2011-12_MM

DECEMBER 2011

Operation Round Up: Members Helping Members Due to the generosity of Blue Ridge Electric members participating in Operation Round Up® and Operation Round Up® PLUS, hundreds of local residents are receiving crisis heating assistance and benefitting from community improvement grants awarded by the Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation.

While Blue Ridge Electric covers administrative costs and coordination of the Members Foundation, it’s the growing number of members volunteering to participate in the Operation Round Up programs who really make these “member helping member” programs successful. Every dollar donated to the programs by rounding up your electric bill goes directly back to members in need and the communities served by the cooperative.

Since members began supporting the round up programs, more than 6,500 households have received electric or heating fuel crisis assistance. Additionally, nearly 100 community grants have been funded to extend the level of support in our local communities. By the end of 2011, assistance to families and community grant funding flowing through the Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation will exceed $1.15 million.

The Foundation’s advisory committee, made up of volunteer cooperative members, reviews community grant applications and makes funding recommendations to the Foundation board of directors.

“The Foundation helps us all join together in the cooperative spirit to deliver on a very critical need to help our communities and members,” said Doug Johnson, chief executive officer of Blue Ridge Electric. “The benefit is two-fold: to provide much-needed crisis assistance for those who find themselves in a difficult financial situation where a helping hand can make huge difference; and to support longer-term efforts of organizations that help strengthen local communities for the benefit of all those who live there.”

For an average of 50 cents a month, you can join thousands of other Blue Ridge members making a difference by contributing to Operation Round Up. Many members asked how they could do more, which led to the creation of Operation Round Up Plus to enable members to give as much as they choose to add to their monthly electric bill. Participation is voluntary and can be suspended upon request at any time. To join Operation Round Up or Operation Round Up PLUS, call your local Blue Ridge Electric office or visit BlueRidgeEMC.com.

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f hie yC An Editorial b

Electricity: good value for the money

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Could you live without your refrigerator? What about your TV or DVR? Would you give up your computer or cell phone? According to the Consumer Electronics Association, the average household owns 24 consumer electronic products — and that’s in addition to lighting and other “basics.”

If we’re honest, most of us wouldn’t be able to do without these basic necessities and other modern conveniences we’ve become accustomed to in our daily personal and work lives.

Electricity is an invaluable part of our lives and it’s a critical component for business and industry. It is affordable, reliable and readily available. In fact, most of us rarely give electricity a second thought — we simply trust that it will be there when we need it whether we’re taking a hot shower, turning on our computers, or flipping on a light. As a result, we often take the value of electricity for granted.

While there’s no denying the cost of electricity has risen over time, it’s important to understand that electricity remains one of the best bargains around, especially when compared to other goods and services. For example, think of the cost of a gallon of gasoline 30 years ago — or even 10 years ago — compared to today’s prices. How about groceries, prescription medication, or the cars we drive? Or consider the cost to stay connected today. Who knew we would depend so heavily on cell phones, computers, and the Internet just a few years ago?

While no one likes the fact that costs are rising, it helps to understand that electricity has remained a good value over time. This is true even with demand for electricity at historically high levels and expensive investments being made to keep electricity reliably flowing.

In fact, the U.S. Dept. of Energy Information forecasts that global electricity consumption will increase by 53 percent by 2035. This makes sense when you think about how many electronics you had in your home as a child compared to now. Most modern homes are larger so more heating, cool-

u ti v

eO ing and lighting is n fficer Doug Johnso needed. Many of us now have several computers, larger refrigerators, and a number of televisions, gaming systems, and other electronics.

To keep up with demand, utilities must spend millions of dollars to keep electricity reliable and plentiful by building power generation plants, substations, transmission and distribution power lines and the communications network linking systems together.

Blue Ridge Electric has been able to keep electricity reliable and our rates stable through an aggressive cost saving program and securing the best wholesale power prices available in the marketplace. Our last rate adjustment of 3.43 percent was implemented in March 2010, which was well over a year ago. In fact, the board of directors approved temporary rate reductions to help members during the first three months of this year that equated to about a 2.75 percent annualized rate reduction. Based on our budget and forecast for 2012, there is a possibility of a small adjustment of one to three percent that will be needed by the end of 2012.

So, when you think about all the necessities, comforts and conveniences made possible with your electricity from Blue Ridge Electric, we hope you agree it’s a good value in today’s world. For our average member using about 900 kilowatt hours monthly, the daily cost is around $3.50. For most of us, each day that will cook at least two family meals, warm and light our home, heat the water for baths and showers, and wash and dry our clothes. It even powers television, gaming, and computer entertainment!

The employee team at Blue Ridge is proud to provide you with reliable electric service, delivered with personal touch member care at the lowest possible cost. Our members are our friends and neighbors and we share the same communities — that’s the cooperative spirit behind Blue Ridge Electric. And it’s the real power behind providing good value with your electricity.

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More News Credentials and Election Committee named Each year, the members of Blue Ridge Electric have the opportunity to exercise the cooperative value of member democratic control by participating in the annual election of the directors who govern and provide strategic direction and policy setting for your cooperative.

As a first step in the annual director election process, the members of your board of directors who are not up for re-election in the upcoming year appointed nine members to the Credentials and Election (C&E) Committee during their regular monthly board meeting in October.

Members appointed to the C&E Committee to serve for a one-year term include: Ron Kiziah and Elaine Setzer-Maxwell (at-large),Caldwell District; Robbie Sharrett, Watauga District; J.E. Blevins, Ashe District; Duane Davis, Alleghany District.

The following alternates were selected in the event one or more of the above members are unable to serve their term: Gene Woods, Caldwell District; Jan Ellison, Watauga District; Ralph Jones, Ashe District; Greg Bare, Alleghany District.

The C&E Committee is made up of members from across the cooperative’s service area, with equitable representation from each district. It meets throughout the year to ensure the director election process is conducted in accordance with the cooperative’s bylaws. Committee responsibilities include approving a third-party election administration firm; reviewing qualifications of all candidates nominated by petition; approving the proxy and ballot forms to be used in the election process; and reviewing the validity of all proxies and ballots cast by mail, Internet and at the annual meeting.

More information on the 2012 director elections, the vote by mail process, and the new additional option to vote by Internet will be communicated in this newsletter in the coming months, prior to next year’s election in June 2012.

STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation is the recipient of Federal financial assistance from the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is subject to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s policy, this organization is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or disability. The person responsible for coordinating this compliance effort is Julie O’Dell-Michie, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). Both USDA and Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation are equal opportunity providers and employers.

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Members Only NEWS

~For Members of Blue Ridge Electric

Nominating Committee appointed CORPORATE OFFICE PO Box 112 • Lenoir, NC 28645

At their October board meeting, the board of directors appointed a Nominating Committee consisting of nine members who will work together to nominate a list of candidates to run for election to the board.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson

After an in-depth training session, members of this committee will develop a slate of board candidates for all open board seats. A list of the nominated candidates will be posted in each Blue Ridge Electric office and additional information about all candidates will be provided in the director election information to be mailed to all members in early May. Information will also be provided in Carolina Country.

EDITOR Renée R. Whitener PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Susan Simmons DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell (828) 754-9071 Watauga (828) 264-8894 Ashe (336) 846-7138 Alleghany (336) 372-4646 Wilkes (800) 451-5474 (800) 448-2383 PowerLine® (PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.)

Toll Free 1 (800) 451-5474 (for members outside the service area) To report an outage at any time, call one of the numbers listed above.

OFFICE HOURS 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday Night deposit available.

Visit us on the Web: www.BlueRidgeEMC.com

Committee members are: Kathy Starnes and Janet Winkler (Caldwell District) Alternates: Kelly Melton and Joe Sims; Rick Coffey and Margaret Pierce (Watauga District) Alternates: Lawrence Caviness and Cullie Tarleton; Marty Norris, Terry Williams, and Hilda Baker, at-large (Ashe District) Alternates: Robin Miller and Mack Powers; Dan Abernathy and Warren Taylor (Alleghany District) Alternates: Clarence Crouse and Jane Phipps-Boger.

Nominating Committee members may not be employees, agents, officers, directors, close relatives, or known candidates to become directors. The committee is structured to have adequate representation reflecting the number of directors from each district, in addition to one representative from the membership-at-large who must be of the minority membership and may be a resident of any district.

Members wishing to be considered as a director nominee have two options: the Nominating Committee process or the nomination by petition process. Members must also complete and submit a director application packet by contacting Julie O’Dell-Michie, chief administrative officer. This form is due by March 1 when going through the Nominating Committee process and by April 2 for those seeking nomination by petition.

Additionally, nominations by petition must be accompanied by the signatures of 15 or more members in good standing, with each signing his or her name as it appears on their electric service bill. The deadline for petitions is Monday, April 2, at 5 p.m. The names of member candidates running by petition will be posted in each district office along with those nominated by the Nominating Committee.

For a complete list of qualifications to serve as a director of Blue Ridge Electric please refer to the cooperative’s Bylaws available at any Blue Ridge Electric office or online at BlueRidgeEMC.com.

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