Manager’s Comments Losing Friends

Saying goodbye to a good one

On Tuesday, April 11, we said goodbye to long-time employee and good friend, Ray Brewer. Mr. Brewer had passed a week earlier, finally succumbing after a nearly two-year battle with cancer.

Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative lost a very good man when Ray passed. He was one of those rare people that we were lucky enough to have known.

He never minced words. You never had to doubt where you stood with him nor where he stood with issues. He told you.

As a friend, he would challenge you to be better. He wouldn’t let you get away with making statements that you couldn’t back up. He helped me learn to say what I meant and mean what I say.

Ray’s story with Coosa Valley Electric is one that illustrates one of a cooperative’s greatest strengths. We like to grow our people from within. Education can help, but we measure individuals by their talent and merit, not how many degrees they can earn or their pedigree.

You may start at our company washing trucks, but that doesn't mean you won’t have the opportunity to work your way up and eventually become a leader in the organization, perhaps even the manager of operations or general manager one day.

Ray was in his early twenties when he started here, working in our right-of-way crew.

He joined CVEC when it was an entirely different place to work. The Cooperative was in the midst of an upheaval amongst its board and members, and there was an attempt to sell it. Years of poor leadership and mismanagement had left the electric distribution system in bad shape, and its finances were questionable.

Our rights of way were clogged with trees and other vegetation, power lines were way overdue for replacement and outages were commonplace, daily occurrences.

When crews left to go out in the mornings, their first stop was usually to buy beer or liquor. Most of what work they did was just to keep the lights on. There was very little if any planning for the future, and no thought was given to pro- viding quality member services.

The upheaval and discontent were very justified. Just as the Cooperative survived those days, so did Ray, and he never forgot the lessons he learned. The Cooperative is owned by its members. If they aren’t getting good service, they can do something about it.

Ray joined the apprentice lineman program and after completing four years of training, he advanced to become a journeyman lineman.

Later he used his training and experience in our engineering department to become a staking technician. Several years later he moved back into operations to take over as our purchasing agent and backup operations manager.

Then, in 2019, Ray earned the operations manager position, where his knowledge, skills, intelligence, and true talents flourished. His natural leadership abilities allowed him to quickly get a handle on the department and start making some positive changes.

As a member of the management team, he helped us navigate through the challenges of COVID, explosive growth in our residential consumer base and rising inflation.

As he started dealing with his cancer treatments, he continued to try to work as much as he could. He would come in as his health allowed, but he also provided advice over the phone. He truly loved what he did, who he worked with and the role he played in the organization.

Even when going through the worst of his treatments, he never lost his sense of humor and always tried to help others as he could.

I am fortunate that I get to work with a great team of talented people. Ray was a key member of that team, and his loss will be felt for some time. We will be filling the operations manager position, but we will never be able to fill Ray’s shoes.

We wish you and your loved ones the best and hope that you have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.

CVEC Trustees

Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. United States Department Of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at https://www.usda.gov/oascr/ how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992.

Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

From the Bylaws, Nominations for Election

Article IV, Section 5: All nominations for trustees shall be made by a petition signed by at least 50 qualified members of the Cooperative who reside in and receive service in the district for which such candidate for trustee is nominated. Signatures shall be in accordance with Article I, Section 2(b). Such petition shall be filed with the Secretary of the Board of Trustees at the main office of the Cooperative on or before the first day of July in the year the election for such trustee is to be held in order for such person nominated therein to be eligible for election as trustee if otherwise qualified under Article IV, Section 3-A. The qualifications of such candidate shall be considered and voted upon by the Board of Trustees prior to the district election. If such candidate or candidates so nominated shall not meet all the qualifications for such trustee, such person shall not be eligible to hold office. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to give immediate written notice to the candidate so nominated of such qualification or disqualification. The nominating petitions shall be verified by the Secretary of the board as to membership and district residency. (Amended September 7, 2019)

Nominations made in any manner except as provided above shall not be considered at the district elections held for such purpose of electing trustees. Not shall any person, otherwise qualified be eligible to hold office as such trustee unless nominated in such manner. In the event only one person, otherwise qualified, is duly nominated as trustee for any district on or before the date set out above, and in the manner provided for above, such person shall be deemed elected as such trustee and shall commence to serve as such trustee as provided in Article III, Section 7 (5) at the next annual meeting of the members without the necessity of holding an election in the district concerned prior to the annual meeting of the members. (Amended September 7, 2019)

Expiring terms in Districts 2 and 5.

Memorial Day Closing: Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative’s offices will be closed May 29 in observance of Memorial Day. Consumers can still pay their bills that day through an online account at coosavalleyec.com, via phone at 800-2737210 or by placing a payment in the night deposit box in the drive-thru. Consumers can also pay at any MoneyGram location (receive code 13933).