WATT’S UP SUWANNEE VALLEY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2019
from the ceo Thank you for making 2018 a success 2019 has already been very busy, and because of that, it seems like 2018 was a long time ago. Before we leave last year behind us, though, I think it’s important to stop and acknowledge achievements we made with regard to our five core values — Safety, Member Experience, Outreach to Community, Reliability and Economic Viability (SMORE). We’ve highlighted just a few of those achievements in this edition of Watt’s Up. I hope that as you read about them, you’ll take pride in the important role you played in their accomplishment. 2018 was also a very active year in terms of significant events in the lives of our employees. Among them were births, marriages, retirements, and personal and professional achievements. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about them as much as I have. I look forward to celebrating more events of this nature in 2019, beginning in the following pages. Whether it’s staying safe for your loved ones, taking calls, reaching out to our communities, working to keep the electricity flowing, or responsibly See CEO, Page 4
SMORE
Safety Member Experience Outreach to Community Reliability Economic Viability
SAFETY
2018 Recap • 1,539 consecutive days -OR- 730,973 man-hours with only one lost-time injury as of Dec. 31, 2018. (Current streak without a lost-time injury is 311 days.) • 850,437 miles driven with ZERO accidents -OR- about 38 times around the world. 2019 Safety Improvement Plan — Goals we want to achieve this year
PACE
• P = Perform my job SAFELY. • A = Account for my actions and my co-workers. • C = Commit to speak-up, listen-up. (What does speak-up, listen-up mean, how do I speak up?) • E = Engage in my responsibilities, focus on the task at hand. • Other — Remember the little things; they matter. • Eliminate all vehicle incidents. • Eliminate liability claims that are incurred by employees.
You can’t fix stupid Watch video
MEMBER EXPERIENCE
2018 Recap • 20,939 calls taken by member service reps • 481 new service connections completed • 218,000 electronic bill payments made • New drive-thru kiosk installed The magic is in the details by John Formica Do you ever look at your business or workplace from the eyes of your customers? Each year, I perform dozens of customer experience evaluations for my clients in all types of businesses and organizations with the objective of pretending to be a visitor or customer. Continued on next page
I go from the driveway to the parking lot, from the sidewalk to the front door, from the entryway to the lobby or waiting area, then to the showroom, merchandise aisles and more to experience everything as a new or existing customer would see. Then I interact with the staff and managers, asking open-ended questions about products, services, policies and business philosophy to name a few things. Again, all to evaluate the customer experience. By doing this for my clients, I share with them my first impressions. What did I see, hear, feel, smell and experience? When was the last time you looked at your business or workplace from the eyes of your customers? If you did, you might discover what needs to be cleaned, repaired, painted or made more visually appealing. If you were to call your business, would the person answering the phone enunciate clearly and enthusiastically, display empathy, be knowledgeable and informed to handle your questions or concerns? If you were to walk up and speak to an employee, what would that experience be like? Is the person approachable and professionally dressed? Do they display a friendly and helpful attitude? Are they knowledgeable about the product or service, and caring and thankful for your business? How often might your customers be inconvenienced by existing systems, structures, procedures or the lack of sense of urgency on the part of employees? Are employees spending time on their phones or having meaningless conversations with each other while ignoring customers? The customer experience begins on the inside and works its way to the outside. The overall experience becomes a series of detailed experiences and interactions. Start today! Don’t let another day go by not knowing what your customer’s experience is like. Take a look at your business or workplace from your customers’ eyes. You might be in for a surprise. And while you are looking, see how you can make every detailed experience and interaction a little more “magical”!
The co-op supported many other community events during the Christmas season. Specifically, SVEC was a sponsor of Altrusa International’s Christmas Tour of Homes, the Festival of Lights in White Springs and Breakfast with Santa, which benefited United Way of Suwannee County.
The Live Oak City Council issued a proclamation thanking SVEC for hanging the city’s Christmas lights. In addition to the lights, SVEC crews hung and later took down banners to support a fundraising effort by Love Inc. Employees donated money to pay for Christmas gifts for less-fortunate children and some of the residents of Surrey Place.
OUTREACH TO COMMUNITY
2018 recap • $19,000 in sponsorship money given to 75 local nonprofit community groups • $6,100 worth of in-kind donations • $10,000 in scholarships awarded to high school seniors • Volunteer Landscaping Project completed for ARC North Florida • Employees donated $12,800 to United Way • Cornhole Tournament raised another $3,157 for United Way SVEC participated in the Christmas parades in Branford, Jasper and Live Oak. The Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce recognized SVEC for refurbishing Santa’s sleigh prior to the Christmas on the Square Parade, and once again the cooperative won the Grand Marshal Award for best float. Thank you to all employees who helped build and decorate the float. Thanks also to those who walked in the parades.
SVEC hosted the first annual Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament in April 2018. 24 teams competed for prizes and gold, silver and bronze medals. The event raised $3,157 for United Way of Suwannee Valley. 2
Annual Donate Life 5K Run/Walk — April 20 SVEC is putting together a team, and we will pay the $20 entry fee for any employee who wants to participate. Please contact Jon Little if you’d like to run or walk in the event.
• 884 miles of right-of-way cut • 14,500 poles inspected • 724 poles replaced
RELIABILITY
2018 recap • Revenues were higher than budgeted, expenses were lower than budgeted. • All goals and guidelines of the board-approved Financial Management Plan were met • $775,124 in capital credits were returned to consumermembers ($13.7M lifetime). • Average daily residential electric bill was $4.35 (less than the $4.95 price of a Starbucks grandé pumpkin spice Latte).
ECONOMIC VIABILITY
2018 recap • SAIDI goal was met — 208.0 minutes (actual), 208.8 minutes (goal) • SAIDI was reduced for fourth consecutive year (2014 SAIDI was 312.2 minutes) • Service availability was 99.96% • 24 automated sectionalizing devices (switches and reclosers) installed
Executive Summary
401(k) Stats
Plan Statistics
Executive Summary Participant Activity
12/31/2017
12/31/2018
92
92
16.0
15.6
▼
28
35
▲
25%
17%
25%
▲
47%
Average Loan Balance
$8,307
$8,368
▲
0%
Total Visits to Website
657
754
▲
15%
Total Participants
Plan Trend ◄ ► 0%
*The expenses shown reflect expenses deducted from plan assets. Expenses billed directly to the plan sponsor or expenses related to the expense ratio of investments under the plan are not reflected. The Contribution data Balance displays the combined dollar value of Contributions & Loan Repayments, if applicable. $136,623 $130,816 ▼ 4% Average Account
61328-1-Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative 401(k) Pensio Average Number of Investments For Advisor and Plan Sponsor use only. Not for use with Plan Participants.
Number of Outstanding Loans Percent of Participants With a Loan
Notes
3
3%
RS-41492-02 7
News from our EAP Introducing a new online selfhelp tool — The Parenting Resource Center Parenting — the business of raising children from infancy to adulthood — is one of life’s single most important responsibilities, but it isn’t taught in school. Children don’t come with an owner’s manual, yet childrearing is a highly complex undertaking. It entails providing a warm and nurturing framework for promoting and supporting your child’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual health, well-being and development.
Frequently asked questions about your 401(k) By Richard Schooley
Why should I stay in the market? Our decision-making process is often driven by emotions, and money is emotional. While our logical brain knows we will have ups and downs, our emotional brain can say to us, “We are down, so we must do something to stop the pain.” It’s natural for humans to want to “fix things,” even things that don’t need fixing. I sometimes hear, “Let’s get out of the
market just to see what happens.” Less than a month ago, the market went up 1,086 points in one day — a new record. If we were out of the market, we would have missed that 4.98 percent up day. The topic of market timing is covered in a chapter of the book titled Wealth, Making Decisions Like the Family CEO You Are. If you’d like a copy of the book, please email me at r.schooley@dogwoodwa.com.
CEO, continued from front
managing the financial resources entrusted to us, your efforts to serve our members year in and year out are truly valued and appreciated — not just by our members, but also by our trustees and myself. We’ll need to keep up those efforts to successfully navigate through the inevitable challenges to come. Thank you for everything you do to make our cooperative the best it can be. 2019 is on its way to being another great year! Mike
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The Parenting Resource Center is a new EAP information benefit designed to help you access the best online resources on a dozen parenting topics. Whether it is following your baby’s development week by week during your pregnancy, child-proofing your home, raising kids with your ex, or finding the right school, you can have resources at your fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Here are some of the issues that are covered: • Prenatal and birth • Infancy • Parenting and early childhood development • Kids health and safety • Work-life parenting issues • Problems and special needs • Kids nutrition and& diet • Just for dads • Child care and schooling • Teen years • Financial resources • Safe online sites for kids To access these resources, simply log on to www.theEAP.com and click on the “Employee/Family” Login button. Then click on “Register here” (or sign in if you have previously registered).
Family News …
Jason Carroll is the proud grandpa of his first grandchild, Elsie. Elsie, who is the daughter of Jason’s son, Aspen, and daughter-inlaw, Leslie, was born on Jan. 14, weighing 8 lbs., 1 oz.
Braxton Hicks and Hannah Mosley were married on Jan. 5 at the Advent Christian Village Church. The couple honeymooned in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Christy Tuckey and her husband, Jeremy, welcomed their first child, Harper, on Jan. 24. Harper weighed in at 7 lbs., 12 oz. Former SVEC Community Relations Manager Tom Tuckey is Harper’s proud grandpa.
Every year, Paul Schneider and his wife, Millie, decorate gingerbread houses with their grandchildren — Ayla, 7; Payson, 4; and Grayson, 2. This year, they talked Paul’s mother, Betty, into helping out. Millie says, “We all had a great time, and the grandchildren are proud of their work and look forward to it.”
Mark Mosley has been blessed with a beautiful granddaughter. His fourth grandchild, Zoey, was born on Jan. 17, weighing 8 lbs., 2 oz. She is the firstborn of Mark’s son, Mark Jr., and his wife, Ashley. Matt Dickerson and his wife, Brooke, welcomed their new son, Mason William, into the world on March 8. Mason weighed 6 lbs., 13 oz. at birth.
Kimberly Plummer and her husband, Leon, are the proud parents of joy, Eliana Grace, born on March 16 weighing 5 lbs., 10 oz.
Craig Ragan’s grandson, Emmitte Raeford Beard IV, was born on Feb. 7. Emmitte was 8 lbs. and 21 inches long at birth. He is the son of Craig’s daughter Amanda and her husband, Emmitte III.
Welcome ...
Congratulations …
New cashier Fran Kidd comes from the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, where she held the position of accreditation manager. Before the sheriff’s office, Fran worked nine years at Tampa Electric as a business support specialist. Her hobbies include reading, fishing and spending time with family.
Jerry Yunes has successfully completed NRECA’s Supervisory Program.
Randy Snipes has been promoted from work order coordinator to staking technician.
Farewell to …
Dispatcher Chip Nobles retired on Jan. 2 after a 17-year career at SVEC. 5
From our retirees…
CRUISIN’ THE PANAMA CANAL by Debbie Edwards This past December, my sister, Doreen, and I went on a 16-night Los Angeles to New Orleans cruise, which took us through the Panama Canal. The ports we stopped at were Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Colon, Panama; and Cartagena, Columbia. Our shore excursions took us well into the countries and allowed us to see how the people live. Seeing the conditions that they live in made me feel blessed to live in the United States. Going through the locks on the Panama Canal in a huge cruise ship was quite an adventure. We barely fit in the locks. New locks have been built to accommodate larger ships, but we went through the old locks. It’s amazing that the old locks are exactly the same as when they were built in the early 1900s. No improvements have been made to them. On the Pacific side,
we went through three locks that raised us a total of about 85 feet to bring us to the elevation of the canal through the mountains. Then, on the Atlantic side, we went through three more locks that lowered us back down to sea level. We were told that the cost for our ship to go through the canal was approximately $300,000. Royal Caribbean paid this fee a year in advance. A lot of cargo ships pay the fee with cash because if they use another form of payment, they have to wait for it 6
to clear before they are allowed to cross through the canal. There were a lot of ships anchored at both ends of the canal, and we were told that they were waiting for their payments to clear. I don’t know why they don’t just pay in advance. I thought it was interesting that passenger ships are always given priority over cargo ships. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We’ll take our next big adventure this May when we go to Israel and tour the Holy Land with Pastor Johnny Hunt.
Submitted by Jon Little
Chicken Durango This recipe comes from the Colorado Cache Cookbook. It’s for a tangy chicken dish that’s a favorite in our house. Ingredients 1/2 cup butter, melted Juice of 2 lemons 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon oregano Salt and pepper to taste 4 chicken breasts
Instructions 1. Mix all but chicken. 2. Marinate for 3-4 hours. 3. Place chicken in baking dish, skin side up. 4. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.
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