FROM theTOP
PATRICK GRACE
CEO ADDRESS
It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time for our annual “yearbook” edition of the Co-op News. As you can see beginning on page 8, our team has grown quite a bit, and we continue to create jobs here in central Oklahoma. The best part? All the friendly faces you see are dedicated to our mission of serving reliable, affordable service to our members and subscribers. We were honored to be named one of the Journal Record’s Best Places to Work in August setting us apart as a business that truly invests in the well-being of our employees. It’s something we take great pride in, and it’s nice that our employees — both tenured and newer — echo the sentiment I’ve always had that OEC is a great place to work. As we continue to grow, the need to hire skilled, knowledgeable employees has evolved. We used to hire at entry level positions, then provided opportunity for growth depending on the employee’s skills and desires. Creating an internet company has changed that perception and led to more specific needs in an industry to which we are still fairly new. Because of that, we have a very good, diverse group of applicants, which allows us to add unique talents to our team. Whether our employees are helping members over the phone, connecting your home to our lightning fast broadband network, replacing your outdoor light, trimming trees around power lines or anything in between, you can be sure they're doing so as trained, knowledgeable folks who come to work every day to serve you to the best of their ability. We are not about cutting corners or generating profits for shareholders — we are here to provide you with safe, reliable, affordable electricity and high-speed internet. If you recognize any of the faces on the pages of this month's Co-op News, be sure to thank them for keeping your lights on and your internet running. They do it with joy, and it's a pleasure to work with each of them. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and your family from all of us at OEC.
Oklahoma Electric Cooperative 242 24th Ave NW | PO Box 1208 Norman, OK, 73070 321-2024, FAX 405-217-6900 http://www.okcoop.org
BOARD OF TRUSTEES District
Ronnie Tharp, President District9Trustee@okcoop.org
Bob Usry, Vice President District8Trustee@okcoop.org
Shirley Idleman, Sec./Treas. District5Trustee@okcoop.org
Danny Watters, Asst. Sec./Treas. District7Trustee@okcoop.org
Mike Argo
District1Trustee@okcoop.org
Percy Moreu
District2Trustee@okcoop.org
Rusty Grissom
District3Trustee@okcoop.org
Ronnie Grover
District4Trustee@okcoop.org
John Jensen
District6Trustee@okcoop.org
9 8 5 7 1 2 3 4 6
SENIOR MANAGEMENT Chief Executive Officer ............................. Patrick Grace Exec. VP and CFO ....................... Preston O’Brien, CPA VP of Engineering .................................... Thad Peterson VP of HR and Legal Services ................ Tracy Mowdy VP of Information Technology .. David Goodspeed VP of Metering ............................................... John Spencer VP of Operations ............................................ Marty Hayes
Oklahoma Electric Co-op News is published monthly by Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, 242 24th Ave. NW, Norman, OK 73069, (USPS-865-700). Subscription rates: $6.00 per year for non-members, 50¢ per year for members. Periodical postage paid at Norman, OK and other additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send form 3579 to: Oklahoma Electric Co-op News, PO Box 1208, Norman, OK 73070.
Co-op News Editor Brianna Wall, CCC brianna.wall@okcoop.org Members who find their account number hidden within the text of this issue will be awarded $500. Call 405-217-6708.
