TECA 2018 Annual Meeting concludes in Nashville

State’s electric cooperatives gather in Nashville to explore the opportunities facing co-ops

NASHVILLE – “Power and Opportunity” was the theme of the 77^th annual meeting of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, held Sunday, Nov. 18, through Tuesday, Nov. 20, in Nashville. More than 350 electric cooperative leaders from across the state attended the event where they explored the impact of co-ops and challenged one another to meet the needs of their communities.

“Each day, electric co-ops enable the communities we serve to prosper,” says David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “Rural and suburban Tennessee is well positioned to grow, and our role in that success has been and continues to be significant. The powerlines we build carry more than power. They deliver power and opportunity.”

Elections were held for three positions on the association’s board of trustees. John Roberts, a director for Pickwick Electric Cooperative in Selmer; Jimmy Gregory, manager for Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation in Carthage; and Dave Cross, manager for Plateau Electric Cooperative in Oneida, were elected to four-year terms.

“We congratulate those selected to serve on the TECA board of trustees,” says Callis. “Their talents and ideas will be valuable as we work to serve Tennessee’s electric cooperatives and their consumers.”

The fourth annual TECA Top Tenn Communications Awards were presented during the event. Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative received an award for Best External Newsletter or Magazine Section; Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation, Best Internal Newsletter; Duck River Electric Membership Corporation, Best Website; Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative, Best Use of Social Media. Duck River Electric Membership Corporation, Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation and Gibson Electric Membership Corporation each received Awards of Excellence in the Wild Card category, with Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation, Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative and Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative earning Awards of Merit.

“It is important for electric cooperative consumer-owners to be educated and informed,” says Robin Conover, TECA’s vice president of communications and editor of The Tennessee Magazine. “We honor these winners for telling the electric cooperative story in a professional way.”