December 2012
Steps to restoring power Whether we’re building a new substation, replacing power poles, or trimming trees too close to power lines, Blue Ridge Electric works every day to keep your power reliable. No matter how well we maintain our electric system, severe weather sometimes harms power poles and lines, leading to outages. Trees falling on power lines is the major cause of outages. That’s why we have a right-of-way maintenance program to protect over 8,000 miles of power lines serving the cooperative’s 74,000 members. Restoring power after a major outage involves much more than simply throwing a switch or removing a tree from a line. The main goal is to restore power safely — for members and line technicians — in the shortest amount of time possible. Our outage response plan is based on the following priorities: Step 1: Transmission structures and lines that supply power to one or more transmission substations are restored first. These main delivery lines receive first priority because they serve tens of thousands of people. Step 2: Restored next are distribution substations, which “step down” or reduce voltage from transmission lines so it can be distributed to thousands of members. Step 3: Main distribution supply lines are restored next if the problem cannot be found at earlier check points. These are the lines on power poles along roads. Step 4: The final power supply lines, called “tap lines,” are restored next if needed. These lines “tap off” the main distribution lines.
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Step 5: Damage can also occur on the service line leading from the transformer pole into your home. This can explain why your neighbors have power and you don’t. Please report outages at any time by calling our automated Powerline at 1-800-448-2383. Carolina Country December 2012 21
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f hie yC An Editorial b ec
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Recognized for Hall of Fame performance
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n fficer Passion for serving our members and communities is what motivates our employDoug Johnso ees each and every day — no matter the challenge. It’s also what drives our leadership team to develop and execute strategies that ensure your cooperative is managed to deliver integrity and value to our members. I’m very excited to tell you that our performance has led Blue Ridge Electric to be recognized as one of the best managed companies anywhere in the world. We’re honored to have recently been inducted into Palladium Group’s Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy. This is an incredible honor to be one of only 12 organizations worldwide to be recognized this year by the Palladium Group for achieving breakthrough performance based on strategy execution. This honor puts us in the ranks of other companies like Cisco, BMW, Merck, the FBI and more than 150 global organizations recognized for top business results achieved from strategy execution and use of the Balanced Scorecard. The Balanced Scorecard system is the world’s leading strategy execution management system and was created by Dr. Robert Kaplan, Baker Foundation professor at Harvard Business School, and Dr. David Norton, founder of the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative. They are also co-founders of the Palladium Group. At Blue Ridge Electric, we’ve used the Balanced Scorecard system since 1998 to effect change and set our focus on achieving goals that has placed your cooperative among the top in the nation in key areas of performance. For example, Blue Ridge Electric ranks in the top 1 percent of all electric utilities for customer satisfaction and electric service reliability. We’re also recognized for performance excellence in safety and cost management. I’m proud to let you know about this award because it represents the heart and soul every employee puts into producing value for our members through their commitment to provide outstanding service through innovation, relentless attention to improvement, and personal touch service that only a local, member-owned cooperative can provide.
Accepting the Hall of Fame award during Palladium Group’s Global Summit in Boston, Mass., were (l to r) Doug Johnson, chief executive officer, and Julie O’Dell-Michie, senior vice president and chief administrative officer, from Drs. David Norton and Robert Kaplan.
Al fir 22 December 2012 Carolina Country
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More News First steps in director elections Members have the opportunity to vote for their board of directors each June. To keep you informed of election governance processes that take place throughout the year, your cooperative updates you in this newsletter. Two of the first steps in the director election process include appointing a Nominating Committee and a Credentials and Election (C&E) Committee. The board appointed these committees for one-year terms at their October meeting. Credentials & Election Committee Made up of members from across the cooperative’s service area, this committee ensures director elections are conducted in compliance with Blue Ridge Electric’s Bylaws. Responsibilities include: selection of a professional election administration firm, review of petition candidate qualifications, approval of proxy and ballot forms, and validation of all proxies and ballots. Members of your board of directors (who are not up for re-election next year) appointed the following C&E members: Caldwell district: Ron Kiziah and alternate Veronica McDougle; Watauga district: Marcella Proffit, Gerald Staninger and alternate Margaret Pierce; Ashe district: Marty Norris and alternate Robin Miller; and Alleghany district: Jane Phipps-Boger and alternate Ken Richardson. Nominating Committee This committee of nine cooperative members reviews and nominates qualified candidates to run for all open seats on the board of directors in the upcoming election. They may not be employees, agents, officers, directors, close relatives, or known candidates to become directors. The committee has two members from each district in addition to one representative from the membership-atlarge who must be of the minority membership. The board appointed the following committee members: Caldwell district: Jeff Roland, Elaine Setzer, Joe Sims, and alternates Kathy Starnes and Reginald Ford; Watauga district: Mark Baumgardner, Jan Ellison, and alternates Colleen Murray and Doyle Ward; Ashe district: Cindy Price, Sam Shumate, and alternates Hilda Baker and Ronnie Miller; and Alleghany district: Clarence Crouse, Roger Schweickert, and alternates George White and Dennis Gambill. Candidates nominated by this committee, as well as candidates running by petition, will be posted in each Blue Ridge Electric office and on the website. Information about all candidates will be included in director election information mailed or emailed to all members in early May. Information will also be provided in Carolina Country magazine sent to all members.
(See “Director Elections” on page 24)
Be safe this holiday season: use your fireplace wisely A properly installed, correctly used wood-burning appliance should be smoke free. If you see or smell smoke, that means you may have a problem. Also, NEVER burn household garbage, colored paper or ink, or any type of plastic, foam, or other artificial materials in your wood-burning fireplace. Burning these can release harmful chemicals. Carolina Country December 2012 23
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Members Only NEWS
~For Members of Blue Ridge Electric
Director elections (continued from page 23) CORPORATE OFFICE PO Box 112 • Lenoir, NC 28645
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson 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.
Director Nominee Options Members wishing to be considered as a director nominee have two options: the Nominating Committee process or the nomination by petition process. Interested members must complete and submit a director application packet by contacting Julie O’Dell-Michie, chief administrative officer. All application information is due by March 1 when going through the Nominating Committee process and by April 1 for those seeking nomination by petition. Nominations by petition must include signatures of 15 or more members, with each signature in the name that appears on their electric service bill. 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. Also, questions concerning the director nomination process should be directed to Julie O-Dell-Michie at 800-451-5474.
Bylaws, Service Rules & Regulations update Some changes were recently approved by Blue Ridge Electric’s Board of Directors to the cooperative’s Bylaws and Service Rules & Regulations. A summary of Bylaws changes includes Section 2.06, Proxies, to add that a spouse residing in the same residence of the member may complete and execute a proxy in director elections. Section 3.02, Director Qualifications, was also changed to include that director candidates or their close relatives may not be in a business that provides services to the cooperative or its subsidiaries.
Visit us on the Web: www.BlueRidgeEMC.com
A summary of Service Rules & Regulations changes includes Section 206, Foreign Electricity Parallel Service and Standby Generation, to add when a member uses an emergency generator they must install a single throw switch marked “Generator Disconnect” located next to the cooperative’s meter to ensure safety for the member and linemen. Additions to Section 211, Power Quality, addresses harmonic distortion limits and Section 406, Methods of Payment, added electronic funds transfer.
24 December 2012 Carolina Country
For complete Bylaws and Service Rules & Regulations, members may get a copy at any Blue Ridge Electric office or at BlueRidgeEMC.com.
OFFICE HOURS 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday Night deposit available.
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