July Empowered Newsletter by Central Electric Cooperative

Empowered is a monthly newsletter for members of

CENTRAL’S CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SOARS Central Rural Electric Cooperative members have spoken and awarded Central and its employees an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) score of 87. The ACSI measures the satisfaction of household consumers with the quality of products and services. ACSI uses customer interviews as input in a multi-equation model that provides indexes for customer satisfaction. “Improving members’ experiences has always been important to us, and the ACSI survey helps us identify ways to do just that,” said Hunter Robinson, Central CEO. “We want to thank all of the members who took the time to take the survey. Your feedback is valuable to Central.”

Robinson said, “Empowering members is core to our mission, and I think that shines here. The score shows that our cooperative and employees are taking the time to listen and be present for our members and communities.” While Central has maintained a reasonably high score throughout the years, this is Central’s highest score since 2007. ACSI’s website states that companies that focus on quality improvements tend to fare better over time with regard to customer satisfaction than

companies that focus on price. A recent ACSI survey found the industries with the highest customer satisfaction scores were the retail food industries. “Engaging our current members and reaching out to new members is a team effort. It begins with our member service representatives who work hard to make our members top priority,” Robinson said. Central measures reliability using various metrics. In a year’s time, Central averages 1.01 outages per member with a 2-hour average outage duration, which means members enjoy 99.9% reliable services during all weather conditions.

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According to the ACSI website, cooperative energy utilities, Touchstone Energy and municipal energy utilities have an average score of 73 while investor-owned utilities have a 72 average score.

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YOUR CO-OP, YOUR VOICE

Become involved at Central

J U LY 2 0 2 2 Central Board of Trustees: Carol Dvorak, President (District 3) James Wells, Vice President (District 6) Gary McCune, Secretary/Treasurer (District 1) Greg Tytenicz (District 2) Sid Sperry (District 4) Mark Pittman (District 5) Bill Davis (District 7) Hunter Robinson - Chief Executive Officer Empowered Editors: Jillianne Tebow - Vice President of Business Development and Marketing Larry Mattox - Director of Communications Kory Bowman - Marketing and Communications Specialist Ivy Swan - Marketing and Communications Specialist

www.mycentral.coop facebook.com/MyCentralCoop twitter.com/MyCentralCoop instagram.com/MyCentralCoop

Notice: Central’s office will be closed on July 4 for Independence Day. Central Rural Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Now is your chance to experience the second cooperative principle, democratic member control, by choosing your district’s representation on the board of trustees. Members in districts 5 and 6 have the opportunity to file as a candidate for trustee. Members in both districts will receive a postcard later this month with additional information. To learn more about Central’s democratic process, visit mycentral.coop/bylaws. The current district 5 trustee is Mark Pittman, and the district 6 trustee is James Wells. You can find a current district map on Central’s website. Have questions? Visit mycentral.coop/ districtelections or call the Central office at 405-372-2884.

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District Filing Dates District 5 Filing Dates: August 19-24 Stillwater area

District 6 Filing Dates: August 26-31 Perkins and Cushing area

Interested in Filing? Interested candidates must file a notice of candidacy in person during regular business hours at Central’s office during the filing periods. Candidates must be in good standing with the cooperative.

Annual Meeting Save the Date Central Rural Electric Cooperative

Oct 6 22

Chandler • Guthrie • Perry • Stillwater

Lincoln co. Fairgrounds • Logan co. Fairgrounds • Noble Co. Fairgrounds • Payne Co. Fairgrounds

Annual Meeting • 3-7 pm • Drive-Thru

SWIMMING THROUGH CENTRAL

Local pools, splash pads and water parks

Water Parks Cushing Aquatic Center 519 S. Little Ave., Cushing 1-5:30 p.m.

Pelican Bay Aquatic Center 1034 S. Bryant Ave., Edmond Noon-6 p.m. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Pools

Chandler Swimming Pool 413 E. 1st St., Chandler 1-6 p.m. Wednesday, Friday-Monday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 4-8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday Highland Park 929 E. Park Pl., Guthrie Mitch Park YMCA 2901 Marilyn Willams Dr., Edmond Visit ymcaokc.org for hours Stillwater Municipal Pool 801 E. 12th Ave., Stillwater 1-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday Stillwater YMCA Indoor Pool 204 S. Duck St., Stillwater Visit ymcaokc.org for hours

Splash Pads

Banner Park Warner Ave. between 10th and 11th streets, Guthrie 6 a.m.-midnight Boomer Lake Park 601 W. Harned Ave., Stillwater 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Memorial Park 805 E. 5th St., Cushing 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Oklahoma Territorial Plaza 750 N. Main St., Perkins 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Perry Splash Pad 300 N. 14th St., Perry 10 a.m-8 p.m Rainbow Park 311 E. 3rd St., Chandler 8 a.m.-10 p.m.

STAY SAFE THIS 4TH OF JULY Independence Day is full of freedom, celebration, fireworks and emergency room visits. According to nsc.org, fireworks cause an average of 12,000 emergency room visits and 18,500 fires each year. Plan to stay safe this holiday season with these great tips. ྆

Take it from the professionals and do not light fireworks under electrical lines, they’re hot enough.

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You’re not a dud, even if your fireworks are. Never try to relight a firework that didn’t go off the first time.

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Don’t point fireworks at pets, people or houses. You don’t want your fun night to end with an ER trip or accidentally burning aunt Mary’s beloved shih tzu.

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Keep a bucket of water nearby to extinguish rogue fireworks.

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Don’t light fireworks inside homes, campers or tents. It’s not the most efficient way to stay warm on a hot, summer night.

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Never use illegal fireworks. They’re illegal for a reason.

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Soak spent and unused fireworks in water for a few hours before discarding them.

Southern Woods Park 600 W. 12th Ave., Stillwater 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Check out the park’s websites for any updates.

Going swimming? Tag Central on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @MyCentralCOOP

WATTS OF FUN AT THE FIRST EVER CO-OP KIDS DAY Central hosted the first-ever Co-op Kids Day at the end of April teaching children about what it takes to run an electric cooperative and how to stay safe around electricity. “My grandchildren had such a fun time they didn’t want to leave,” said Carol Dvorak, Central board president. “When we got home, my granddaughter educated her dad and granddad about what to do if a tractor hits a pole and a power line comes down on the tractor.” Children were able to dance with Pepper the robot, have a hands-on

experience where they were able to try to complete a task like a lineman, learn about fiber, watch a safety demonstration, meet the electric coop mascot Willie Wiredhand and so much more at Central’s campus. “Co-op Kids is a program we launched this year to get members and their children interested and involved in Central and electric cooperatives,” said Jillianne Tebow, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at Central. “The program gives an interactive, behind-the-scenes look that’s fun for all ages.”

Central members’ children and grandchildren are eligible to participate in this free program that offers exclusive invitations to events, scholarships and so much more. Want to learn more or join Co-op Kids? Visit mycentral.coop/coopkids.

JOIN

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