WATT’S UP SUWANNEE VALLEY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE NEWSLETTER | FALL 2020
from the CEO Thankful for your efforts during a challenging year This will be the last Watt’s Up of a very challenging year. Among other things, we’ve experienced a highly contentious election, and COVID-19 has affected nearly every aspect of our lives and how we do business. I’ve been truly impressed by the dedication and flexibility you have all shown as we’ve worked together to maintain our high level of service during these unprecedented times. As we move toward the end of 2020, we have our work cut out for us in terms of our SMORE goals. Please take a few minutes to review the paragraphs on our core values and note where we’re not on pace to earn the maximum $700 year-end bonus (indicated by a red thumbs down). Try to think of ways you might be able to help turn things around as you do your job from day to day. Let’s end this year strong.
SMORE
Safety Member Experience Outreach to Community Reliability Economic Viability
VALUE PER POINT
POINTS AVAILABLE
SMORE TRACKER
POINTS ACHIEVED
$70
10.00
3rd Quarter YTD
6.67
SAFETY
Congratulations for 338 consecutive days without a lost-time injury! Safety Demos Resume In October, SVEC performed its first safety demonstration since the start of the coronavirus shutdown. Craig Ragan presented our “Electrical City” to the members of TOPS Live Oak, a local weight loss and fitness group. The safety demonstration presents several electrical safety scenarios such as tree and line safety, generator safety and how to react in the event of a collision with a power pole. If you know of a classroom, group or place of work that may be interested in a safety presentation, please contact Christy Tuckey.
In addition to the prospect of a better year ahead, we have a lot to be thankful for as we approach the holiday season. We’ve been spared any major impacts of a historically active hurricane season, gone the whole year so See CEO, Page 6
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MEMBER EXPERIENCE
courteous and friendly staff demonstrates empathy and sense of urgency. Next thing you know, it is your turn to enter the ride. Although waiting in lines is not the most enjoyable thing to do, Disney generally makes it a tolerable and pleasant experience.
Courtesy over efficiency is a strategy for success
Chick-fil-A is the same. There is an abundance of staff present, all strategically placed with their assignments, friendly and smiling through their masks with a sense of urgency. I have even witnessed the cow character roaming through the lines, acknowledging customers in their cars and making it fun. When I once experienced an error in my order, the friendly staff member quickly apologized and responded by running, not walking, back into the store to correct it, then back to my car. Sense of urgency, courtesy and demonstrating that you care. How hard was that?
by John Formica Many of you, as well as consumers, use a drive-thru more often these days due to the pandemic. It appears to some of us as the safest way to get our fast food. Restaurants with a drive-thru certainly have a strategic advantage in an era of social distancing, with some restaurant chains only offering drive-thru options.
Customers realize their experience doesn’t have to be perfect, especially now during the challenges of the pandemic. They will tolerate and forgive these miscues if your staff remains pleasant, friendly and responsive with a sense of urgency to demonstrate that you care.
In a recent study of drive-thru wait times, the Chick-fil-A chain remained the slowest among major fast-food brands. Although most wait times have grown during the pandemic, Chick-fil-A, according to the study, recorded the slowest. But Chick-fil-A customers aren’t buying it or simply don’t care. They continue to give the chain’s drive-thru “speed of service” the best ratings of any of the brands tested. Why is that?
Do your employees or teams demonstrate a sense of urgency, courtesy and caring over efficiency? If so, your customers will give you the same positive ratings, tell others and return to your business again. Now that would be Magical!
Chick-fil-A is one of the largest U.S. restaurant chains by revenue, and it had some of the highest per-restaurant sales in its segment last year. I have no disclosed numbers on how its business has fared in recent months, but visually and personally experiencing its long drive-thru lines before and during the pandemic tells me that the restaurant is still very successful. One likely reason for Chick-fil-A’s longer wait times is that its restaurants serve far more customers — testers doing the research counted nearly three times as many other vehicles in the chain’s lines as the industry average. The shortest average waits were at KFC, while McDonald’s, Taco Bell and KFC each had shorter average wait times than a year ago.
Thank you
So how, then, does Chick-fil-A have the best “speed of service” ratings from customers? I believe there are two major reasons: courtesy and the perception of sense of urgency. When I visit a Chick-fil-A, I always seem to praise their management operators and workers for their dedication to the customer experience and resiliency during a challenging year. Their people seem to work tirelessly to share a smile through a mask and deliver a seamless, contactless customer experience through their drive-thru, even during this pandemic. By demonstrating they care and are trying their hardest to be as quick as they can, customers appreciate their efforts and don’t mind the wait. Chick-fil-A, like Disney, gets it. If you have ever been to a Disney park, you know you will experience long wait times to get on their rides. Disney operators and staff know that and do their best to distract you by using entertaining videos, Disney characters and other strategies while you stand in line. Their 2
30 teams were divided into novice and competitive brackets to compete for cash prizes for first, second and third place. Additional raffles were held for a gift basket, hair tinsels and Brown Lantern gift cards. We would like to thank Jessy Preston, Denny Tompkins, Kim Plummer, Paige Peacock, Annette Bonds, Jessica Graham, Christine Moor, De Smith, Christy Tuckey, Jon Little, Mark Mosley, Craig Ragan and Mike McWaters for volunteering their time to help at the tournament. Mosley, Moor, Tompkins, Little and Miller also played in the tournament. In total, 88 SMORE points were earned.
Food Drive
SVEC employees came together in September to purchase new shoes, socks and underwear for Love In the Name of Christ of Suwannee County, who distributed them to local school-aged children in need. The charity effort earned an additional 18 points for the SMORE tracker.
SVEC’s admin and ops employees went head to head for their first annual charity “food fight” in October. Employees from each building worked together to donate the most dry and canned food items to win bragging rights and a morning celebration of hot coffee and doughnuts. While admin carried the lead for much of the race and finished with 182 pounds, the ops team snuck in at the end to take the win with a whopping 624 pounds! Along with 20 pounds of member-donated items, the food drive raised a total of 807 pounds for Love Inc. to distribute to local families in need. 40 SMORE points were earned.
Cornhole Tournament
Blood Drive
OUTREACH TO COMMUNITY Shoe Drive
Another successful blood drive went in the books this quarter. Employee donations during our October blood drive helped save up to 21 lives and earned 8 SMORE points. Thank you to our donors: Jodi Hughes, Christine Moor, Mike McWaters, Crystal Ecker, Daniel Warren, Patrick Swinney and Kirk Head. An extra thank you goes out to Hughes, whose automation donation will further assist burn victims and patients with severe infections.
SVEC’s third annual Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament was bigger than ever, raising over $5,000 for United Way of Suwannee Valley! For this year’s tournament, 3
RELIABILITY Hurricane Mutual Aid 2020 has been a wild year, and this year’s hurricane season was no exception. SVEC was fortunate to avoid direct impact and in turn provided much-needed mutual aid to five sister cooperatives in three states. We are thankful for every person who stepped up to help.
Keychain Flashers for Students Last year’s donations to Lafayette and Hamilton County schools were a big hit, so SVEC continued to share the light by providing flashing reflective keychains to Suwannee County student bus riders. The keychains may be attached to children’s backpacks and helps them remain visible while waiting for the bus on dark mornings.
• Hurricane Sally: Clay Stratton, Jared Clark, Bryan Gamble, Danny Collins, Philip King, Gabe Carver and Jason Carroll provided aid to Baldwin EMC in Summerdale, Alabama, Sept. 18-26.
Fall Festival SVEC participated in Melody Church’s scarecrow contest at the pumpkin patch by introducing Mark, the scarecrow lineman, built through a group effort by Denny Tompkins, Christy Tuckey, Daniel Warren and Raymond Poole. Trevita Riley, Kim Plummer, Tompkins, Tuckey and Annette Bonds also volunteered their time to distribute candy and host six children’s games on Family Fun Night at the patch, which earned 20.5 additional SMORE points.
• Hurricane Delta: Leon Edwards, Alex Fountain, Jared Clark, Derek Fillyaw, James Humphrey, Evan Skeen, Mathew Dickerson and Jimmy Williams provided aid to DEMCO and Beauregard Electric Cooperative in Louisiana, Oct. 11-18.
For the last eight years, the pumpkin patch has provided a place for families to enjoy time together and create new memories. All proceeds from the patch help fund the church’s local missions to serve people and agencies within the community, such as love week, an annual event where the church commits to a daily act of love through community service. Through missions like providing first responders breakfast, hosting soup kitchens and completing home repairs for the elderly, Melody Church aims to positively touch the lives of others through love and service.
• Hurricane Zeta, Team 1: Leon Edwards, Brian Cutcher, Mathew Dickerson and Jerrad Boles provided aid to Habersham EMC in Clarkesville, Georgia, Oct. 30-Nov. 3.
• Hurricane Zeta, Team 2: Anthony Thompkins, Alex Fountain, Shack Roberson, Evan Skeen, James Humphrey and Adam Ford provided aid to Clark Washington EMC in Jackson, Alabama, Nov. 3-9. 4
ADMIN/CYBERSAFETY FROM OUR EAP
‘Thank You’ letter from Alabama cooperative member “I live in Fairhope on the Alabama Gulf Coast. I’m writing to tell you MANY THANKS for your willingness to send some of your crews to Baldwin County to help Baldwin EMC. I’m not sure I can appropriately describe how much it meant to our little community to see all of those trucks rolling in. We were not expecting to be hit as hard as we were — it was almost a CAT 3 at landfall and was supposed to be east of us. There are thousands of trees down in Fairhope alone and, with them, many lines and poles.
How to enjoy the holidays and not go broke Many of us will be separated from relatives over these pandemic holidays. And it will be tempting to spend too much and mail expensive gifts, thinking you’ll make up for it in reduced travel and entertaining costs. But it is all too easy to overcompensate in spending because you miss your loved ones! Assuming $1,000 on a credit card with a 16% interest rate and $25 monthly payments, this year’s gifts would take almost five years to pay off. Ouch. Before you start shopping online or heading to the mall, take a few minutes to log on to the EAP website and check out the personal finance tools you have at your fingertips.
“Our community — and me personally — are so appreciative of the way you didn’t hesitate to help. The firm I’m with has worked with co-ops for so many years but this is the first time I have seen firsthand how much you all support one another and help when help is needed. You have been a blessing to our sweet town, and we are so very grateful! Take good care.”
Click on the Personal Finance and Education Center tile. You will find hundreds of tools to help make the best financial choices. Also, click on Lifestyle Savings Benefits. You’ll find savings available on thousands of products and services ranging from clothing to food items and entertainment. Plus, if you click on the Training Center and go to “New and Improved Trainings,” you’ll find dozens of budget and personal finance video trainings. And to really get your budget under control, call and schedule a coaching session or two with one of our certified personal finance coaches. They all have the know-how to help you get through the holidays and remain solvent.
ECONOMIC VIABILITY
And remember, this has been a year of reinventing the way we’ve always done things. Instead of store-bought gifts, why not get creative? Take the time to write good memories in a letter or a card, accompanied by framed copies of favorite photos. Send homemade gifts, special recipes or a homemade CD of music with special memories. Be practical. Send gift certificates for local grocers, restaurants or shops. And here’s an inexpensive gift idea: forgive and forget. The holidays are a great time to free yourself from the burden of old resentments, quarrels and grudges. Reach out to someone to make it happen. 5
CEO, continued from front
far without a lost-time or even a doctor-treated injury, been joined by new team members and welcomed new children and grandchildren. You can read about all that and more in this issue of Watt’s Up.
away from home this year helping other co-ops recover from storms. In closing, I’d like to thank everyone for all you have done this year to make the cooperative successful. I wish you and your families a blessed holiday season.
We are also very thankful for our veterans — Mike Cameron, Danny Daniels, Craig Ragan, John Robinson and Anthony Thompkins — and for all our guys who spent time
—Mike
Welcome ...
CRYSTAL ECKER General Counsel & Director of Administrative Services
ROSS WOOD Mechanic
DOMINIC LOFRANCE Engineering Intern
farewell ... DEBBIE ROBERSON retired in August after 24 years of service. She wore many hats during her time with us. Roberson started her career with SVEC in 1996 as a customer service representative. From 1996 to 2006 she assisted Engineers as a member service representative, and later joined accounting, where she remained until her retirement.
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Congratulations ... Mark Mosley – Promoted to permanent director of operations.
Jimmie Taylor – Promoted to general foreman.
Clent Flowers – Promoted to SVEC’s first system operator.
Jared Clark – Promoted to journeyman foreman.
Shack Roberson – Promoted to journeyman foreman.
Craig Ragan – Promoted to manager of safety and compliance.
De Smith – Promoted to manager of human resources.
Jason Caroll – Promoted to manager of operations.
Saluting Our Veterans ...
Family News ... Joe Barclay is a grandpa! Ridley Eliece was born Oct. 18, weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces.
We are thankful for our veterans, Mike Cameron, Danny Daniels, Craig Ragan, John Robinson and Anthony Thompkins, and their service.
Hunter Ash and his wife, Datin, had a healthy baby girl Oct. 4, weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long. They have named her Emeri Hunter Ash.
Dale Turman is the proud grandpa of Beau Ryan Turman, born Sept. 30, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 22 inches long.
Clent Flowers and his wife, Cortney, are the proud parents of Wade Hampton Flowers, born Sept. 25, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 21 inches long.
Danny Daniels’ wife, Ida (pictured far left), won the Chapter President’s Award of Excellence from the Florida School Nutrition Association in October.
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Halloween Fun ...
Annette Bond’s grandson, Fletcher, dressed as Batman.
Crystal Ecker’s husband, Patrick, dressed as Fat Thor.
Ashley Johnson and her husband, Thomas, dressed as Kelly and Zack from “Saved by the Bell.”
Kelly McKinley’s son, Miles, dressed as Marshall from “Paw Patrol.”
Leslie Grinnell’s sons, Gavin and Warner, dressed as Thanos and Antman.
Brenda Pryce’s grandson, Mathias, dressed as Spiderman.
Kim Plummer’s sons, Kyson and Kylan, enjoyed a night at the pumpkin patch.
Ross Wood’s daughter, Rowan, dressed as Velma from “Scooby-Doo.”
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Christine Moor’s children, Maddox and Savannah, dressed as ’80s rock stars.
Crystal Ecker carved an impressive bigfoot pumpkin.
Trevita Riley’s granddaughter, Taylin, dressed as a little witch.
Raymond Poole’s daughter, Cambree, dressed as Granny.
Christy Tuckey’s daughter, Harper, dressed as a bumblebee.
Submitted by CHRISTY TUCKEY
Easy Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Ingredients 1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls 1/3 cup apple pie filling, coarsely chopped
Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of apple pie filling into each cup.
Instructions Preheat oven to 375 F and lightly grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before drizzling with frosting from package.
Bake until golden brown, about 14-18 minutes.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Separate cinnamon roll dough into 8 rolls. Press into and up the sides of greased muffin cups.
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