Archive for category: Cooperatives

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.

Electric co-op employees across the state devoted their time and effort to various service projects to make the eighth annual Tennessee Electric Co-op Day of Service a success, with two co-ops focusing their efforts on serving those who have served. Both Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation and Forked Deer Electric Cooperative used the day to honor and serve veterans in their communities.

Forty employees from Cumberland EMC and 10 employees from TVA volunteered at YAIPak, a nonprofit organization in Clarksville. Their mission is to meet the needs of those who are neglected, hurting or affected where they are by providing support, comfort and resources. The 50 volunteers spent the morning at the organization’s warehouse sorting donated items to prepare a shipment of supplies for east Tennessee flood victims from the recent hurricanes. They also delivered furniture and other household goods to a newly housed veteran.

“My goal each year when choosing a service project for the Cooperative Day of Service is to find something that is meaningful and will leave a lasting impression on our employees,” Susie Yonkers, Cumberland EMC community relations coordinator and coordinator of the day of service event, says.

Thirty employees from Forked Deer EC chose to assemble gratitude packs for local veterans. Each pack included small, useful items as well as a meaningful message inside showing the co-op’s appreciation for their service.

“Being able to give back to those who have served our country is truly special to us,” Anna Grissom, Forked Deer EC’s project coordinator, says. “This project is a small but heartfelt way we can show our appreciation, and it reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the communities we’re a part of.”

The gratitude packs will be donated to the local Veterans Affairs and distributed throughout the month in honor of Veterans Day.

31 separate community service projects were completed with 630 co-op employees volunteering approximately 1,300 hours to their communities on October 17, 2024. Since the inception of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Day of Service, 210 projects have been completed with the help of 4,164 volunteers who have collectively contributed 10,000 hours of service to their communities.

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.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or some might say – especially in the cooperative world – the most tiring time of the year. Summer has come to an end, school is back in session, holidays are right around the corner and to top it off, it is annual meeting time. A time where local cooperatives come together to meet with members, handle official business, celebrate the year and what’s to come.

We spoke with annual meeting planners from a few Tennessee co-ops to learn about their planning process, the new things they are trying out and how they are working to best engage their members at this year’s event.

Caney Fork Electric Cooperative

Caney Fork Electric Cooperative has a little bit of time left to plan for their annual meeting. Each year the event is held on the Saturday before the third Sunday in October, which falls on October 19. This year members will vote on a couple of bylaw changes and one area has a contested election.

Of course, there is fun to be had at the meeting, too. The cooperative will have its normal BBQ lunch and entertainment. This year it will be a fan favorite band that is local to the area who has a following with both the younger and older members.

“We are striving to get our younger members to attend to better understand the importance of the cooperative and the value it brings to the rural communities in which they live,” John Chisam, Caney Fork Electric Cooperative’s director of member services, said.

Chickasaw Electric Cooperative

In the southwest corner of the Volunteer State, Chickasaw Electric Cooperative is gearing up for its annual meeting next month. Their team’s methods may be a bit different from most because its meeting is held virtually. The annual meeting is in the form of a video. It will be posted on the co-op’s YouTube channel on September 1 and be live for two weeks until September 15. Members from across the cooperative participate to make it a huge success, even with a silly blooper video to follow. Viewers can text a specific code to be entered to win a door prize.

“We started this in 2021, and it has been a huge hit with our membership,” Andrea Kee, Chickasaw Electric Cooperative’s communication specialist, said. “Our views grow each year.”

Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation

Moving one cooperative north, Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation is even closer to its annual meeting, which will be Friday, August 9. The co-op always has its yearly event on the second Friday of August, but planning, like many others, begins at the beginning of the year.

“We have a meeting with our department, executive staff and a couple others that are a huge help to start brainstorming ideas,” Kenley Mitchell, Southwest Tennessee Electric’s community relations specialist, said.

The planning includes the gift (this year, a cast iron skillet with the STEMC logo on the back), entertainment, door prizes and what they can do differently to better engage members. They have been actively engaging with members by explaining what and when the annual meeting is on social media, through The Tennessee Magazine, on their website and monthly bills. The cooperative works hard too to make sure the engagement is worth it by keeping the event fun for all ages through live music, free food and children’s activities.

“The annual meeting at STEMC is the marketing department’s most important task throughout the year. This is nearly a year-long, tiring project, but it is so rewarding to see the smiles on our members’ faces at the event,” Mitchell said. “Like most co-op’s, our numbers have dwindled since Covid. We do our best to make each meeting better than the last, and we are looking forward to seeing what this year brings.”

Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative

Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative is making the final planning touches on their annual meeting as it takes place on Thursday, August 8. They are celebrating their 85 anniversary, and as a commemoration of the co-op’s connection efforts over the years, they have created a show poster highlighting the beauty of the counties they serve.

SVEC is working with local industry Lodge Manufacturing to create custom skillets for their members. They are bringing in a local band to entertain guests at dinner, and they will have an ice cream truck on site to serve everyone’s favorite sweet treat. Most importantly, SVEC takes the busy season as a time to step back and reflect on the previous year.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and not look at the monumental accomplishments that we in the electric utility industry make to ensure our members don’t have to worry when they flip the switch,” Kari Crouse, SVEC’s vice president of communications and business strategy, said.

This year the event will focus on the theme “There wouldn’t be an us without you”, which will be debuted at the meeting, in their annual report and echoed throughout all speeches.

“It’s not just the big moments that make up a legacy, it is powering Friday night lights so communities can come together to support their favorite team. It is the look on a child’s face when they learn the power behind the switch. It’s customizing community training to ensure our friends and family serving as first responders come home safe each day to their families,” Mike Partin, SVEC’s President and CEO, said. “It’s knowing that when you flip the switch we are there, because we know that there wouldn’t be us without a you.”

Nashville – 139 high school juniors had the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a week in our nation’s capital as delegates of the 2024 Washington Youth Tour, a weeklong trip that began on Friday, June 14.

This annual event is sponsored by Tennessee’s electric cooperatives and the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. The students were selected for the trip by writing a short story titled “Co-ops Connect” that explains how co-ops connect Tennessee communities with energy, education, broadband, economic development and more.

“It’s so rewarding to see these students experience the nation’s capital and witness their growth throughout the week,” said Rachel Human, a chaperone from Plateau Electric Cooperative. “The Washington Youth Tour is not just a trip; it’s an investment in the future leaders of our communities.”

The Washington Youth Tour’s nonstop, seven-day itinerary is jam-packed with places to visit and experiences to give the Youth Tour delegates a trip that they will never forget. Highlights include a guided memorials tour around the city, visiting museums at the Smithsonian Institute, touring Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello and taking a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Delegates also got to see Washington, D.C., staples like the White House, U.S. Capitol and the Washington National Cathedral.

“The Washington Youth Tour is more than a trip,” said Todd Blocker, vice president of member services for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and tour director. “Transformative. Unforgettable. Life-changing. Whether the trip cultivates a love for history, leadership or active citizenship, we are empowering young minds to shape the future. Seeing the impact the trip has had on many over the years is awe-inspiring.”

While in D.C., winners were announced in the statewide competition for the Robert McCarty Memorial Scholarships. Charlsie Strech from Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative, Elijah Jones from Appalachian Electric Cooperative and Ayden Anderson from Gibson Electric Membership Corporation were awarded $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 Robert McCarty Memorial Scholarships for having the first, second and third place papers of the thousands of papers submitted across the state for this year’s contest. The scholarships are named in memory of Robert McCarty, an employee of Volunteer Energy Cooperative and longtime chaperone on the annual Youth Tour.

Yuridia Garcia, a senior from Appalachian Electric Cooperative, was awarded a $10,000 Cooperative Youth Ambassador Scholarship. Garcia was a 2023 delegate on the Washington Youth Tour. Delegates who remain engaged with their sponsoring cooperative during their senior year and complete certain community service requirements are eligible for the scholarship. Garcia’s name was randomly selected among the delegates from across the state who completed the requirements.

“An investment in the Washington Youth Tour delegates today is also an investment in the future of co-op communities across Tennessee,” said Mike Knotts, CEO of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “The future is bright for this group of Youth Tour delegates. We are honored to be a part of supporting their academic journeys and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for them and the impact they will have on their communities.”

The Washington Youth Tour was inspired by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1957 when he encouraged electric cooperatives to send young people to the nation’s capital. Since then, more than 6,000 young Tennesseans have participated in the Washington Youth Tour as delegates.