eddie Preslar is a new Equipment Operator in the Electric Department.

Previously, he was an Electric Groundman. w David Yates was promoted from a Telecom Serviceman I to Telecom Serviceman II.

Congratulations!

w Wes Alexander, Luke Cain, Mike Diggs and Miller Pounds received certificates for completing the Padmount Transformer Safety Workshop.

Check out the special Gigabits publication from JEA each month in The Jackson Sun to learn more about cable, internet and telephone services. The section is published on the last Sunday of the month.

Celebrating one gig for one year in January

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Births!

w Charles Harris welcomed twin grandsons. Benjamin and Oliver Burt were born May 5. Their parents are Daniel and Amanda Burt, and their big sister is Karis. Charles, a retiree, works parttime as a Meter Tech II in Distribution. w Polly Glover has a new great-grandson.

Jayden Keith Ward was born June 27.

His parents are Kenny and Destiny Ward, and his big brother is Bryson Lee. Jayden’s grandmother is Polly’s daughter, Tina Ray. Polly, a retiree, works parttime as a Customer Service Representative in Customer Service. w Josh and Stephanie Smith have a new daughter, Olivia Kate, who was born June 28. Josh is a Meter Reader in Customer Service.

Benjamin and Oliver Burt

Jayden Keith Ward

Olivia Kate Smith

w Jeff and Lisa Becker are new grandparents. Lawson Emmett Hall was born June 30.

He is the son of Jeff’s daughter, Jessica, and her husband, Lawson Emmett Hall Zach Hall. Jeff retired June 30 as Manager of Business Development for Tennergy. w David and Charity Deaton have a new grandson. Cash William Deaton was born July 6. His parents are Will and Lisa Deaton. Cash has a big brother, Carter Wilson. David is a Cash William Deaton Project Coordinator in New Accounts, and Charity is a Telecom Sales Associate in Telecom. w Brandon Bridger and his wife, Elizabeth, have a new son. Dixon West Bridger was born July 30. His sister is Paisley Bridger. Brandon is a Serviceman III in Field Services.

Dixon West Bridger

A picture with Peyton JEA President and CEO Jim Ferrell, left, and his daughter, Anna, meet retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning at the Unitas fundraiser for United Way of West Tennessee.

Relay For Life … JEA employees and their families participated in Relay for Life at the Farmer’s Market to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Anniversaries August Billy Maness 8/12/80 Tim Faulkner 8/25/80 David Middlebrooks 8/11/83 Bill Taylor 8/03/87 Steve Stanfill 8/17/87 Mike Ward 8/13/90 Larry Maness 8/25/90 Kelley Bane 8/17/92 Cheryl Rogers 8/12/93 Mechele Williams 8/30/93 Perry Givens, Jr. 8/30/93 Steve McKinnie 8/01/94 Mark Welch 8/04/97 Kenny Merritt 8/05/97 Amy Hollowell 8/02/98 Wes Autry 8/03/99 Kelly Jones 8/09/99 Chrissy Vandiver 8/19/99 Holly Parham 8/07/00 Richard Clark 8/14/00 Tom Price 8/06/01 Khayyan Henning 8/27/01 Brock Wilson 8/19/02 Deborah Tosh 8/12/03 Jared Gowan 8/23/04 Pat Berry 8/23/05 James Prescott 8/06/07 Lori Phillips 8/21/09 Beth Wilson 8/08/11 Aletza Boucher 8/30/11 Tiffany Collins 8/27/12 Jay Martin 8/26/13 Kevin Moss 8/11/14 Nathanial Hill 8/18/14 Jason Bowden 8/31/15

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New substation provides reliable feed to hospital

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EA’s new substation on Roland Avenue, which supplies Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and nearby medical clinics, came online July 14.

The power facility took six months to build and sits behind a decorative wall at the site of an old medical clinic, which was torn down to make room for the new construction. The 46 kV substation features a transformer rated at 25 MVA (mega volt amp). It also has a metalclad switchgear with five breakers, and it will supply the hospital with reliable electricity for the foreseeable future.

“It should be enough to handle them for years to come,” said Michael Cain, Electric Project Engineer in Engineering. The underground cable feeding the hospital is also sized to accommodate the medical complex as its energy needs increase over time.

The hospital previously received its power from the Westwood Substation next to Tigrett Middle School. It’s an older substation with transformer models from the The Roland Avenue substation supplies Jackson-Madison County General Hospital 1970s. and the surrounding medical clinics.

The backup for the hospital was the North Highland to instantly flip to the southern feed if the Oakfield line fails. substation near Old Hickory Mall. However, due to expansions in If both feeds fail, the Westwood facility becomes the backup. and around the hospital, the backup plan was stretched to its limit The result is redundant and reliable electricity that will support the during summer peak demand time. hospital, even if its primary source of electricity fails.

“During the summer months, it cannot back up the hospital at “We will basically have two or three different ways to feed full load,” Michael said. them,” Michael said. “That should provide us with several options The new substation will have two 46 kV feeds – its normal line for serving the hospital complex.” from Oakfield and a backup line from South Jackson. It’s designed

Employees play softball, help distraught family

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elly Jones, Drafter in Engineering, and Wendi Stewart, Administrative Clerk in Engineering, organized a co-ed softball tournament for JEA to bring different departments together for fun and bragging rights.

Employees formed three teams for the double-elimination tournament. The group had originally planned to hire an umpire, but changed plans when the Lindsey family in the Malesus community lost their oldest son unexpectedly. Employees decided to call their own games and donate the money saved to the family instead.

Several players knew the family and thought it was a great idea.

The family was unaware of the plan and very thankful.

Everyone had a lot of fun, even though it was hot. Employees plan to organize another tournament in the near future.

Pictured above, from left, front row, are Wendi Stewart, Kelly Jones, Charity Deaton, Stormy Henson, Melissa Watson, Kim Dudley, Ashlynne Clift, Jacob Perkins and Alex Taylor; middle row, are Jeremy Harwell, Clint Ragan, Garrett Downing, Brad Henson, DL Goodman, Kenny Merritt, Spencer Little, Chris Sipes and Kyle Gibson; and back row, are Kyle Dudley, Zach Zehner, Miller Pounds, James Jones, Hunter Wood, Wil Masoud and Chase Traverse. Not pictured are Chad Weekley, Katie Tate and Chris Strong.