Working together in the cooperative spirit

June 1, 2025

A sincere “thank you” goes out to the 4,537 members who registered and voted at this year’s Annual Meeting.

“Working together in the cooperative spirit” was the resounding theme of this year’s meeting and focused on the ways the cooperative navigated challenges that came its way this past year, while continuing to adhere to its guiding principles. The business meeting, livestreamed online, highlighted the co-op’s efforts of “Working Together to Recover,” “Working Together to Improve Safety,” and “Working Together to Fight Rising Costs.”

• Hurricane Helene caused over 22,000 members to lose power, broke over 150 power poles, and damaged seven substations in September of last year. About 500 PalmettoLink customers also lost their internet connection. Employees worked tirelessly for more than a week to restore power and communicate with members. “Cooperation Among Cooperatives” was on full display as other co-ops and contractors came to provide aide. Palmetto Electric also sent crews to assist our sister cooperatives throughout the state.

• Safety is a core value at Palmetto Electric, and the education of linemen, employees, and members about practicing good safety is a top priority. Palmetto Electric earned high marks for its participation in the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program. The co-op also continued teaching students about electrical safety, at Safety Days summer camp and online through the Virtual Safety Days program, where safety videos were viewed more than 51,000 times.

• Palmetto Electric’s not-for-profit business model means providing safe and reliable electricity, at the lowest cost possible. The co-op works diligently to keep costs low, but unfortunately, some factors, like the rising cost of equipment were out of oue control last year. In March of 2024, for the first time in ten years, the co-op implemented a slight increase to the facility charge for residential and small commercial accounts.

• The cooperative continued to focus heavily on promoting load management and energy efficiency services as a way to lower power costs. Programs such as H2O Select, Smart Thermostat and eat the Peak allow members to take the lead in reducing individual power consumption and increasing efficiency.

Board of Directors incumbents James L. Rowe (Beaufort County, Position 5), D. Terrell Smith (Hampton County, Position 2), and Jeremiah E. Vaigneur (Jasper County, Position 2) all ran unopposed and were re-elected. David L. White, incumbent, defeated Jim Anderson to fill the Beaufort County, Position 2, seat. Board officers elected included Jeremiah E. Vaigneur, chairman; D. Terrell Smith, vice-chairman; and Carolyn Grant, secretary-treasurer.

This year’s grand prize winner was Rosalyn Brown of Ridgeland. She won the 2016 Ford Explorer.

Like I said in my speech, our commitment to providing safe, reliable and affordable power is unwavering, and our cooperative spirit drives us to create a brighter future for all. I hope to see you at next year’s meeting

A. Berl Davis Jr.

President and CEO