Watt's Up Winter 2018

WATT’S UP SUWANEE VALLEY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2018

from the ceo Happy New Year!

I’m pleased to present the first edition of Watt’s Up for 2018. The first and second pages feature figures and other information that show how we lived up to our five core values — safety, positive member experience, outreach to community, reliability and economic viability — in 2017. I encourage you to pause and appreciate what these figures represent: • Your safety and the continuing welfare of the people who love and depend on you • The quality service and positive member experiences we’ve given our members • Our dedication to the communities we serve and the well-being of those who are in them — our neighbors, friends and families • The reliability of the electricity we provide and its importance for our members’ lives • Fulfillment of the trust our members place in us to responsibly Continued on next page

SMORE Safety

Safety Improvement Plan »»

Reduce minor vehicle incidents/ liability

»»

Speak up, listen up

»»

Improve on the little things; they matter

Safety Member Experience Outreach to Community Reliability Economic Viability

Safety reminder — hand protections Employees are required to use appropriate hand protection when their hands are exposed to hazards, such as potential skin absorption of harmful substances, severe cuts or lacerations, severe abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns and harmful temperature extremes. (From Section

207a of SVEC’s Employee Safety Handbook)

1,189

days without a lost-time injury

Congratulations! Employees substantially reduced the number of vehicle incidents and associated liability claims, which were important goals for 2017.

Vehicle Incidents

5 17

Liability Claims

5 15

2017 2016

Member experience Each month, a third-party research firm surveys 35-40 randomly selected members who have had recent contact with SVEC related to bills, account maintenance, right-of-way work or service orders. Surveyed members are asked to rate their satisfaction with several aspects of their experience on a scale of one to five, with five being the best score. Overall, members were very satisfied with SVEC’s customer service in 2017.

4.8

Average rating of overall satisfaction Continued on next page

Continued from front

Outreach to community

Last September, eight employees gave up some of their Saturday morning to landscape the front yard of the ARC of North Florida group home in Live Oak. In only a couple of hours, the group managed to plant about two dozen shrubs and grasses, cut back overgrown bushes and trees, and spread nine cubic yards of cedar mulch. ARC staff and the home’s residents were all very grateful for our efforts.

New levels of reliability were achieved in 2017. Although it appears we failed to meet our goals for System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) and System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), the unofficial figures (fourth-quarter figures have yet to be reviewed) indicate a significant improvement in reliability compared to 2016. In fact, 2017 was the fourth year in a row for reductions in the number of times the average consumer experienced a power interruption of more than five minutes and the amount of time the average consumer was without power.

SAIFI: 2.69 interruptions

2017 Actual (unofficial)

2.50 interruptions 2017 Goal

3.21 interruptions 2016 Actual

SAIDI: 231.8 minutes

2017 Actual (unofficial)

For the third straight year, SVEC brought home the Christmas on the Square Grand Marshall Trophy for Best Float. Thank you to everyone who worked on the float and who participated in the parade.

205.0 minutes

63 community organizations supported $26,000 contributed 2 volunteer projects $9,000 worth of in-kind donations $7,500 in college scholarships

264.3 minutes

Reliability

2017 Goal

2016 Actual

Economic viability

The change from a paper-based to an automated system for managing the accounts payable workflow has been a great success. Even with the challenges that initially accompanied the change, Debbie Roberson would never want to go back to the old way of doing things. She says the new system for approving invoices and processing payments saves time and increases transparency and accountability.

Continued from front

manage the resources they’ve invested in the cooperative I also encourage you to take time to consider ways in which you can demonstrate every one of our core values in 2018. And if you feel your motivation could use a boost, remind yourself of how important you and your work are to

our members. Visit our Facebook page and read the comments our members made as we restored their power after Hurricane Irma. Note their appreciation and take to heart how the positive comments far outweigh the negative ones.

I hope you agree we are fortunate to work at SVEC, where we can have a positive impact on the lives of so many

people. Thank you for all you did in 2017 to serve our members and make our cooperative a success. I’m looking forward to a successful 2018 as well.

Best wishes, Mike

service anniversaries

Bruce Branche Jan. 2 • 26 years

Jason Carroll Jan. 6 •15 years

Mike McWaters Jan. 6 • 4 years

De Smith Jan. 7 • 5 years

Patrick Swinney Jan. 8 • 22 years

Joe Barclay Jan. 11 • 13 years

Mike Cameron Jan. 17 • 13 years

Paige Peacock Jan. 29 • 11 years

Derek Fillyaw Jan. 20 • 12 years

John Robinson Feb. 3 • 21 years

Trey Jackson Feb. 5 • 11 years

Alex Fountain Feb. 9 • 20 years

Kenneth Bryant Feb. 15 • 19 years

Debbie Edwards Feb. 17 • 19 years

Chris Driver Feb. 26 • 11 years

Christine Moor March 8 • 8 years

Dale Turman March 10 • 21 years

Kimberly Plummer March 16 • 3 years

Mark Radford March 16 • 30 years

Cathy Erixton March 20 • 12 years

Leslie Grinnell March 20 • 12 years

Jessica Graham March 28 • 2 years

Russell Summers March 31 • 38 years

Farewell

Congratulations John Husocki retired Dec. 21, after serving as SVEC’s building custodian for more than 15 years. John says he is looking forward to having more time to visit his son in Knoxville, Tennessee, and his daughter, granddaughter and 6-monthold great-grandson who live in south Florida.

Jodi Hughes received a certificate for completing a distribution switching course at the Georgia EMC Electric Cooperative Training Center.

De Smith and Jessica Graham received certificates for completing an NRECA course on work order and plant accounting procedures.

Craig Ragan, Trey Boatright, Jason Carroll, Jared Clark and Jimmy Taylor received certificates for completing 30 hours of OSHA compliance training.

It’s official! Craig Ragan’s granddaughter Khloe is going to be an SVEC linewoman someday.

Happy Birthday Austin Long .................... Jan. 12

Kurt Miller ..................... Feb. 17

John Robinson ........... March 15

Debbie Edwards ............ Jan. 18

Chris Driver ................... Feb. 18

Gerald Collins ............ March 16

Paige Peacock................ Jan. 30

Leon Edwards ............... Feb. 27

Leslie Grinnell ............ March 16

Trey Jackson .................... Feb. 3

Cathy Erixton ............... March 1

Jerrad Boles ............... March 18

Randy Snipes .................. Feb. 3

Mike Guillery ............... March 6

Jason Hurst ................ March 25

Annette Bonds ................. Feb. 5

Cecil Cheshire ............ March 10

Mike McWaters ......... March 28

Trevor Touchton ............. Feb. 5

Ronda Ellison ............. March 11

Evan Skeen ................ March 31

Vicky Talmadge .............. Feb. 7

Philip King .................. March 11

Christy Tuckey .............. Feb. 14

Kathy Hals ................. March 15

Engagements She’s mine at the line

By Braxton Hicks

Hannah Mosley, daughter of Mark Mosely, and I have been dating for almost four years. We were first introduced by an SVEC employee at a baseball game I played in near Keystone Heights, where she lived at the time. After our initial introduction, we saw each other periodically at restaurants and stores around Live Oak, where she and her family had just moved.

About a year later, I finally decided to reach out to Hannah over social media. We talked and went on a couple of dates for a month or so before we “officially” began dating. However, we spent a lot of time apart for the first three years of our relationship while I was away at college playing baseball. We kept our faith in God and each other, knowing that someday soon the days and weeks of being apart would be over.

After graduating college, I went to work full time at SVEC and immediately began thinking of our future together as a couple. I picked out the perfect ring I knew she would love. After waiting for the opportune moment, I proposed at the Tennessee -North Carolina state line sign at Newfound Gap. I chose that spot because, ironically, it was a special place for both of us and our families while growing up. Like the lines on our walls that marked our growth during childhood, the sign represented how much we both had changed over the years. The place is also special because it reminds us of my grandpa, who passed not long ago, and the stories he always told when we made our journey to the top of the mountain.

Even though it seems like it’s been forever since Hannah and I first met, we both know it is only a little while compared to the time we will have together. We're truly blessed to have each other. Watch video at http://bit.ly/2mOlyBP

A great beginning

By Trevor Touchton

Heather Burns and I have been dating for a little over two years. I met her on Black Friday 2015, and she is the best deal a guy could ask for. When we met, I was still working full time and going to school at the University of Florida — Go Gators! She was going to school at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Heather graduated in May 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and now works at Shands UF in Gainesville. I graduated in December 2016 with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering.

After graduating and starting our careers, we grew sure of our desire to build a life together. Last October, while on a trip to Cocoa Beach with Heather’s family, we got engaged on the beach at sunrise. Just as sunrise marks the beginning of a new day, which is a gift from God, our engagement is a gift from God and marks the beginning of a Christ-centered, lifelong commitment to one another.

Family News Free Falling

By Debbie Edwards

Yes, me skydiving! I can hardly believe it myself! It all started when my sister, Doreen, found a deal on Groupon. She sent a group text to some family members, and I was the only one who responded with a “yes.” It was one of the most awesome things I have ever done.

We were at 13,500 feet when we jumped out of the plane. During the 8,000-foot free fall, it was very hard to hold my arms out or move my hands into different positions.

They said we were falling at around 120 mph, so it is no wonder I could hardly move my arms! After the chute opened and we slowed down, it seemed like no time at all until we were on the ground and I was ready to do it again!! I have already purchased my next jump, which I plan on doing sometime this year.

If, in the future, you decide that you want to jump out of a plane, Skydive City in Zephyrhills is a great place to do it. I am looking forward to my next jump with them. Watch a video at http://bit.ly/2DchKkg

Viva Las Vegas!

By Vicky Talmadge

Right after Thanksgiving, my family and I traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate my husband Jim’s and my 40th wedding anniversary. During our fun-packed trip, we attended the Celine Dion show, the Beatles “Love” Cirque show and the Penn & Teller show. We also had a wonderful anniversary dinner in The Mirage Hotel. Our final and most spectacular adventure was a helicopter ride that started in Vegas and took us over the Hoover Dam and to the Grand Canyon, where we visited the glass-floored Skywalk.

FAVORITE RECIPE

Easy Key Lime Cheesecake From Carlsbad Cravings These tiny treats were a HUGE hit at the Taste of Suwannee!

One 16 ounce package Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie dough 6 oz. cream cheese, softened One 5.3 ounces key lime Greek yogurt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-2 tablespoons key lime juice (may substitute regular lime) 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar Zest from 1 key lime (may substitute regular lime) Garnish (Fresh berries, whipped cream) Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray with flour.* Cut sugar cookie dough into 12 even slices and press into the bottom and about 2/3 up the sides of prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are barely golden. Let cool 5 minutes then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (about 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon key lime juice until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Stir in key lime zest. Taste and add additional tablespoon lime juice if desired (how I like it).

When cookie cups are cool, evenly spoon cheesecake filling into cups and refrigerate 1-2 hours to set. If you don’t want to wait, they are still delicious right away; the filling will just be softer.

Garnish with berries and whipped cream if desired. *If you don’t have nonstick cooking spray with flour, you can use regular nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle the bottom of the muffin cups with a little sugar.