Over the last several months, I've provided you the general manager's, employees', and board of directors' responsibilities. This month I will discuss the memberowners' responsibilities.
Member-Owners: Members are the foundation of the cooperative business. They organized it and their needs are the reason for its existence. Their support, through patronage and capital investment, keeps it economically healthy. And, their changing requirements shape the cooperative's future.
Responsibilities:
• Patronize the cooperative. Members must make a conscious decision to be committed to the cooperative and maintain that commitment even when short-term prices or services may be better elsewhere, or competitors make more attractive offers. If members do not want to use the cooperative, the need for it must be re-examined.
Tim Alford, WFEC Board President
• Be informed about the cooperative. To carry out their responsibilities, members must know what the cooperative is, what it can do for them, its purpose, policies, and the issues it faces. They can obtain information through annual reports and newsletters, and from talking to the manager, staff, directors, and other members. To effectively exercise their right of ownership, a member needs a good understanding of the present situation and projected future operations.
• Participate in selecting and evaluating directors. As owners, members assume a positive, broad role in the cooperative's management. Although the cooperative is a user/owner (democratically) controlled form of business, members cannot make all the decisions directly. Other members select from among their peers, the individuals with the best judgement and business management skills to represent them in as the cooperative's board of directors. This is definitely one of the most important responsibilities. Selecting the most popular or least controversial person is not the wisest choice for this job. Members need to study carefully the strengths and weaknesses of the cooperative and determine how the leadership skills of the candidates address them. Loyalty, integrity, the ability to make wise business decisions, and willingness to serve are necessary characteristics to board members. But, this election does not mean the end of the members' responsibility. They need to keep in contact with the directors to ask questions, make comments, and request changes or new services. They also need to observe and evaluate how directors perform.
• Provide necessary capital. A primary responsibility is to finance the cooperative for the purpose of acquiring needed goods and services, not for financial returns. This is done initially through the purchase of stock or a membership. It is continued through patronage and/or use of the cooperative. One-time assessments or investments also may be necessary to finance special fixed assets or services. For a cooperative to be successful, it must have a volume of business. Normally, the greater the volume of business, the greater the efficiency obtainable, the more services available, and the higher the earnings (profit) are for members. Members' patronage finances the cooperative so the business can continue. The greater the patronage, the more likely the cooperative will be able to provide, expand, and improve its services. But if that is not the case, and the cooperative loses money, members have the same responsibility to share in those losses as they do in the earnings.
• Adopt legal papers. Members are responsible for understanding, adopting, and amending legal papers. They should read and understand the cooperative's articles of incorporation and bylaws to know how the business is to operate and what services it can provide. Before voting to approve bylaw amendments, they need to analyze them to determine how they will affect the business. Members must also become acquainted with the contents of legally
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enforceable marketing contracts or other legal papers before signing them so that they can fulfill their obligation to the business.
• Evaluate performance of the cooperative. Members should examine the annual report, observe whether the cooperative is meeting their needs and analyze efforts of the cooperative to communicate with members and the public.
This concludes the four-part series about the responsibilities of a general manager, employees, directors, and member-owners.
I pray everyone has a safe month.
Tim Alford • 2,180 votes
Andrew Bowden • 858 votes
Sincerely,
WFEC Lineman Creates Bold New Logo for Co-op
What began as a quick drawing of "nothing special" to pitch a new hat design to co-op leadership quickly evolved into something more for West Florida Electric Cooperative Journeyman Lineworker, Tyler Love.
"I thought it would be neat to design and see a drawing come to life and we'd have some good hats to wear," said Love. "It turned into them [management] wanting to use it as the new company logo - something I didn't really have on on my mind. But I'll take it." he continued.
Love said 7eventy x 7even Caps and Designs, a local small business, made his sketch come to life and helped create a great design to present to Interim Executive Vice President & CEO, Wayne Williams.
"West Florida Electric has been exploring the idea of a brand refresh and designing a new logo for over a year now," said Candace Croft, Communications & PR Coordinator. "Nothing quite hit the mark until we saw Tyler's design come to life on a hat. We love the fact that this logo was created and designed by one of our very own linemen - it adds a unique and personal touch. We feel this new logo brings a modern, fresh look, making our co-op more identifiable when our trucks roll out. We are incredibly thankful to Tyler for taking the initiative to create this design and to James Merritt at 7eventy x 7even Caps and Designs for working with us to finalize the logos."
The cooperative's previous logo was adopted in the late 1990s, when West Florida Electric joined Touchstone Energy.
Interim EVP & CEO, Wayne Williams, said he believes the bold design and bright colors will allow our members to easily identify cooperative trucks. This visibility will play a vital role in keeping our employees safe when they visit a member's home or work along the roadside day or night. Cooperative vehicles will be the first things updated to feature the new logo with easily visible signs. It could take a couple of years to transition completely to the exclusive use of the updated logo.
"The Board of Trustees and I want to extend our thanks to Tyler and to James for their hard work. We are thrilled to use one of our employee's designs as a representation of what we do each day - keep the lights on as safely and reliably as possible," said Williams.
"Being a lineman (the backbone of the REA) here at WFEC is great and I'm glad I was able to put my mark on the cooperative in more ways than one," said Love.
Quickly and Easily Report Power Outages
When the lights go out, it's important to quickly report the issue so that West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) dispatchers and linemen can take action to restore power as soon as possible. Fortunately, modern technology provides a variety of convenient ways to report power outages, from traditional phone calls to online platforms and mobile apps. Here's how you can quickly and easily report your outage:
1. By Phone - the most traditional way to report power outages is by calling us on the outage hotline at 844-6882431 or at 800-342-7400. Simply call and follow the prompts to report your outage. The automated system should recognize the number associated with your account and identify your location. If you are calling from a number not listed on your account, you will be prompted to provide additional information as the automated system won't be able to locate your account using your phone number.
2. Text - texting is a convenient way to report an outage. You can text in your outage, receive updates about its status and notifications when your power is restored. Enrolling is easy. Just follow these steps:
• Text WFEC to 800-342-7400.
• You will receive a welcome message with instructions about how to report future outages.
• When you need to report an outage, text OUT to 800-342-7400.
• Text STATUS for any updates, HELP for more info, and STOP to unsubscribe.
• Once power has been restored, a text confirming restoration will be sent to you. Here are a few things to note:
• If your number isn't recognized, it will tell you to contact the co-op by phone to report your outage.
• If you text OUT to report an outage, but don't respond to the question asked, it will tell you the outage was not reported and to respond or call.
• When you have multiple meters, and they are both off the same electric device it will ask if both meters are out.
• When texting, upper or lowercase letters are acceptable.
• You must have a mobile number associated with your account to use this service. Only one mobile number may be listed on each account for texting purposes.
• Phone plan data charges will apply.
3. App or Online - you can report outages from the mobile app or the co-op's website as well as view the outage map to determine where outages are occurring 24/7. To utilize the app or online reporting, members must have a password to log in. Once logged into your account, you may report your outage on either platform.
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Track and report power outages immediately with your phone – and view detailed outage maps with impacted areas and status.
Take advantage of the easiest way to watch our restoration efforts in realtime. Rest assured we are on our way to you. Log on or download the app today!
Recent Substation Work Aims to Improve
West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC), in partnership with PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, recently began upgrades and construction work inside its Alford substation and completed upgrade work inside its Graceville substation - essential steps in strengthening our electrical distribution system for current and future needs.
“In light of the recent winter storms and severe winter weather patterns, WFEC is working with PowerSouth Energy to upgrade the Alford substation to add capacity to support extreme weather events and system growth,” said WFEC’s System Engineer.
Power companies across the southeast experienced extreme demand situations due to the winter storm that hit portions of the country in January 2025. Many of these systems saw an all-time historical system peak, including WFEC. Historically, many southeastern utilities, including West Florida Electric, are winter peaking systems. Heat pumps and strip heating are leading contributors to this high demand. Heat pumps are the most efficient way to provide heating in warmer climates, like ours, where freezing temperatures are not as common.
“Multiple line crews from both cooperatives worked together to limit the outage length experienced by co-op members,” said Greg Calloway, Supervisor of Technical Services. “While the mobile substation carried the Alford load, the distribution substation transformer, regulators, and lightning arrestors were replaced along with other upgrades to the transmission grid inside the substation.”
According to Calloway, during the outage at Alford, obsolete switches will be replaced with new switches capable of carrying more load on each circuit. The plan is designed to upgrade the distribution substation transformer to a larger size capable of serving the growing area and high demands during winter peaking events. The upgrades at the Graceville substation in early April included a reconstruction of the Graceville transmission grid and updates from a wire grid to a more robust pipe grid.
“This improved grid ensures a more hardened system against the natural elements such as hurricanes and storms. The newer grid is necessary to provide a more reliable
WFEC Journeyman Lineman, Justin Galbreath was one of many who worked inside the Alford substation on April 15 to complete upgrades to equipment that will help improve the substation's performance due to projected growth in the area and help make it more weather resilient.
2 antique chiffarobes; 1 buffet; 2 iron bed frames; cast iron cookware; 850-866-2697.
Vehicles
1960 Chevy Bel Air, 4-door; 348 V8, Powerglide, starts and drives, poor brakes; $6,000 OBO; 850-557-6463 or 850-209-7383.
CLF Free Ad Policy (Limited to one ad per household)
WFEC publishes free classified ads in the Current Light Flashes as a service to its members. The following limitations apply: 1) Ads must be 20 words or less and must be legible, with an active electric account number at the top. 2) Ads exceeding 20 words are subject to elimination. 3) Submit ads to the Graceville office by the 5th of the month to appear in the following month’s issue. (Example: An ad arriving by Jan. 5 will appear in the Feb. CLF) 4) Ads for services & businesses are not free. Service businesses include, but are not limited to, pet or livestock breeders or stud services, rentals, baby-sitting, etc. 5) Any buying or selling on a regular basis will be considered a business. On-going garage sales & the sale of similar items on a repeated basis do not qualify for free advertising. 6) WFEC may refuse to publish any ad . 7) You may submit your ad online at www.westflorida.coop WFEC will not accept ads over the phone.
WANTED
Horses; ponies; mules; donkeys; 850-209-8532 or 850-592-2494.
150-500 acres pasture land, in Holmes or Washington County; 850-234-7070.
Penny through dollar coins, loose, in jars or collections; buy, sale and trade; 850-326-3437.
License plates, from any state, mainly Florida, prior to 1980; old motorcycles or parts prior to 1960; 850-557-7030.
Land to lease, for cow pasture, the closer to Campbellton, Florida, the better; 850-703-5450.
FREE
John Deer Gator, body needs work, or for scrap metal; 850-579-4927, leave message.
SURVEYOR
Licensed Surveyor since 1969
Free Ad Form Please Type or Print Neatly.
Notification Statement
Notice is hereby given that the West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. Board of Trustees regularly meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month, unless special circumstances warrant a change.
Main Business and Publications Offices
5282 Peanut Road
Graceville, Florida 32440-0127 (850) 263-3231 or 1-800-342-7400
Subscription Rate
Cooperative members, $2.50 per year Non-members, $6.00 per year
Change of Address Notices
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Current Light Flashes
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Graceville, Florida 32440-0127
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