WATT’S UP SUWANNEE VALLEY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE NEWSLETTER | FALL 2019
from the ceo This fall I am thankful for your service to our members Happy fall, everybody. I hope you’re as grateful as I am for a little cooler weather. In addition to more comfortable temperatures, this season always brings with it our annual health fair. I appreciate everyone who participated so enthusiastically this year. Please remember to make an appointment with your personal physician if there was something on your blood test that should be followed up on. Your families are counting on you to be around for a long time. If you don’t have a personal physician, you can find one at cigna.com or by tapping the My Cigna icon on your iPad. I also want to thank all of you who participated in our recent community outreach events that you can read about in this edition of our newsletter. A study done by NRECA revealed that second only to reliable electricity, consumer-members consider community focus to be the most important benefit a co-op can provide. That’s why it’s very important for us to demonstrate our commitment to the well-being of our community in tangible ways. See CEO, Page 5
SMORE
Safety Member Experience Outreach to Community Reliability Economic Viability
BONUS POINTS AVAILABLE: 10 | VALUE PER POINT: $64 | POINTS ACHIEVED: 8.9
SAFETY
• DART – Represents accidents where someone is injured • Error Ratio – Measure of liability claims where SVEC is at fault • Vehicle Incident Rate – Vehicle incidents relative to miles driven
CONGRATULATIONS FOR 541 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT A LOST-TIME INJURY! safety scenarios and facilitates discussion on topics such as tree and line safety, generator safety and how to react in the event of a collision with a power pole.
Health Fair
Safety Demonstrations Continue SVEC continues to provide safety demonstrations to community agencies. These demonstrations feature our “Electrical City,” which models real-life electrical
Part of maintaining a safe workplace is promoting a healthy lifestyle for employees. SVEC hosted its annual employee health fair on Oct. 22. The Airport Clinic of Valdosta was on-site to perform blood draws and administer flu shots. A scavenger hunt game was held where employees were encouraged to work together to answer Continued on next page
Discussing Possible Solutions Can Be Magical!
questions about various health statistics. Additional points were awarded for participating in the blood draws, immunizations and a 1-mile walk. Later, a drawing was held awarding four employees gift cards for their participation.
by John Formica
When helping my coaching clients deal with challenging customer problem situations, I often tell them that their customers will help solve most of those problems if you let them. I explain that one way you can move forward toward a problem resolution, as well as show sincere concern and sensitivity to your customers, is to discuss possible solutions with them. Not only does this create an example of professionalism, it also helps you move beyond arguments, additional conflicts or naming blame. You’ll resolve conflicts much faster and keep your customers happy when you seek out options and then help them select the best ones. I suggest you and your team start with writing down one common problem your customers have. Then write down some possible solutions to that problem. Then take a moment to discuss and analyze what you have suggested and translate this to your everyday work. Get in the habit of mentally defining a customer problem. Once you do then follow these steps:
MEMBER EXPERIENCE
1. Identify an opportunity of an existing problem. 2. Discuss possible options. 3. Ask for ideas from your customer. 4. Agree on the best course of action. • Average ratings on member service surveys. Scale: 1 (lowest) — 5 (highest)
When you take time to do this with your customers, you’ll show your empathetic interest and desire to help them. No matter how large or small the problem may be, this model works and will help you to maintain and build new loyal relationships with your customers. Now that will be Magical!
Member Information Conference 2019 Kelli McKinley, Braxton Hicks and Trevita Riley attended NISC’s 2019 Member Information Conference in late September. Located in St. Louis, Missouri, the conference brings together cooperatives from throughout the U.S. to learn about and discuss upcoming services, technology and products that may be utilized to enhance system performance and the member experience. When their work was done, Kelli , Braxton and Trevita got to enjoy a little bit of St. Louis culture by visiting the Gateway Arch and attending a Cardinals game.
OUTREACH TO COMMUNITY
• ACRE — % of employees who are ACRE contributors • Community Participation Points — Hours spent in SVEC-sanctioned group volunteer projects • United Way — % of employees who contribute to UW through payroll deductions
Pregnancy Care Center Walk/Run for Life On Sept. 28, Braxton Hicks, Jerry Yunes, Ashley Johnson, Christy Tuckey, De Smith and Jon Little participated in the 2019 Walk/Run for Life. The annual race raises funds for the Pregnancy Care Center of Live Oak, which provides numerous health services for local families. 2
Operation Round Up Since its commencement in January 2019, The Operation Round Up Foundation has awarded 196 grants, totaling over $92,000.
Keychain Flashers for Students In early September, 1,200 flashers were delivered to Lafayette County schools. These reflective LED flashers may be attached to children’s backpacks and help them remain visible while waiting for the morning school bus.
Touch-a-Truck SVEC hosted its first Touch-a-Truck event Oct. 12. Touch-aTruck offers children the opportunity to get an up-close learning experience with various large vehicles and machinery. The event was a great success, with hundreds of children and their families in attendance, and $223 was raised for United Way of Suwannee Valley. Thank you to Annette Bonds, Braxton Hicks, Jodi Hughes, Jon Little, Mike and Kristy McWaters, Jessy Preston, Kimberly Plummer, Raymond Poole, De Smith, Denny, Madyson and Mason Tompkins, and Christy Tuckey for helping host this great event.
SMORE Day Employees enjoyed a cold treat on National S’mores Day this year. Everyone seemed to enjoy the S’mores Blizzards that were given out to celebrate our core values: Safety, Member experience, Outreach to community, Reliability and Economic viability.
Breast Cancer Awareness Linemen and admin employees wore pink throughout the month of October in honor and support of the 1 in 8 women who will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
Blood Drive Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Employee donations from our October blood drive will help save up to 21 lives and earned 10 SMORE points. Thank you to our donors: Annette Bonds, Joe Barclay, Braxton Hicks, Christine Moor, Mark Mosley, Maria Suarez and Daniel Warren.
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RELIABILITY
average of 378 jobs per year and $88.3 million in labor income throughout Florida, including 285 jobs annually and $70.6 million in labor income in the local community. SVEC generated more than $61.3 million in state and local tax revenue. That revenue is reinvested into our community’s schools and other essential services.
• SAIFI — How many times the average consumer experiences a power interruption of more than five minutes • SAIDI — The amount of time that the average consumer is without power • Reliability Plan Points — Measure of how well we’re meeting various goals of the Reliability Plan
Member Newsletter Highlights Service Department The October edition of Suwannee Valley Currents took members inside the front lines of SVEC with the Service Department. Service Supervisor Craig Ragan explained SVEC’s response protocols in the event of an outage and highlighted new technologies such as breakers that help improve reliability. Breakers are installed on SVEC lines to allow power to be temporarily disconnected and reconnected almost instantaneously. SVEC monitors these devices and their activity so that timely repairs can be made to ensure the system runs as efficiently as possible.
Reaching Retirement Goals with Debt Management By Richard Schooley
Debt: it’s a four-letter word. I am part of the Dave Ramsey Smartvestor Pro program and I share Dave Ramsey’s views on debt. You already know I encourage contributing to your 401(k), but I also advocate paying down debt. Both can increase your net worth and help reach your retirement goals. In my new book, “Wealth, Making Decisions Like the Family CEO You Are,” Dave Ramsey’s debt methods are mentioned several times in the “Big Hat No Cattle” chapter. A new truck, bass boat, credit cards and a huge house, for instance, might be nothing more than a big hat if you have no cattle (investments and good financial planning). A debt reduction plan should be part of your overall financial planning and I am happy to help! Contact me for a copy of my book or for information on debt management. You can reach me at 912-200-5232.
ECONOMIC VIABILITY
• FMP Points — Measure of how well we’re meeting various goals of the Financial Management Plan • OT Hours — Overtime hours as a percent of total hours worked • Controllable Cost — All expenses ($) except for purchase power, depreciation and interest expenses
ADMIN/CYBERSAFETY
Economic Impact Analysis The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) conducted an economic impact analysis measuring the direct, indirect and induced impact of SVEC in the local community and in the state of Florida. The results indicate that from 2013 to 2017, SVEC contributed $239.8 million to Florida’s economy, including $209.6 million to the local economy in Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee counties. The study also reports that during the five-year period, SVEC provided or supported an
• Phish Prone % — Percent of company-generated (knowbe4) phishing emails that have been clicked on • Weak Password — Number of passwords that do not comply with SVEC’s password policy
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News from our EAP Caring for the Caregivers Remember, you and your household members as well as dependent children up to the age of 26 are eligible for confidential help from experienced counselors just by making a simple toll-free phone call to 800-252-4555 or 800-225-2527. Best of all, there is no cost for online resources or on-the-phone help.
CEO, continued from front
In this edition of Watt’s Up, you can also read about another NRECA study which found that during a recent five-year period, SVEC’s operations directly and indirectly generated over $200 million in our local economy. That’s something your friends and neighbors might be interested in knowing. You can also find sources of help for personal challenges such as managing debt and caring for dependent children and aging parents. Lastly, I hope you’ll enjoy reading about some of the professional achievements and important happenings in the lives of our coworkers. Along with cooler weather, this is a season for giving thanks. I am extremely thankful for your safety and for all you do to serve our consumer-members. Mike
Congratulations …
From our retirees… Tom Tuckey visited his daughter and grandchildren in South Daytona, New Smyrna and Ponce Inlet, Florida, in August. They enjoyed their time together at the beach with plenty of good food and drinks by the water.
Danny Daniels has been promoted to AMI Tech II, following his completion of the Certified Meter Technician course with Northwest Lineman College.
Family News … Denny Tompkins and her daughter, Madyson, completed a mission trip in late August. Partnering with Amazon Vision Ministries, their Wellborn Baptist Church team provided a variety of medical services in addition to evangelism within remote areas of Brazil.
De Smith and Vicky Talmadge visited Las Vegas and San Francisco, California, in August, following a work conference. Some of the popular sites visited included the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Venetian resort in Las Vegas. Kathy Hals enjoyed a vacation to New York with her family in September. They had a great time sightseeing, shopping and eating in the Big Apple.
Randy Snipes and his wife, Elisha, proudly welcomed their daughter, Teagen, Aug. 19.
Mike McWaters’ son, Seth, graduated from Northwest Lineman College’s Electric Lineworker Program Aug. 30. He is employed as an Apprentice Lineman at Clay Electric Cooperative in Keystone Heights.
Christy Tuckey and her family completed a 5K in October in support of her grandmother, who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Her team raised over $200 toward breast cancer research and support.
Daniel Carver completed a Bahamas mission trip with Go Bahamas International Missions following Hurricane Dorian. The team worked to provide hurricane relief services to those affected on Grand Bahama Island. Hurricane Dorian is the strongest hurricane on record to have hit the Bahamas and one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Submitted by Denny Tompkins
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
10 mins
6 hrs
6 hrs 10 mins
Easy Crock-Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili Ingredients 1 15-ounce can black beans 1 15.25-ounce can corn, undrained 1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes, undrained 2 chicken breasts 1 package ranch dressing mix 1 teaspoon cumin 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
Instructions 1. Drain and rinse the black beans. Place chicken at the bottom of the Crock-Pot, then pour the corn, Rotel tomatoes and rinsed black beans over the chicken. 2. Top with seasonings and ranch dressing mix. Stir together. 3. Place cream cheese block on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 4. After the cooking time is over, take chicken breasts from Crock-Pot and shred and add back to the chili. Stir together and enjoy! 5. Eat with chips. Serves 4.
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