Jan 3

A publication for West Florida Electric Cooperative employees & trustees January 3, 2018

WFEC News: Congratulations to Rhonda Byrd-Lee, Member Services Assistant in the Bonifay office who was the November & December Top Health Quiz winner! She won $100 for completing her quiz and returning it to Donnie Worley by the deadline. Don’t forget to complete your quiz and turn it in for your chance to win!

Safety is our #1 priority at WFEC, so the week of November 30, our linemen trained & practiced pole top rescue techniques. Here are some photos from that training:

Dalton Pettis & Josh Brown graduated from Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC) in Trenton, Georgia on December 15.

Employees from each district office collected food for local charities during the month of December. The Bonifay district collected for the Holmes County Backpack program, which provides children in need with bags of nutritious food to take home and easily prepare on their own over the weekend. The food collected at the Bonifay office will be given to Carmel Assembly for distribution. Carmel distributes food weekly to 28 students at Bethlehem School. The Graceville office donated two boxes of food to the food pantry in Chipley for Washington County residents and the Sneads office collected for local programs in Jackson County.

Gretta Simpson attended a Holmes County High School project Graduation fundraiser held December 7 at the Bonifay Ag Center. The festival was a community event sponsored by HCHS project graduation. Several game and vendor booths were set up along with concessions and a silent auction. Funds raised from the festival will help fund Holmes County High School’s Project Graduation. Simpson took the opportunity to invite attendees to WFEC’s 80th celebration.

Bonifay office staff helped brighten several Bonifay nursing home residents Christmas this year. Residents requested essential items such as body wash, house shoes, undershirts and pajamas. Those wishes are placed on a tree at the facility to be “picked” by those willing to fulfill the wishes by purchasing the items and delivering them to the nursing home. Activities Director Kenya Guster states the 100 percent success rate is the result of an “invested and caring community” who rallied for the center’s 140 residents. (photo on next page)

WFEC celebrated its 80th birthday with events in each district office on Tuesday, December 12. The cooperative was founded by a group of visionary rural residents in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties in 1937 and its Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Florida Secretary of State’s office on December 11, 1937. The first meeting of incorporators and members of West Florida Electric Cooperative Association was held on December 21, 1937 in Marianna, Florida.

Each district office hosted a birthday celebrations for the cooperative from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on December 12.

Door prizes were given out to those who stopped in and an $80 bill credit was up for grabs for those who registered at each office. The winner of the $80 bill credit at the Graceville district office was Brenda Harmon. The Bonifay district office awarded an $80 bill credit to Ginger O’Brien and the winner at the Sneads district office was Robert Lisle.

WFEC Honors Employees: This year, Vivian Daniels, a cashiering coordinator in the Graceville district was named Administrative Employee of the Year by her peers at the event held December 5. Daniels was chosen to receive this award by her co-workers because she best exemplifies the following traits: personality, punctuality, safety habits, team work, flexibility and outstanding performance on the job. Her employment with WFEC began in 1998 working part-time at night as a member service representative and became full-time in 2013. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree and retired after thirty-five plus years of professional work experience including teaching, counseling, and supervisory/managerial capacities for several different schools systems and agencies in several states. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family. Her travel interest and enjoyment was sparked by her deceased spouse’s career in the military. She continues traveling with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. Ms. Viv (as everyone at the co-op calls her) states that at this point in her life, it’s all about peace, experiences and giving.

“I feel humbled, honored and very appreciative to have been voted Administrative Employee of the Year by the WFEC staff. I enjoy working with both internal and external customers and it proves that ‘seniors’ can be an asset in the workforce,” said Daniels.

This year, employees not only chose an Administrative Employee of the Year, but also selected an Engineering & Operations Employee of the Year, which turned out to be a tie.

Anthony Register and Holley Brown were selected by their co-workers to receive this award because they best exemplify the following traits: personality,

punctuality, safety habits, team work, flexibility and outstanding performance on the job.

Register, a line crew leader in the Bonifay district, oversees power line construction and maintenance and also participates in storm recovery efforts throughout the U.S. He began his career at the co-op 37 years ago as a tree trimmer. Register and his wife, Donna, have been married for 37 years and have two daughters, Jessica and Jennifer. The Registers also have several grandchildren. During his spare time, he enjoys fishing, traveling and camping. “It is a high honor – one of the best that is bestowed upon an individual at WFEC, my fellow employees are some of the best people I know,� said Register.

Holley Brown, Purchasing Coordinator, has worked at WFEC for nearly three years. She began her career as a billing coordinator and transferred to the purchasing department last year. Her daily duties involve purchasing line materials, poles, tools, fuel, vehicles and other items necessary to run the cooperative and facilitate work. She also sends out bids and assists with awarding contracts and bids to contractors and vendors for all three district offices. She is married to Ryan Brown, of Chipley, and they have a five month old daughter named Georgia Kate. In her spare time, Holley enjoys spending as much time with her family as possible. She said that she was very honored to have been chosen to receive this award and that it is very special to her.

Josh Rabon, a journeyman line worker, from the Sneads district, Rodney Bowers, a line crew leader, from the Bonifay district and Brandon Taylor, Associate Field Engineer, from the Graceville district were each honored with Outstanding Service Awards.

These employees were chosen to receive these awards because they best exemplify the following traits: personality, punctuality, safety habits, team work, flexibility and performance on the job.

WFEC Employee News: Brayden Whitehead, grandson of Susie & Tommy Johnson, tried out for the Cottonwood Hig School baseball team and was one of six chosen to join. He’ll play JV baseball next year for his 8th grade year and will advance to the Varsity team during his freshmen year.

Austin Whitehead, grandson of Susie & Tommy Johnson was chosen to represent Cottonwood High School on the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy to participate with other students in a monthly Leader Lab using unique, highly interactive curriculum technology. Teachers engage students to help them obtain leadership growth while gaining insight and principles to involve students in their school and impact their community. The program is fully-funded through generous sponsorships from local Chick-fil-A operators, Chick-fil-A, Inc. and Coca-Cola to offset the annual $4,000 tuition for schools to have students participate in the program.

Libby Varnum, daughter of Keith & Melissa Varnum made the Fall 2017 Dean’s List High Honors at Huntingdon College. The Dean’s List of High Honors recognizes those who achieved semester grade point averages of 3.8 to 4.00. The Dean’s List of Honors recognizes those who achieved semester averages of 3.6 to 3.79. To be eligible for inclusion on either list, a student must have received letter grade evaluations on at least 12 hours during the term and must have completed all coursework for the term.

An “incomplete” grade on a student’s grade report precludes the student’s inclusion on the Dean’s List.

Statewide Youth Tour Essay Competition: Is your child or grandchild a high school junior? Would they be interested in a free trip to Tallahassee and the chance to win a trip to Washington, D.C. next summer? If so, contact Candace Croft today!

The Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Association is sponsoring an essay contest for the children and grandchildren of WFEC employees and trustees. The winner of the essay competition will win a FREE trip to Washington, D.C. This contest is open to high school juniors only.

To enter, each participant must submit a 500-1,000 word essay on the following topic: America’s Energy Future for My Generation. They must explain what the biggest energy challenges will be for their generation and how our cooperative can help meet those challenges.

Essays are due by January 13, 2018. These essays will be judged on content by impartial judges who will select one winner from all of the essays submitted from throughout the state.

January Birthdays:

January Service Anniversaries:

January 1: Terrell Culbreth January 10: Janet Watson January 10: Trey Burrell January 12: Andy Barrett January 13: Vivan Daniels January 22: Shane Rustin

Ty Peel, 36 years Don Hatcher, 34 years Rick Hodge, 31 years Terry Mulllen, 31 years Christa McWhorter, 31 years Rhonda Byrd-Lee, 30 years Terrell Culbreth, 15 years James Efurd, 14 years Greg Melvin, 13 years Joey Landry, 4 years Wesley Duboise, 4 years Justin Stephens, 4 years Max Messer, 4 years David Gilpin, 3 years