FROM theTOP
PATRICK GRACE
CEO ADDRESS
A year ago at this time, everything revolved around the pandemic, and the decisions we made were based on how we could protect our employees and our members. A year later, we're still faced with these decisions — although not in the same light — as we transition into the heart of summer. One decision we had to make a few months back was to postpone our Annual Meeting to 2022. We tried to avoid it, but at the time, state and local officials were still advising against large gatherings. Our board decided it would be best to wait one more year so we can all join together with hopefully no limitations. One thing I am looking forward to relaunching is our safety meetings. Safety is our top priority, and while our linemen and service personnel have continued their safety training throughout the pandemic, it's more impactful when we can meet in person. At the end of every day, we want each of our lineworkers to go home to their families, and I'm happy to be able to reinforce those safety measures in person again. As we adjusted to working remotely and ensuring social distance measures for all, we kept almost full operations and were able to serve members without experiencing a drop in service or reliability. Kudos to our employees who adapted to a historic time. We knew we had to answer the call, no matter the weather or world pandemic status — we’re here to take care of our members. When we realized America was headed for remote learning and working from home, OEC Fiber kicked into high gear. We hit 1,000 new subscribers per month throughout the pandemic as the need for connectivity became amplified. We pushed forward knowing the service was vital to our members and connected over 10,000 members in 2020. At the end of the day, we want you to know we always keep your needs at the forefront of our decision making. We truly do value you — our members and subscribers — and are grateful for the patience you extended to us as we navigated the pandemic and continue in a new norm with you.
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 Rusty Grissom, President District3Trustee@okcoop.org
Ronnie Tharp, Vice President District9Trustee@okcoop.org
Bob Usry, Sec. Treas. District8Trustee@okcoop.org
Shirley Idleman, Asst. Sec. Treas. District5Trustee@okcoop.org
Mike Argo
District1Trustee@okcoop.org
Percy Moreu
District2Trustee@okcoop.org
Ronnie Grover
District4Trustee@okcoop.org
John Jensen
District6Trustee@okcoop.org
Danny Watters
District7Trustee@okcoop.org
District
3
9 8 5 1
SENIOR MANAGEMENT
2
Chief Executive Officer ............................. Patrick Grace Chief Financial Officer ............... 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
4 6 7
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.
