A crowd of approximately 300 gathered at the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center on the campus of Georgia Southern University last Friday for Excelsior EMC’s 80th Annual Meeting.
Promptly at 2:30 p.m., Steve Minor, Cooperative attorney, called the business session to order.
After the invocation by Director G.W. Johnson, Jr., the National Anthem and approval of the minutes of the last meeting, four employees were recognized with a service award for a combined total of 55 years of service to the Cooperative.
Receiving service awards were: Kent Wilson, 5 years; Ashley Donaldson, 15 years; Mark Trapnell, 15 years; and Tamie Wells, 20 years.
Following the presentation of employee service awards, Greg Proctor gave the President/CEO’s Report. In his report, Proctor opened by pointing out how far electric service has come over the years and how dependent today’s society is on electricity.
“Most of us can’t even imagine the amount of labor and convenience that we enjoy today all because of electricity,” he said. “Today, just as it was 80 years ago, our mission is still the same: to deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity so that life is better for our members.”
He then went on to discuss Hurricane Irma, which was the biggest challenge the Cooper-ative faced in 2017. Proctor expressed his gratitude to the entire Excelsior EMC team for their hard work during the Hurricane Irma restoration effort. Proctor went on to say that the Cooperative continued to grow in 2017 with the addition of 386 consumers and 27.3 miles of line.
He said that the 2018 revisions and updates to the capital credit study, along with a management recommendation that there be no general retirement or estate retirements during 2018, were reviewed and approved by the Board during their April meeting. He cited that the Board’s action on this matter was to ensure that the Cooperative maintains a strong financial position in light of the challenges ahead.
At the end of his address, Proctor highlighted that Excelsior EMC remains among the lowest cost providers in the state when compared to Georgia Power and the other 40 EMCs.
“I hope you recognize that the Board of Directors and employees at Excelsior EMC make every decision with you, the member, in mind.”
Four directors were elected to serve three-year terms. These were: G.W. Johnson, Jr., District 4; Jerry Cadwell, Jr., District 5; W.D. Johnson, District 6; and Grady McCray, At-Large.