Archive for year: 2024

Over the course of almost three decades, Todd Blocker has dedicated his career to the electric cooperative world. The last 13 of those 27 years have been spent with the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association as the director of member services. Blocker will retire January 2025.

“Todd’s impact on our cooperatives is not just in what he did, it will show itself for years through what he has done,” Mike Knotts, CEO of TECA, says. “He has a tremendous love for young people, and by providing young leaders from all across the state the opportunity to learn more about their co-op, their state, their nation and themselves he has truly helped mold the next generation.”

A major part of Blocker’s role was helping with the Washington Youth Tour where students in cooperative areas write a short story and the winners explore our nation’s capital during a six-day, all-expense paid trip.

“I worked on 13 youth tours, went on 10, and missed two (everyone did) due to COVID,” Blocker says. “I have personally been on tour with over 1,800 student delegates and cooperative chaperones.”

Helping cooperatives and their service areas during disaster was another key aspect of Blocker’s service. Over his time, he helped with approximately 26 hurricanes as well as countless tornadoes and ice storms throughout the Valley.

“Even after long hours of coordinating crew movements to assist cooperatives when disasters hit, you can always count on Todd to bring a positive attitude and a smile for everyone around him,” Knotts says.

When asked what Blocker will miss most about his time with TECA, he said the answer was simple.

“It has been a true privilege to serve as part of the electric cooperative family,” Blocker says. “I will always cherish the countless experiences and the lasting relationships I’ve built with our members, as well as with my extended family and friends over the years.”

BJ Bernard has joined the TECA team as the incoming vice president of member services.

The Electric Research Manufacturing Cooperative Inc. (ERMCO) is expanding in West Tennessee.

The project aims to boost transformer manufacturing capacity at the Dyersburg plant through three separate phases which will create 400 new jobs. It’s an effort to help the nation – including Tennessee’s electric co-ops – meet critical infrastructure needs while bringing new jobs to the region. The plan is supported by $54.1 million in tax credit financing from five lenders and will include the establishment of an employee training center.

“Electric cooperatives across the state depend on a steady supply of transformers and other equipment to maintain the electric grid,” Mike Knotts, CEO of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, said. “ERMCO’s announcement is exciting not only for improved supply chain, but also for the economic development and growth of the region.”

It is a sentiment shared by the team at ERMCO as well. “We’re helping to ensure a reliable and resilient electrical grid,” Adam Kruzich, the company’s CFO, said in a statement. “We’re proud to contribute to the economic growth of Dyersburg and play a vital role in building a sustainable energy future for the United States.”

ERMCO’s initiative is part of a growing trend, with multiple industrial players investing to address a power sector in need of more transformers. ERMCO is part of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. and is North America’s largest manufacturer of oil-filled distribution transformers. The company currently employs around 2,000 people, produces more than 9,500 transformers per week and has been in business in West Tennessee for more than 50 years.

Hurricane Helene made landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, Sept. 26. With winds reaching 140 miles per hour late that evening, the damage was catastrophic. The storm continued north weakening to a post tropical cyclone over Tennessee the next day, stalling over the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina and dumping upwards of 30 inches of rain on some communities. The storm created severe flooding, hundreds of fatalities and billions of dollars in property damage across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Despite the extensive damage created by Hurricane Helene, electric co-ops are doing what they do best – helping their own.

“Tennessee co-ops are rolling up their sleeves and helping when it’s needed most, both with our own here in the state and with sister co-ops in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina,” said Mike Knotts, CEO of TECA. “We could not be more proud of the lineworkers who are making this happen.”

Some of the hardest hit co-ops in the Volunteer State were Powell Valley Electric Cooperative in New Tazewell and Mountain Electric Cooperative in Mountain City.

Powell Valley Electric Cooperative had 735 individual outages following the storm, 95 broken poles and more than 11,000 consumers without power, but with the help of the co-op family, all power has been restored. The co-op received mutual aid from co-ops, contractors and tree trimmers.

“Fortunately, nearly 40 linemen from our sister cooperatives in Virginia—Northern Neck, NOVEC, Choptank, and Mecklenburg—answered the call, working alongside our crews to restore service. The coordinated efforts between the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and the Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives were key in quickly finding help for us, ensuring that we received the necessary support to speed up the restoration process,” said Brad Coppock, PVEC’s general manager. “The principle of cooperation among cooperatives truly shines during times like these, and PVEC is deeply grateful for the assistance from both TECA and our fellow co-ops in Virginia and Maryland.”

Reconstruction efforts continue into the second week at Mountain Electric Cooperative. After the storm, 25,000 consumers–well over half of the co-op’s system–were without power.

“Hurricane Helene impacted Mountain Electric Cooperative with severe damage to our electrical grid,” said Rodney Metcalf, general manager of MEC. “There were thousands of trees, poles and electrical lines damaged. The grid in several areas will need to be completely rebuilt. Many of our employees have sustained damage to their own homes and are unable to do any repairs because they are working to serve others in the community above themselves. Please keep our community and our employees in your prayers for safety.”

MEC’s outage numbers are down to around 2,000, and lineworkers from MEC, joined by crews from Tennessee Valley Electric Cooperative and Fayetteville Public Utilities, continue working 15 hour days to assist those in need. With the help of its community, FPU was able to send nearly 75,000 pounds of supplies to those impacted by the hurricane and plan to send another load in the coming days.

“TECA is always ready to answer the call for mutual aid,” said Todd Blocker, TECA’s vice president of member services and coordinator for mutual aid in the state. “Hurricane Helene certainly caused devastation and destruction for some of Tennessee’s electric cooperatives, but it has been encouraging to see other co-ops from across the state rush to assist.”

Earlier this year several electric co-ops volunteered to participate in a readership study of The Tennessee Magazine. Preliminary results are in, and the findings show high levels of readership, trust and appreciation for the publication.

MRI Simmons, a leading provider of consumer profiling, media planning and activation tools, surveyed members of eight electric co-ops in Tennessee, and more than 6,300 co-op members took the time to respond to the study. Given the high number of responses, the study provided the team with highly accurate data, including a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of just 1%.

“This new research data validates what we already knew in our hearts – that co-op members not only read, but trust what they read in The Tennessee Magazine,” Mike Knotts, TECA’s CEO, says. “With a delivered cost less than the price of a stamp, I can say with confidence that there is no better, more effective and more appreciated tool available to communicate with electric co-op members in Tennessee.”

Key Findings

The research shows the magazine is widely read and that readers invest significant time with each issue.

• 80% of participants read three out of the last four issues.
• 66% of participants read four out of the last four issues.
• 51% of participants spend more than 30 minutes reading each issue.

The research reveals a preference for print among The Tennessee Magazine audience.

• When asked how respondents prefer to receive information from their electric co-op, The Tennessee Magazine was the most commonly selected choice. Other options included email, bill inserts, social media and websites.
• 9 out of 10 respondents prefer to continue receiving the magazine in the printed format.

The research found high levels of trust in The Tennessee Magazine at a time when trust in the media is at an all-time low.

• 96% of participants responded that they trust what they read in the magazine and feel that The Tennessee Magazine is a name they can trust.

The research shows that The Tennessee Magazine helps electric co-ops build affinity among their members.

• 96% of readers know that the magazine is provided by their local electric co-op.
• 9 out of 10 readers feel that the magazine helps them better appreciate their electric co-op.

“The Tennessee Magazine is a high quality publication that provides an affordable way for local electric cooperatives to communicate important information to our member-owners,” said Dan Rodamaker, president and CEO of Gibson Electric Membership Corporation and TECA board president. “The pages that surround our section include beautiful photography and interesting stories about people and places in our state.”

The Tennessee Magazine team also questioned readers about the content that appears in the magazine. “Stories about Tennessee places” ranked number one, followed by “Tennessee history”, “food/recipes” and “stories about Tennessee people”.

“We are thankful for everyone who took the time to participate in this study,” Chris Kirk, editor of The Tennessee Magazine, says. “This research and data help us better understand what our readers want to know and read, and ultimately it will help shape the content that appears in the magazine each month. We are focused on making the magazine the most effective communications tool for electric co-ops, and the findings of this research are very encouraging.”

 

NASHVILLE – Power restoration efforts are underway this afternoon as the remnants of Hurricane Helene move through the Volunteer State. Heavy rain and strong winds have left some 60,000 electric co-op members without power across eastern Tennessee.

“Electric co-op crews are working tirelessly to restore power to every affected home and business,” said Mike Knotts, CEO of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “The damage in eastern Tennessee is significant, and ongoing flooding is hampering restoration efforts. During situations like this, the hard work and dedication of electric lineworkers cannot be overstated. They are performing a dangerous job under difficult conditions, and their commitment to serving their neighbors is truly inspiring.”

As of Friday afternoon, the hardest-hit cooperatives are:

• Mountain Electric Cooperative, Mountain City – 25,000 consumers affected
• Appalachian Electric Cooperative, New Market – 11,900 consumers affected
• Holston Electric Cooperative, Rogersville – 11,900 consumers affected
• Powell Valley Electric Cooperative, New Tazewell – 11,200 consumers affected

The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association is coordinating assistance from Tennessee cooperatives. Appalachian Electric Cooperative is being assisted by Middle Tennessee Electric and Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation. Holston Electric Cooperative is being assisted by Middle Tennessee Electric. Mountain Electric Cooperative is being assisted by crews from Fayetteville Public Utilities and Tennessee Valley Electric Cooperative. Several additional cooperatives have pledged to send crews once the storm system moves through their own service territories.