Connected | Summer 2024

Conway Corp Newsletter

Summer 2024 | Vol. 36 | No. 3

Powering Conway since 1929.

Employee Retirements

With more than 60 years of combined service, two employees retire. | P. 2

New Board Member

Conway Corp Board elects John Scherrey to serve seven-year term. | P. 3

Gottsponer Promotion

Conway Corp promotes Dale Gottsponer to executive staff position. | P. 3

in the American Public Power Association’s 2024 Lineworkers Rodeo held in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Members of Conway Corp’s electric department attended the rodeo to compete for recognition against hundreds of their peers from across the nation while also participating in valuable hands-on training in a safe environment.

Apprentice Lineman Wesley Fason competes

CARROLL, KEMP RECEIVE NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Chief Executive Officer Bret Carroll and Chief Marketing Officer Crystal Kemp were recently named Cablefax 100 honorees by Cablefax Magazine.

The publication provides coverage of business developments affecting the cable, broadband and digital markets.

Cablefax’s annual Top 100 list salutes and ranks the most influential executives whose leadership continues to advance and elevate the telecommunications industry.

Bret is being recognized on the Cablefax 100 list for the fifth consecutive year, and Crystal is a secondyear honoree.

In the magazine, Cablefax editors recognized Bret’s leadership of Conway Corp including the establishment of an internal governance program. To date, the program has produced more than 20 new initiatives, including new data and safety processes.

Bret was also praised for his “boots on the ground”

approach during the most detrimental windstorm in Conway history in June 2023, which caused more than 7,000 Conway residents to be without power.

“It is an honor to be recognized with other colleagues that provide great leadership for our industry,” Bret said. “However, the real honor belongs to the Conway Corp team.

Our employees serve our customers with excellence every day. That means more to me than anything else. Without them, this recognition would not be possible. ”

While Crystal serves as Chief Marketing Officer, she was recognized by Cablefax editors for the leadership, training and guidance she provides across the entire company.

“I have met some of the smartest, most innovative people during my time in the cable and broadband industry,” Crystal said. “It is an honor for me to work with so many of them at Conway Corp and across

the country. I am humbled to be included in this list for a second year.”

In 2024, Crystal is focused on customer service priorities including journey mapping and improving the customer experience.

Bret has been with Conway Corp for more than 25 years, serving as chief financial officer prior to being named chief executive officer in 2017.

Crystal joined Conway Corp in 2000. She became the marketing and public relations manager in 2010 and was promoted to chief marketing officer in April 2018.

CONWAY CORP HONORS RETIREES

Jim Simpson, 33 years

Journeyman Lineman Jim Simpson retired March 2024 after more than 33 years of service to Conway Corp and the Conway community. Jim joined the company in 1991 as a groundman in the electric department. He entered the journeyman lineman apprentice program shortly after and became a certified journeyman lineman in 2001.

“Jim was kind and an amazing teacher,” Journeyman Lineman Joe Bingham said. “He took the time to really teach me. He climbed poles with me when he didn’t have to. That’s just who he is.”

Mark Milligan, 28 years

Water Systems Foreman Mark Milligan retired April 2024 after dedicating more than 28 years of service to Conway Corp and the Conway community.

Mark started at Conway Corp as a utility worker apprentice in 1996. He was promoted to utility worker in 1999 and to his current position in 2005.

“Mark was instrumental in helping update existing customers’ water and sewer services,” Water Systems Manager Lee Tedford said. “He was very detailed with his work and made it a priority to exceed expectations. He was always the life of the party. We are going to miss him and his laughter.”

Bret Carroll

Crystal Kemp

GOTTSPONER EARNS PROMOTION

Conway Corp recently announced the promotion of Dale Gottsponer to Manager, Engineering and Planning.

In his new role, Dale is responsible for directing and coordinating the operation of the company’s engineering and planning department including forecasting, system planning, system design and engineering analysis as it supports the community and the company.

“Dale has proven to be an excellent leader in his work with our electric distribution systems,” Chief Executive Officer Bret Carroll said. “We are excited to have him move into this role of expanded leadership in engineering.”

Dale began his career at Conway Corp in 1989 as an electric systems engineer 1. He was promoted to electric systems senior engineer in 2008.

CHANNEL 5 LAUNCHES NEW SERIES

Conway Corp Channel 5 recently launched “Meet the Conwegians” – a new television series hosted by local artist Faye Hedera to highlight the humans at the heart of our city.

Each episode honors a member of the local community who has been nominated by a fellow Conwegian for making a difference in our hometown.

Nominees will be sharing details of their life and have their portrait painted that includes a unique object of their choice that brings them joy.

The series highlights individuals who make Central Arkansas a better place to live and lets our viewers meet them – through the eyes of those closest to them and through the paintings created by Faye. Faye, the creator of the 100 Faces of Conway Project, hopes her work will bring people together on common ground, helping them forge new connections while honoring our neighbors.

New episodes air monthly on Conway Corp Channel 5 or streaming at ConwayCorp.com/Channel5.

BOARD ELECTS SCHERREY

The Conway Corp Board of Directors recently elected John Scherrey to serve a seven-year term beginning May 8, 2024.

Scherrey is the Chief Lending Officer at Centennial Bank. He is a 2015 graduate of the Conway Area Leadership Institute and a 2020 graduate of the prestigious Leadership Arkansas program.

“Conway Corp provides a public service to the community while maintaining common long-term goals,” he said. “I thank the previous leaders who helped create Coway Corp which allows us to separate our community from others. It’s an honor to serve my hometown.”

Scherrey has a Bachelor of Business Administration from UCA and completed graduate studies at the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University in 2018.

A life-long resident of Conway, Scherrey and his wife, Donna, live in the city with their four children. When he is not hunting or coaching his kids’ basketball teams, he also serves on the boards for the Conway Downtown Partnership and St. Joseph Schools.

The board elects one director annually to serve a seven-year term. Other board members are Kelley Erstine, Osmar Garcia, Jake Nabholz, Denise Perry, Dr. Kateryna Pitchford and Reggie Rose. Scherrey replaces Tom Courtway, whose term ended May 8, 2024.

Artist Faye Hedera with “Meet the Conwegians” honoree Dr. Corey Oliver and nominator Penny McCray.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

Water Systems Senior Foreman Frank Fason, Water Systems Foreman Cory Garrett, Utility Worker John Stewart and Utility Worker Apprentice Levi Arendall recently helped Carolyn Lewis Elementary students celebrate Read Across America Week by heading back to the classroom. Our water department spent a few hours reading with students from all grades to help create a nation of diverse readers.

Lead Telecom Installer Technician Robert McCray participated in the Mid America Cable Tec Games against telecom installers from seven other states.

Utility Worker Landon Hamilton taught students from across the state about water department jobs at the Central Arkansas Build My Future event.

Senior Lineman Nate Ball, Apprentice Lineman Ivan Robinson, Apprentice Lineman Wesley Fason, Apprentice Lineman Kyle

Apprentice Lineman

McPherson, Electric Distribution System Manager Robert Meek, Senior Lineman Clint Jones and Senior Substation Repairman/Lineman Donnie Lock traveled to Lafayette, LA earlier this year to participate in the American Public Power Association’s 2024 Lineworkers Rodeo. The rodeo is a unique opportunity for Conway Corp linemen to connect with lineworkers from across the country, compete for recognition, attend training sessions and practice essential skills in a safe environment.

Troxler,

Tylor

BREAKING GROUND: NEW OPERATIONS CENTER

Conway Corp’s Service Center is the 24/7 hub for the essential services we provide. It houses almost 200 employees in our electric, water and telecommunications departments and serves as a critical component of our response during outages.

Located on South Harkrider Street, the service center was originally built in 1991. The city of Conway has changed a lot since then. Our population has grown from 28,000 in the early 90s to nearly 70,000 today.

Conway Corp has changed a lot, too. In 1991, Conway Corp had 107 employees. To keep up with population growth, we now employ almost 300 individuals.

In 2003, we expanded the service center to facilitate the additional personnel and equipment. We remodeled the existing office building to add offices and built a new vehicle storage shed.

Since then, Conway and Conway Corp have only continued to grow.

In 2017, we conducted a master plan of our current service center and realized we would completely outgrow the location by 2030.

As Conway grows and we continue to offer additional services to the community, we need more room and more storage space for the

crews and equipment necessary to keep the power on, the water flowing and the sewer pumping.

Over the past few years, we have thoroughly evaluated our facilities and options. With that in mind, we made the decision to begin working on a plan for a new campus with facilities and space that would meet both our current and future needs.

In May 2023, Conway Corp broke ground on a new operations center located on approximately 60 acres of land on South German Lane north of Stone Dam Creek.

The new location will include a 31,000-square-foot office building, a 100,000-square-foot warehouse, a 22,500-square-foot fleet maintenance shop and covered parking for equipment and vehicles.

Designed by H+N Architects and built by Nabholz Construction, the location is expected to be complete and fully operational by the end of 2024. The existing service center will then be utilized by the City of Conway.

The operations center is a critical facility for Conway Corp, and we wanted to build a more accessible, sustainable and resilient facility to serve Conway today and for the next 50 years.

We’re excited for the future of Conway, and we’re confident this new facility provides us the infrastructure to continue serving our community with excellence.

Bret Carroll Conway Corp CEO