It was another record turnout for Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative’s 2017 annual meeting, held October 12 at the Canton Civic Center.
More than 700 members and guests enjoyed barbecue sandwiches, perusing door prizes and various information booths before the meeting began. TVEC employees were on hand to answer questions in several areas including technology, safety and public relations efforts.
TVEC attorney John Mosley served as master of ceremonies, welcoming many special guests, military veterans and government officials in attendance.
Boy Scout Troop 332 opened the meeting with a posting of the colors and pledge of allegiance, followed by a video presentation of the Star Spangled Banner that received a round of applause.
After the meeting was called to order by TVEC Board Chairman Howard Tillison, General Manager/CEO Jerry Boze took some time to recognize the dedicated workforce at the company.
“It is a privilege and honor to work alongside these folks every day and they do a marvelous job,” Boze said. “No business can be any good if they don’t have good employees and we are proud of ours, we hope you are as well.”
Boze went on to talk about the company’s response to the tornado outbreak of April 29.
“Basically, it turned a lot of lives upside down and I can tell you that in the history of the co-op this is the worst disaster we have experienced,” he said. “But we have a disaster recovery plan, and when that happens everything kicks into gear and every employee in every department knows what they need to do. They did a marvelous job.”
Boze then thanked TVEC members for their support and patience as work was underway to restore power.
“We can’t thank you enough for the kindness shown to our employees during that time and the patience that members showed. Your appreciation means more to the employees than you may ever know,” Boze said.
TVEC Chief Operating Officer Tony Watson followed with a report on TVEC’s efforts in safety and reliability.
“Training is paramount to keeping everyone safe,” Watson said. “We have a comprehensive training program for both outside and inside personnel that is a continuous effort.”
Chief Communications Officer Jeff Lane provided updates on cyber security and grid security, and an overview of TVEC’s efforts to provide useful information and programs for people throughout the service area.
A report of the company’s financial information was given by Chief Financial officer Bryan Wood, noting that more than $26 million in capital credits had been returned to TVEC members since 2007.
Trey Rowe from TVEC’s auditing firm Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss gave the results of the company’s 2016 audit.
“Our audit report was a clean unmodified opinion,” Rowe said. “We found the records to be in good order. Overall the cooperative appears to be in good financial condition and we have no findings to report as a result of the audit.”
Rowe also presented the voting totals for the 2017 board election, with a total of 2,157 valid ballots received. Districts 1, 4 and 5 were on the ballot, with the incumbent board members running unopposed.
In district 1, Carolyn Minor received 1,723 votes. District 4 had 1,641 votes for Jo Ann Hanstrom. District 5 had 1,698 votes for Ed Reeve.
Following the meeting, a raffle was held for more than 120 door prizes, including bill credits, tools, televisions and small appliances.
