BCEC Open House Reflects Growth and Gratitude

One of the pillars of any cooperative’s foundation is its rich history, which affords members, employees, leadership and the community the opportunity to look back at the co-op’s roots and see how it has evolved over time. It reminds them of the strength and sense of community that carries them through the years, and the 2023 Big Country Electric Cooperative open house was no different.

After receiving great feedback and analyzing the immense increase in voter participation from last year’s open house, the co-op opened its headquarters to members once more September 26, and at 4 p.m. on the dot, BCEC members in Roby entered the co-op’s Willie Wiredhand room with excitement and joy, eager to meet, greet and eat with each other and co-op staff.

BCEC’s second open house to date, held simultaneously at the co-op’s offices in Roby, Snyder and Stamford, served some of the same purposes of the annual meeting. Around 240 attendees and their guests were able to connect with one another, speak with co-op employees and leadership, enjoy refreshments and giveaways, and enter a drawing to win one of 41 door prizes, including TVs, tools, kitchen appliances and gift cards.

For most co-op community natives like Francis Batteas, a 95-year-old BCEC member who’s been in attendance for “at least 40 years or more,” and Beverly Rister, a retired BCEC employee who put in 60 years of service, not only does the open house format make it easier for guests to visit and enjoy one another’s company, but it holds a deeper place in their hearts each year.

The same notion can be echoed for Eileen Goodgame, senior staff accountant, and Linda Key, vice president of office services —a BCEC member since 1980—as they both expect to retire in 2024 after 60 years of combined service.

“I love my co-op. Just because I’m not a member doesn’t mean I don’t love this place,” Goodgame said with pride. “It’s such a family. That’s what they are.”

What will Key miss most about her work? Her quick answer: “the people.”

“We have good relationships that we’ve built over the years,” Key said. “It’s always been a family, but it seems like it’s more like a family in the last 10 years.”

With this year being both ladies’ last member appreciation open house/annual meeting, Goodgame and Key reflected on BCEC’s growth, expressing favor for its updated technology and services for the betterment and productivity of the co-op.

Goodgame and Key both reflected on how the co-op has streamlined its processes over the years, saying the co-op’s advancements have empowered members to take care of some matters themselves.

“[Smart Hub is] something that I was a part of getting implemented over the years, and I’m proud of all of the different services we’ve provided,” Key said. “I think that’s the greatest thing over my years is being a part of the flexibility and convenience.”

Golden Spread Electric Cooperative’s educational trailer was on hand at the open house. It was designed to educate members but especially children on the important work and dedication of co-op crews during outages and other emergencies as well as the process that provides power across the 12 wide-open West Texas counties that BCEC serves.

“We believe that wind and solar should both be at the table so this is how we ensure that it is,” said Will Duniven, vice president of operations, while showing guests the trailer’s features.

With about 30 line crew members across three locations, some major outage events similar to the storm this year can be overwhelming for the co-op.

It’s in those moments that Duniven reflects on learning about the co-op model and “all the ways it helped the community” in the eighth grade, which inspired him to begin his 40-year career at the age of 22, reminding him of his deep passion for serving BCEC members.

“It wasn’t the plan, but I believe the more you work for the co-op, the more sense of service you have,” Duniven said. “You have a calling on your life.”

Just as BCEC employees display an unwavering level of commitment to members, so does the co-op’s leadership in its handling of co-op business.

BCEC members had the option of voting by mail or online as part of a virtual meeting that complemented the in-person event. The 301 submitted ballots reelected Chris Estes to represent District 3 and Todd Coker to represent District 4. A video released the same day as part of the virtual annual meeting updated members on the goings-on of the past year, including major load growth mostly due to oil field operations and the continued progression of substation construction.

“Those are going to be very beneficial to us long term to make sure that we can serve all of our members with reliable and good quality power with stable voltage,” said Sarah McLen, key accounts executive.

The video also addressed rising costs that have affected the co-op, including supply difficulties and the effect of runaway natural gas prices. Mark McClain, CEO and general manager, elaborated on BCEC board President Steve Moore’s point in the video regarding the extensive timeframe for ordering and receiving supplies.

“That’s a huge issue right now. Some transformers are as much as a two-year waitlist to come in,” McClain said. “We’re running into lag times with certain sizes of poles and certain types of wire and just a whole variety of materials to get in.”

Rest assured, BCEC’s top priority is to continue to assist its members in the most effective and timely manner possible.

“In meeting the members’ needs in a timely way, we have to take into account the long wait times,” McClain said. “So as much notice as they can possibly give us, it helps us meet the members’ need to be able to get the supplies we need and be able to plan in advance.”

Members can view BCEC’s full annual report, a list of open house door prizes and winners, and more details regarding director election results on BCEC’s website, bigcountry.coop.