Alabama LIVING March 2018

Stories | Recipes | Events | People | Places | Things | Local News MARCH 2018

Wiregrass

Electric Cooperative

COLEMAN IS HELPING TO MOVE THE WIREGRASS FORWARD

ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to some 420,000 Alabama families and businesses, which are members of 22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed and taxpaying electric cooperatives. AREA cooperative member subscriptions are $3 a year; non-member subscriptions, $6. Alabama Living (USPS 029920) is published monthly by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at additional mailing office.

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VOL. 69 NO. XX  Month Year

POSTMASTER send forms 3579 to: Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, Alabama 36124-4014.

ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

AREA President Fred Braswell Editor Lenore Vickrey Managing Editor Allison Griffin Creative Director Mark Stephenson Art Director Michael Cornelison Advertising Director Jacob Johnson Advertising Coordinator, Graphic Designer Brooke Echols Communications Coordinator Laura Stewart

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NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE:

National Country Market 611 South Congress Ave., Suite 504 Austin, Texas 78704 1-800-626-1181 www.nationalcountrymarket.com www.alabamaliving.coop USPS 029-920 • ISSN 1047-0311

Printed in America from American materials Alabama Living

MOVING FORWARD

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Dothan business is the world’s largest Allied Van Lines agent coordinating moves from across the street to across the globe.

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D E PA R T M E N T S

ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL OFFICES:

340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, Alabama 36117-6031 1-800-410-2737 E-mail: advertising@areapower.com www.areapower.coop

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

ONLINE: EMAIL: MAIL:

www.alabamaliving.coop letters@alabamaliving.coop Alabama Living 340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, AL 36117

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9 Spotlight 26 Worth the drive 29 Around Alabama 36 Gardens 40 Outdoors 41 Fish & Game Forecast 46 Cook of the month 54 Snapshots ONLINE: alabamaliving.coop ON THE COVER Brothers Jeff and John Coleman are the fifth generation to run the 103-year-old familyowned company of Coleman Worldwide Moving.

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WEC members answer the call to conserve Board of Trustees John Clark, Jr. District 3 President Donna Parrish District 2 Vice-President Debra E. Baxley District 1 Secretary

Danny McNeil District 4

Tracy Reeder District 5

Kip Justice District 6

Les Moreland, CEO Wiregrass Electric Cooperative In January, our cooperative faced the challenge of extremely cold temperatures and the demand that brings on our electric system. Each year, WEC sets a “peak” in energy usage. Some years, when we have mild winters, our peak is relatively low. Last year was an example of a mild winter helping keep our members’ electric bills more consistent.

However, some years we have to worry about extreme weather and how it affects each of our members. We also worry about setting a large peak demand for our cooperative as a whole. This year, despite the arrival of cold weather, we were still able to “beat the peak.” Thanks to you, our members, we did not exceed our all-time high of 135 megawatts set in 2014. And that’s important.

How peak demand affects you

WEC does not produce electricity. We purchase energy from our wholesale provider, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, and we distribute it to our members. Roughly 70 cents of every dollar spent on your power bill pays for wholesale energy. The other 30 cents pays for our workers, equipment, powerlines, offices and more.

One of our commitments to our members is that when you flip a switch, the lights will come on.

In order to fulfill that promise, PowerSouth must be ready to meet WEC’s peak demand at any time.

To do that, they must have the power plants, workers and infrastructure to meet any demand their members, like WEC, may have.

That’s why when WEC sets a high peak demand, we have to pay more for that capacity. This ensures our wholesale provider has the ability to meet our demawnd, and it helps us fulfill our promise of reliable electricity for your family. The higher the peak, the higher the price WEC pays, which affects each of our members’ bills.

I want to thank our members for taking precautionary measures, such as lowering thermostats.

We especially appreciate our over 2,500 H2O+ members who greatly helped us reduce our load.

Your cooperative also took every action possible to help reduce peak demand. Thanks to our use of cutting-edge technology and planning, we were able to help keep our peak demand much lower than it could have been.

Extreme weather impacts your bill Donald Ray Wilks District 7

Greg McCullough District 8

David Winstead District 9

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Aside from peak demand, it’s also important to remember that weather can force everyone’s bills higher. Staying warm when temperatures plummet demands more electricity, even in homes with thermostats set at levels meant to reduce power costs. In our part of the South, where temperatures rarely get below freezing, most homes use heat pumps that work well until temperatures tumble.

Then, the systems rely on energy-hungry auxiliary systems to maintain warmth.

Due to infiltration — cold air coming into the home — being much stronger during cold weather, heating systems must work harder as temperatures drop, often using those auxiliary systems. Comparing energy bills from a mild winter to a cold winter is simply apples and oranges. January brought cold not felt since the polar vortex in 2014, which is why energy bills for many members will be higher than last year’s.

As a result of recent low temperatures, some members now face higher bills. Our member services team has contacted those whose bill increased substantially, offering an explanation for the higher bill and providing details about payment options. We know higher bills can cause hardships.

We are not a for-profit company, but instead a cooperative built to serve you. As we say every day: “You are our reason!” The satisfaction of our members is one of the most important aspects of our mission. That’s why we’re happy to make these calls to give people warning about a higher bill, and, when necessary, to help with payment arrangements. n

www.alabamaliving.coop

WEC Service Area

Don’t keep us in the dark!

Always keep your contact information up to date!

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s toll-free Outage Reporting System makes it easy to report a service interruption.

By calling our automatic reporting system, you may report any outage without worrying about busy signals or being placed on hold. WEC also utilizes automated broadcast messages that include important service information for a particular neighborhood.

In order for the system to work, however, WEC needs your correct contact information. If your account information is not up-to-date, then you will not receive these important messages. And most importantly, our automated Outage Reporting System will not link your account to your phone number when you report an outage. If we are unable to track your outage, response times could be slower.

With your home and mobile numbers on file, our system will use Caller ID to identify your account when you report an outage. Also, the system allows you to verify your information by pressing a few keys and to complete your outage report in a minute or less. Our system will then use the information from you, along with others affected, to efficiently track and respond to the outage.

Updating your information is quick and easy and can be done by phone or by going online. See the simple instructions below to update your account information.

ONLINE

Use the convenient update form on our website at www.wiregrass.coop.

Contact Information Mailing address 509 N. State Hwy 167 P.O. Box 158, Hartford, AL 36344 Phone 1-800-239-4602 Toll Free Outage “Hotline” 1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day) Website www.wiregrass.coop Find us here:

TfY Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (twitter. com/wec2), Facebook and YouTube.

Payment Options

BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Department 1340, P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340 WEBSITE Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop.

PHONE PAYMENTS Payments may be made any time by dialing 1-800-239-4602.

NIGHT DEPOSITORY Available at each office location.

IN PERSON Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Payment kiosks also available 24/7 in all offices.

Hartford 509 N. State Hwy. 167 • Hartford, AL 36344 Samson 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 • Samson, AL 36477

BY PHONE

Connect with our Member Care Team or Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system by calling 1-800-239-4602.

Alabama Living

Ashford 1066 Ashford Highway • Ashford, AL 36312 Dothan 6167 Fortner St. • Dothan, AL 36305 For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4781 or Dothan City Sanitation at 334-615-3820.

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A man of many hats WEC member Jeff Coleman helps move the Wiregrass forward

Jeff Coleman is the president and CEO of Coleman Worldwide Moving, which has 60 offices in 20 states.

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www.alabamaliving.coop

Two older moving trucks sit on the main Coleman Moving campus.

They are a proud reminder of the company’s foundation.

When you drive onto the main headquarters of Coleman Worldwide Moving in Midland City, you see an old moving truck at the entrance.

After entering the business’s campus just outside Dothan, you find well-manicured landscaping and a winding drive that ends at the main office. Parked behind the building are some of the new 18-wheelers that help move more than 600,000 people nationally each year.

But it’s not the new, shiny vehicles that bring a glimmer of pride into President and CEO Jeff Coleman’s eye. Instead, his favorite is that restored 1954 Chevy truck — the one his mom and dad drove when they started with the company — parked at the company’s entrance.

“To me, this is the coolest truck we have,” Jeff Coleman says.

Inside Jeff Coleman’s office is a photo that shows him as a small boy standing beside one of the moving trucks, and he’s no bigger than the tire. He grew up learning to do every job in the company he could. When he was in his teens and through college, he helped his father, James F. Coleman.

Now, Jeff Coleman manages the 103-year-old, family-owned company, Alabama Living

which has 60 offices in 20 states, 2,000 trucks and 2,500 employees.

Coleman and his brother, John Coleman, who is the executive vice president and general council, are the fifth generation in the business. Their great-great-grandfather J.M. Coleman started the company by delivering goods with a horse and wagon during 1914 in Hutchinson, Kansas. The company’s headquarters moved to Dothan in the early 1970s.

Today, Coleman Worldwide Moving is a moving, storage and relocation business.

It’s the largest Allied Van Lines agent in the world, and it coordinates local, long-distance and international moves for businesses, private consumers, the military and the government.

“We are a 103-year-old, family-owned business that has been moving the world for a long time,” Jeff Coleman says.

He also happens to be a Wiregrass Electric Cooperative member who shares the same values as the cooperative.

“Jeff is an outstanding individual who has done so much to help the Wiregrass area grow and be a great place to live,” WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro says. “His company is a great asset, but Jeff has also done so much work on

his own to help move the community forward. We are proud to have him as a Wiregrass Electric member.”

Early life

Coleman was born in Kansas and moved to Dothan when his father decided in 1972 to buy a local moving company, shifting the company’s headquarters to the deep South. At the time, the South was growing, and his father saw that trend.

“I love Dothan because it really is a great place, and that was a great decision by my father,” he says. “Hutchinson, Kansas, where I was born, was a town very similar to Dothan. Their claim to fame was their huge underground salt mines. When I moved to Dothan, I found out it was the peanut capital of the world. So, I tell people I’m the salted peanut.”

He graduated from the University of Alabama and then received his master’s degree from Troy University. His wife is also a graduate of Alabama, and they have three daughters.

Other avenues

In December 2016, Jeff Coleman was elected by the board of directors of the Business Council of Alabama to serve as MARCH 2018 7

Jeff Coleman looks at a photo of himself as a young boy standing beside a moving truck.

the council’s chairman. The council is a nonprofit organization that represents business interests before the Alabama State Legislature and the United States Congress. He takes pride in the effort to help businesses, big or small, around the state.

“It’s always a challenge to try to figure out how much time I am going to spend on certain activities,” Coleman says. “I have a great team, and they are the only reason that I am able to do so much because they are working to build the company.”

Also, last summer he was sworn in as the civilian aid to the Secretary of the Army, representing South Alabama. Each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories have one or more civilian aids appointed to provide a vital link between the Army and the communities they serve.

With Fort Rucker located in the Wiregrass and Coleman Worldwide Moving’s heavy involvement with the military, Jeff Coleman was a perfect fit.

“That was a huge honor for me, and I was humbled by it,” he says. “I am that link for South Alabama to the Secretary of the Army. I can communicate any needs we have. I’ve been blown away by the process and getting to see firsthand how important the United States Army is.”

He’s also served as an advocate for a strong pre-K program in the Wiregrass and is on the Alabama School Readiness Alliance board.

In December, Jeff Coleman announced plans for a partnership with The Coleman 8 MARCH 2018

Foundation and Troy University’s Dothan campus to create The Coleman Center for Early Learning and Family Enrichment.

The center will provide a state-of-the-art pre-K program. Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is also a contributor.

He’s also an active member of his church, First United Methodist in Dothan.

He’s on the board for the Dothan/Wiregrass Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He’s involved in civic organizations such as the Rotary Club, the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and the Wiregrass United Way. He provides support for his employees through Marketplace Chaplains, which brings spiritual support to the workplace.

Why does he do so much work outside of running the 103-year-old family business?

“My faith, absolutely no doubt,” he says. “We want to reflect the love of God in everything we do. I really feed off the additional work that I do. I call it paying it forward to the community.”

That’s something he has in common with WEC, which also serves the community through the Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation.

“What I love about Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is they are connected to our community and helping us move forward,” Jeff Coleman says. “They are involved with economic development, and I love the Operation Round Up program and everything that foundation is doing. I am proud to be a member of WEC and appreciate all they do for our Wiregrass Community.”

Jeff Coleman announced his plans in December for a collaborative partnership with The Coleman Foundation and Troy University Dothan campus, creating The Coleman Center for Early Learning and Family Enrichment.

What’s next?

Jeff Coleman has a strong passion for government, but he is not motivated to enter politics. For now, he concentrates on his many existing roles, and he doesn’t see himself slowing.

“I just want to keep serving,” he says.

“I keep looking for ways to stay plugged in and to keep serving, whether that is through my business or through community organizations. I am all for it anytime I have an opportunity to do that and help our local Wiregrass Community and our state move forward.” n

www.alabamaliving.coop

Coleman, Botanical Gardens selected as Silent Hero

Left to Right; Brad Kimbro, WEC Chief Operating Officer; Miles Coleman, selected as Silent Hero; and Wes Tomlin, WTVY General Sales Manager.

When Miles Coleman first volunteered at the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens, he didn’t realize the passion he would develop for making the gardens successful. Ten years later, a great partnership continues.

Coleman was selected as the Silent Hero of the Wiregrass for January for his volunteer work with the gardens. The program is an innovative award formed by WTVY in Dothan and Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation.

Coleman received a grant from the WEC ORU Foundation. The Foundation is funded by WEC members who made charitable contributions by having their monthly bill rounded up to the nearest dollar.

Coleman, now retired from Southern Nuclear, began working with the company’s service organization. Coleman was put in charge of helping the gardens build a wedding pergola.

After that project, the gardens requested Coleman help. Once he retired, he was asked to join the board of directors, and he has volunteered with the gardens ever since.

“Once I started volunteering, I realized it was something I was interested in,” Coleman says. “I knew I would need something to do once I retired. I think it’s very important for everyone to pick some area to give back in.”

The mission of the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens is to enhance the quality of life for Wiregrass citizens and to serve as an educational resource for children and adults. The gardens also promotes tourism to the Wiregrass area.

“It’s an economic engine for this community,” says WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro. “And it wouldn’t be what it is without people like Miles volunteering their time.” n

WEC’s Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation presented a $5,000 check to the Slocomb Police Department in January to help pay for a new security camera at the recreation park. Pictured presenting the check to Slocomb Police Chief Don White was foundation President David Hall, Vice President Susan Bailey, Secretary Myra Johnson Bell, Treasurer Ricky Moore and WEC board member Tracy Reeder.

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Thames remembered for his ‘generous heart’ When Wiregrass Electric board member Donald Ray Wilks needed to select someone from his district to serve on Wiregrass Electric’s inaugural Operation Round Up board of trustees, he knew exactly who to call — Charles N. Thames.

Thames served on a number of boards through the years, he had his hand on the pulse of the community in Geneva County, and he demonstrated a passion for giving back.

“I’ve known him all my life, and he was one of those pillars of the community,” Wilks says. “He would give a helping hand to anybody who needed it.”

Thames passed away Dec. 31, 2017, at the age of 79.

“Charles was perhaps known most for his generous heart,” said WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro. “He was instrumental to the birth of the Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation. His wisdom and leadership will be sincerely missed.”

Thames was born on Dec. 26, 1938, and he retired from Avionic. He lived in Coffee Springs with his wife, Mavinee, and they had a daughter, Lynn. He attended First Baptist Church in Coffee Springs, where he was the advisory senior citizen chairman.

He participated in RCAG and CS Quarterback Club, and he has served on the Geneva County Board of Education and as a trustee at Coffee Springs School.

“I’ve always had a lot of respect for Mr. Thames,” says Operation Round Up Board President David Hall. “He was very dedicated, and he did what was right and tried to help others.” n www.alabamaliving.coop

Operation Round Up Scholarship Last year, the Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation awarded $26,000 for schools simply by collecting the change from rounding up members’ electric bills to the nearest dollar every month.

This year, ORU Foundation will be awarding scholarships to support WEC member’s and their families to help further their education. The deadline is April 13, 2018. Visit www.wiregrass.coop/roundup for more information about how you can apply.

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Alabama Living

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