A sparkling day and smiling faces greeted Sam Houston Electric Cooperative members as they ambled into the Polk County Commerce Center in Livingston for the Co-op’s Annual Meeting of Members on June 11.
The ideal weather belied the conditions that had members hunkered down for weeks this spring as severe storms pounded East Texas. But members were ready to mingle, snack and enjoy the music of Walter Plant, a hallmark of the Co-op’s annual meetings for more than three decades.
Alvin and Mary Murphy drove in from Willis, arriving nearly two hours before the start of the meeting and finding seats before anybody else.
“We always have a lot of fun when we come,” Alvin said. “We love it.”
Sure, they lost power in the storms, as most members did at some point. But the Co-op didn’t disappoint and soon restored their electricity. “Boom, they got it,” Alvin said.
Ryan Brown, assistant general manager, explained how wide-spread the Co-op’s challenges were during the foul weather. Torrential downpours in late April—up to 17 inches in some places—knocked out power at nearly 10,000 locations. That was followed by multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms—some with gusts that hit 60 mph—well into May.
Brown said that twice in that period, one-third of the Co-op’s system was without power, and in total the Co-op restored some 260,000 meters. Essentially, crews rebuilt the system the equivalent of almost three times.
Cheerleaders from Livingston and Big Sandy high schools and attendees from First Baptist Church’s summer youth camp served fresh popcorn, cookies and refreshments to members as they entered the meeting.
Freshly popped bags of popcorn returned to Sam Houston EC’s Annual Meeting of Members this year.
“We understand outages are frustrating, but we keep working on improving our system and taking proactive steps to prevent outages,” Brown said.
The 300 attendees seemed to bear the detailing of events with sunny dispositions, and when General Manager Doug Turk offered kudos to Co-op employees in his remarks—
“I guarantee you one thing: They are the best in the business.”—the applause was hearty and immediate.
“These folks work hard to serve you, our members, and to improve the lives in the communities we serve,” Turk added.
James Elmore, one of the directors representing San Jacinto County, joined his fellow directors in mingling with members before the meeting. He knows the opportunity to get firsthand details on the Co-op’s operations is important to members, who are also the owners of the Co-op.
“They need to have all the knowledge of what they’re invested in,” Elmore said.
As owners, the members have the opportunity to seek seats on the board and vote for their directors. This is Democratic Member Control in action, one of the Seven Cooperative Principles that guide all co-ops.
Three seats on Sam Houston EC’s board were up for election this year. The elections committee, made up of one member from each of the Co-op’s five districts, received no petitions for election from the membership, and the three incumbents on the ballot were reelected for five-year terms. They are Casey Evans Davis in District 1, which serves Angelina, Polk and Trinity counties; Gary Jenke, District 2, San Jacinto County; and Chuck Turner, District 4, Hardin and Liberty counties.
Doug Turk, kneeling, CEO/general manager, speaks with members before the start of the Annual Meeting of Members.
Members pose with their door prize—a new blender.
The Co-op’s board and management provide leadership for the 170 employees, who this year are celebrating the Co-op’s 85th anniversary. They’ve been busy, as the Co-op added more than 3,500 meters to its system in 2023.
“For a rural cooperative, this growth is phenomenal,” said Joe Conner, Sam Houston EC’s chief risk officer. He added that the Co-op set a sales record in 2023, with over 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours sold to members.
Turk noted that the Co-op earned a 90 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which is based on surveys of members. The industry average score is 74.
“We do everything we can to put our best foot forward for you,” he said.
In addition to being a leading utility, Sam Houston EC is passionate about following two other co-op principles: Concern for Community and Education, Training and Information.
Through various bill assistance programs, the Co-op’s member services team helped members in crisis find over $600,000 in payment assistance. Operation Round Up granted $15,000 to nonprofits supporting East Texans, and the Co-op provided $17,000 to volunteer fire departments across the region.
Sam Houston EC also awarded $85,500 in scholarships to 32 students. The money that funds the scholarship program comes from unclaimed capital credits that are returned to the Co-op by the state and earmarked for scholarships.
Jeri Bailey, Coldspring member service representative, hands a door prize to a member.
Andrea Tassin, right, billing office supervisor, smiles with member Charles Oldner.
The Co-op also turns to students for help, and First Baptist Youth Group and cheerleaders from Livingston and Big Sandy high schools were on hand to hand out cookies and popcorn to members.
The snacks are regular staples at the meeting, but when the Co-op returned to an in-person meeting in 2023 after a three-year absence because of the pandemic, the popcorn caught members’ attention. Instead of popping it fresh, the Co-op served sealed bags of popcorn in case turnout was low.
The premade popcorn didn’t cut it for 2024.
“We were informed that our members wanted the fresh-popped popcorn,” said Chad Simon, a communications specialist. So this year, fresh popcorn was back—another example of Democratic Member Control, it seems.
That principle emerged again toward the end of the meeting as Turk opened the floor to questions. Nine members took the chance to speak, and after several had their turn, one woman was handed the mic and said, “I motion to end this and get on to door prizes.”
That got a laugh, but make no mistake: Members take the door prizes that mark the end of every meeting as serious business. Much like fresh popcorn.
And so 43 names were called as winners of door prizes before the auditorium emptied out and members headed back into the sunshine.
Doug Turk, CEO/general manager, answers a question from a member.
Attendees place their hands over their hearts during the national anthem.
Kolin Seward, engineer, talks with members about Sam Houston EC engineering projects.
Walter Plant is a constant during the Sam Houston EC Annual Meeting of Members. He has performed for more than 30 years at the event.
One member is especially excited to attend the Annual Meeting of Members.
