Employer of the Year Award: Snapping Shoals EMC

Employer of the Year Award:

Snapping Shoals EMC

Headquartered in Newton County just off Brown Bridge Road, Snapping Shoals currently provides electricity to approximately 99,000 homes, business

and other facilities in an eight-county area. Special | Snapping Shoals EMC

Power supplier’s aim remains being reliable, making community a better place

By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

Snapping Shoals Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) has powered much of Newton County for more than 80 years, but the organization is much more than the average electric supplier.

As a cooperative, Snapping Shoals EMC places a special focus on being “plugged in” to the community.

“Plain and simple, that’s part of why we were created,” said Shaun Mock, who is CEO of Snapping Shoals EMC. “While it’s not unique to Snapping Shoals, one of our founding cooperative principles was ‘concern for community.’ We are here to provide power. We are here to be that reliable energy partner. But, we’re also here to make these communities we serve a better place.

“We could be the power company,” he added. “But if we’re what we were chartered to be, we’re truly an energy partner. We’re not here to make sure our profits are maximized. At the end of the day, if we make a profit, it’s going right back to the member that paid it. We’re simply here to meet our members’ energy needs.”

The cooperative’s dedication to members is what earned it the Visions 2022 Employer of the Year Award, presented by The Covington News.

Headquartered in Newton County just off Brown Bridge Road, Snapping Shoals currently provides electricity to approximately 99,000 homes, businesses and other facilities in an eight-county area that includes large portions of Newton, Henry and Rockdale counties, as well as parts of DeKalb, Butts, Walton, Jasper and Morgan counties.

The cooperative is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors that is responsible for establishing policy and overseeing the finances and administration of Snapping Shoals EMC.

Board members include Chairman Frank Lineberger of DeKalb County, Vice Chairman Jake Carter of Henry County, Secretary/Treasurer Lance Harper of Newton County, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Jeanette Berry of Newton County, Ruby Woods of Newton County, Alfred Flanigan of Rockdale County, Anthony Norton of Rockdale County, Dr. Millard Ross of Rockdale County, Walter Johnson of DeKalb County, Gene Morris of Henry County, and James I. White of Henry County.

As the region welcomes new industry and the population continues to mount, Mock said Snapping Shoals EMC was well-positioned for the future thanks to the foresight and diligence of past and current leadership.

About 20 years ago, Mock said, Snapping Shoals EMC began installing fiber lines between its substations. While a questionable decision at the time, Mock said it has turned

out to be quite the investment.

“It allowed us to build a smarter network,” he said. “It was really the backbone of how we are able to accurately pinpoint outages, and it also enabled us to do what’s called ‘smart switching,’ where an outage can be minimized with an automatic switch. Before, we had to roll out a truck and get someone out in the field. So, having those types of investments already in the field provides you a platform to really [handle] future growth, or any technology, or as population sort of moves around in the service territory.”

Mock said Snapping Shoals EMC also converted its system voltage years ago from 7200 volts to 14,400 volts — decades before some other cooperatives. He said that decision helped pave the way for growth that took place in the 1990s and was a $100 million project that would’ve cost upwards of $300 million today.

“Our Board had a lot of vision in allowing them to spend that money and really allow us to build a world class electric distribution system that is ready for almost any amount of growth,” Mock said.

As the region grows and changes, so do members’ needs, Mock said. Snapping Shoals EMC has evolved technologically to ensure those needs continue to be met.

A few years ago, Snapping Shoals EMC built an in-house management system that puts crews “not in the area of the outage, but exactly on the location of the outage … which results in much faster restoration times,” Mock said.

Within the last six months, Mock said a new customer relationship management software had been implemented in the call center.

“We, like everyone, have worked through COVID and seen call volumes be all over the place, and so this new software has enabled us to bring some best in class features, including ‘virtual hold’ where you give members the ability to plug in a number and call back when a spot is open rather than sitting on hold for an extended period of time.

“We’re always looking at, as those touch points evolve, how do we make those touch points as seamless and easy for our consumers?”

But what truly lifts Snapping Shoals above is its approximate 240 employees — from a customer service representative in the call center to the often under-appreciated lineman out in the field.

Mock said there’s a family atmosphere that has become the “secret sauce” for the cooperative’s longtime success.

“It’s not that uncommon to have a 40-year employee here,” he said. “And I think that’s a testament to our Board of Directors for maintaining that commitment to our employees.

“This place has been run well for a long time,” Mock continued. “I give all the credit in the world to my predecessor and his predecessor before that. It’s a tall honor, I think, for any of us to put on that Snapping Shoals EMC logo. Hopefully it means something when you walk out into the community.”

A few years ago, Snapping Shoals EMC built an in-house management system that puts crews “not in the area of the outage, but exactly on the location of

the outage … which results in much faster restoration times,” CEO Shaun Mock said. Special | Snapping Shoals EMC