FROM theTOP
PATRICK GRACE
CEO ADDRESS
OEC is growing at record speeds — and not just thanks to OEC Fiber. In days past, we could count on the majority of our growth — new subdivisions being built, new commercial load coming to town, etc. — during the summer months. The growth has been pretty steady for a few years straight, and that's not even counting the broadband system we've built from the ground up in record time. Our seven-county service area south of the OKC metro includes prime real estate, and developers and contractors have been taking advantage. All of this helps postpone the need for rate increases, as our meters per mile of line continue to increase. You see, investor-owned utilities and municipalities are able to offer lower rates at times due to their densely populated service areas. Municipalities, for example, serve an average of 48.3 customers per mile of line. Investor-owned utilities serve around 34 customers per mile of line. Co-ops in general average only 7.4 members per miles of line — OEC currently serves a little over 10 members per mile of line. All of that to say the higher that number, the better equipped we are to keep our operating costs as low as possible. This is precisely why we pride ourselves on our reliability. While growth is important, our mission is to always provide reliable service to our members. As more electric members come online every day, OEC Fiber continues its record-setting growth as well. Although OEC Fiber remains in the building stage, we've already connected over 15,000 subscribers to high-speed internet at affordable costs. From the west side of our system to the east, north and south, crews continue connecting nearly 300 new subscribers each week. Again, the speed of this growth is all but unheard of across the nation for a co-op broadband project. If you are still waiting on OEC Fiber services or contacting us regarding electric or fiber service, please bare with us. We are working to increase staff where needed due to our growth, and as a result you may experience longer-than-normal hold times. Please know we continually seek ways to improve our quality of service to you and won't stop until we perfect our solutions. Until then, thank you for being loyal members and subscribers.
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
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SENIOR MANAGEMENT
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Co-op Manager .............................................. Patrick Grace Chief Financial Officer ............... Preston O’Brien, CPA VP of Engineering .................................... Thad Peterson VP of Operations ............................................ Marty Hayes VP of Administration ...................................... Jonna Buck VP of HR and Legal Services ................ Tracy Mowdy VP of Metering ............................................... John Spencer VP of Information Technology .. David Goodspeed
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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 $350. Call 405-217-6708.
