Celebrating the POWER of Teamwork
Posted June 1, 2017
IT WAS GREAT to see all 4,829 members who attended our Annual Meeting May 6. Sunny skies and warm temperatures made for the perfect day to gather together and discuss the condition of your Cooperative. For those who couldn’t attend, allow me to recap some of the meeting’s highlights:
- Four Directors were elected to serve on the Board of Trustees. Incumbents C. Alex Ulmer, Carolyn Grant, Jimmie D. McMillan, and Dr. Earl Bostick, Sr. were re-elected without opposition.
- The Cooperative is in very good financial condition, which resulted in another record payback of capital credits, totaling more than $4.5 million.
Supporting our students—Two $1,000 scholarships were presented from the co-op’s Women Involved in Rural Electrification (WIRE) organization to Kacie Godley of Wade Hampton High and Tonathzi Noriega of Ridgeland-Hardeeville High. Three students received scholarship awards from the Palmetto Electric Trust/ Operation Round Up: Davontay Dopson from Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School; Darien Mikell from Wade Hampton High School; and Winston Torin from Hilton Head High School.
Three high school juniors, Alexis Jarrell of Step of Faith Christian Academy and Alexis Smythe and Emily Todd of Hilton Head High, were chosen to represent Palmetto Electric on the Washington Youth Tour. Michaela Williams of Ridgeland Hardeeville High, Nicole Polk of Step of Faith Christian Academy, and Sophia Topping from Hilton Head High will attend the newly introduced Cooperative Youth Summit in July.
Working together—The POWER of Teamwork was the theme for the 2016 Annual Report, as well as one of the cooperative’s six core values. This was never more evident than during the devastation of Hurricane Matthew in October of last year. Co-op employees were complimented on their teamwork and commitment to serve during the recovery and restoration efforts after the storm. The dedication of co-op employees was also recognized by receiving a score of 90 out of a possible 100 on the American Customer Satisfaction Survey. I am proud to say this is the highest score we have ever received. This score puts Palmetto in the top 10 percent of all electric cooperatives in the nation in customer satisfaction and 15 points higher than the average investor-owned utility.
We look forward to serving you in the year ahead.
