The toe tapping was back.
So were the heads bobbing and hands patting laps in time to the music.
The occasion? Officially, it was Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting of Members on June 13. However, some—especially those arriving more than an hour early—might say that it was a Walter Plant concert.
For the 33rd year, Plant worked multiple keyboards and serenaded members in anticipation of the annual meeting. They heard The Letter, the Box Tops’ big hit from 1967. They heard Nobody’s Darling But Mine, which Plant, 71, says his grandmother taught him. He even mixed in some yodeling before the big crowd-pleaser, Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA, which had many of the nearly 300 in attendance out of their seats and applauding before Plant finished the first stanza.
“I’m so glad to be here,” said Plant, who came to Livingston after a Sunday concert in Mississippi.
Walter Plant entertained Sam Houston EC consumer-members at the annual meeting. Plant has provided musical entertainment for 33 years.
DeAndre Harper, member service representative, played The Star-Spangled Banner on his alto saxophone to start the meeting.
Everybody, it seems, was glad to be back at the Polk County Commerce Center after the Co-op held virtual meetings for the previous three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to welcoming and registering members, Co-op employees offered information for members considering solar energy options. Members also learned about the Co-op’s program to reduce outages by removing 25,000 dead trees alongside powerlines.
The final musical touch before the business portion of the meeting was a sparkling rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner on alto saxophone by DeAndre Harper, a member service representative at the Co-op.
Joe Conner, chief financial officer, provides a brief financial update to the attendees during the annual meeting of members.
Doug Turk, CEO and general manager, briefs Sam Houston Electric Cooperative consumer-members during the annual meeting.
Democratic Member Control, one of the seven principles that guide cooperatives, ensures the Co-op’s top leaders are chosen by its member-owners. To that end, directors James Elmore in District 2 and Katherine Hardin in District 4 were reelected to five-year terms.
Joe Conner, chief financial officer, presented welcome news on the Co-op’s financial soundness. It added almost 4,000 new meters in 2022—record growth for one year—making the Co-op 87,000 meters strong at year’s end. Conner said such growth supports the Co-op’s ongoing infrastructure needs.
He also drew applause when he announced that the Co-op will retire $2.3 million in capital credits in September, adding to a total that tops $50 million over its history.
Ryan Brown, assistant general manager, said a strategic initiative implemented in 2018 has led to a 20% reduction in average outage duration—no small feat among the 100-foot-tall pine trees that flourish in the 10 counties where the Co-op operates.
“East Texas is a very challenging place for an electric utility for reliability,” Brown said. “We’re exposed to almost every weather pattern imaginable—hurricanes, tornadoes, major windstorms, ice storms. You name it, we get it.”
He said the Co-op’s self-healing distribution grid can automatically redirect power to targeted areas and reduce an outage that might have 1,000 members without power down to 500 or fewer affected households. “No other utility in the region is doing this,” he said.
Jessica Claycomb, right, member service representative, hands a door prize to a consumer-member during the annual meeting at the Polk County Commerce Center in Livingston.
A couple holds hands as they leave the annual meeting of members. Attendees enjoyed popcorn and cookies at the Cooperative’s first in-person meeting since 2019.
Doug Turk, general manager and CEO, raved about the Co-op’s employees and pointed to hard evidence that backed him up. Sam Houston EC’s 2022 American Customer Satisfaction Index is 92.5, the highest in the Co-op’s history. The electric utility average is 72.
“The reason I tell you that is because I want you to know how hard these employees work,” Turk said. “They don’t just work hard when the lights go out, they do so day to day. They’re constantly looking for ways that we can serve you better and we can improve your experience with your Co-op.”
One member who spoke during a brief Q&A session echoed Turk. “We are very grateful to have the people that we have at this electric company working for us,” she said. “And any time I call them, I don’t know how they get there that fast, but we get power back on in 30 minutes to an hour.”
Another member agreed. “The industry needs to start taking notes from the co-ops,” said Janice Wyatt of Coldspring.
Turk shared additional favorable news. The average Sam Houston EC bill last summer was more than $100 less than the rest of the state, the result, he said, of the Co-op being less impacted by the crushing costs from the February 2021 winter storm than other utilities.
Turk also noted that natural gas prices have decreased substantially in 2023, allowing the Co-op to twice lower the power cost recovery factor portion of members’ bills.
Turk’s final bit of good news was that there was no more business to discuss, and the door prize giveaway could begin. In short order, 43 members won gifts.
As everyone headed for the doors, Plant was back on stage, an encore of sorts.
And that was just fine with Janet Batchelor, a member from Willis.
“I would follow him anywhere,” she said. “Absolutely.”
Gary Jenke, left, and Chuck Turner, Sam Houston EC board members, exit the Polk County Commerce Center following the meeting.
Sam Houston EC employees escorted consumer-members from their vehicles to the Polk County Commerce Center.
