Albemarle Soundsis published monthly by

Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

P.O. Box 69Hertford, NC 27944

(252) 426-5735

Gary Ray, General ManagerChris Powell, Editor

Website and member portal:www.aemc.coop

Outages:1-800-274-2072

24-hour payments: (252) 426-4419

We are members of NC 811. Call 811 or 1-800-632-4949

two business days before you plan to dig. They will contact us to locate any underground

electric lines. It’s the law.

October 2018 Proudly serving the members of Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country OCTOBER 2018 21

Jody Parker was recently promoted to manager of operations.

He will replace current Operations

Manager Glenn Parks, who will retire in January.

In his new role, he will oversee all of the underground and overhead line crews as well as contract line crews and tree trimming workers.

Parker previously served as the co-

op’s coordinator of corporate safety. Parker started his career as a lineman with Jones Onslow Electric Cooperative, in Jacksonville. He worked in that capacity for 15 years until he was promoted to safety manager. In 2014 he accepted the position of director of risk management with Rio Grande Electric Cooperative, in Texas.

“Jody’s experience as a lineman, coupled with his extensive safety-compliance knowledge will make him a strong asset to the operations department and the co-op,” said Gary Ray, general manager of Albemarle EMC.

Lineman Broc Sutton (left) recently received his Certificate of Completion for Overhead Line Construction IV from Nash Community College. He is congratulated by Glenn Parks, manager of operations.

New Operations Manager Hired

Lineman Earns Certification

AEMC Toy Drive Seeks Donations

Albemarle EMC’s annual Light Up Christmas toy drive is under way, and members are encouraged to bring in new, unwrapped toys.

Prior to Nov. 29, please deliver the toys

to the co-op’s office, located at 125 Cooperative Way, in Winfall. Each year the cooperative collects toys and also purchases toys with funds generated by a golf tournament and monetary donations. The toys are then delivered to area school coordinators, who have identified families who could use help during the holidays. The toys are given to the children’s parents.

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October is National Co-op MonthIn many ways, cooperatives resemble other businesses. They have similar physical

facilities, perform similar functions and must follow sound business practices. They are usually incorporated under state law by filing articles of incorporation that grant the co-op the right to do business. The organizers draw up bylaws and other necessary legal papers. Members elect a board of directors. The board sets policy and hires a manager to oversee the day-to-day operations. But in other ways, cooperatives are distinctly different from other businesses. These differences are found in the cooperative’s purpose, its ownership and control, and how benefits are distributed. They are reflected in the cooperative principles that explain the unique aspects of doing business on a cooperative basis.

Albemarle EMC remains a strong cooperative because of its members. An engaged and active membership has kept your co-op in business since 1945.

Albemarle EMC employees Roy O’Neal, Matt Byrum, Aaron Pippen and Travis Riddick recently attended training on the new high-voltage safety trailer at Edgecombe-Martin County EMC. The high-voltage trailer is jointly owned by several eastern electric cooperatives.

“We can use this trailer to educate and inform school groups, fire departments and our members about the hazards of high voltage electricity,” said Gary Ray, general manager of Albemarle EMC.

Employees Train to Use High-Voltage Safety Trailer

Tar Heel Teacher of the Week

Announced

Albemarle EMC is proud to announce that local teacher, Connie Ashley, is being honored on a statewide level as a Bright Ideas Tar Heel Teacher of the

Week. She was nominated in recognition of her dedication to students and for winning a 2017 Bright Ideas education grant for her project “Face Time.”

“We want to honor this educator for doing all she can to bring extra resources into her classroom,” said Gary Ray, general manager of Albemarle EMC. “Bright Ideas grant recipients are a special group of educators.”

Ashley is one of 25 North Carolina teachers who will receive the honor this year. She will be recognized on air during the radio broadcast of a University of North Carolina football game and also on the Bright Ideas website, www.NCBrightIdeas.com. She, along with the 24 other Tar Heel Teacher of the Week honorees, will also receive a plaque commemorating their achievement as well as tickets to a UNC football game.

Albemarle EMC accepts Bright Ideas education grant applications from teachers for creative classroom learning projects every year from April through September. The Tar Heel Teacher of the Week and Bright Ideas education grant programs are examples of Albemarle EMC’s commitment to the community.

The Bright Ideas education grant program, sponsored by North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives, strives to improve education in North Carolina classrooms by awarding grants to Tar Heel teachers in grades K-12 for innovative, classroom-based projects that would not otherwise be funded. Since the program began in 1994, about $10.9 million has been given to educators for more than 10,400 projects benefitting well over 2.1 million students.

Don’t Fall for Scams

This Halloween, and year round, remember the following tips to help avoid the costly effects of being duped by scammers posing to be Albemarle EMC:

• Your co-op will never demand payment over the phone.

• If you receive a call, do not give out personal information such as your credit card number, account number or social security number. Hang up and call Albemarle EMC to verify your account status.

• Don’t open suspicious emails. Instead, call the co-op to report questionable activity.

• Don’t be rushed or pressured by a threatening caller. Hang up and take time to contact us and verify the information. Our office number is (252) 426-5735.

School Receives Grant

The Perquimans County Schools Foundation recently received a grant to continue offering wireless Internet on special activities buses. By providing wireless Internet, student-athletes have been able to complete homework assignments while traveling to away games.

“Our students work together on long bus rides to complete homework assignments that they, otherwise, would have to do the next morning before school,” said Martha Nixon, chief technology officer for Perquimans County Schools.

From left are: Martha Nixon, chief technology officer, and James Bunch, assistant superintendent.

How Albemarle EMC works to provide its members with the highest-quality service possible.

Albemarle EMC is at Your Service

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Co-op Members Should VoteEarly voting begins Oct. 17 for the

mid-term elections in North Carolina. Albemarle EMC encourages you to exercise your right to vote this year. Electric cooperatives have a long history of political engagement. Cooperatives were born out of a government program to bring electricity to rural America. Though that goal has been exceeded in every way, electric cooperatives have never rested on that accomplishment. We are constantly adapting to an ever changing business environment and political landscape.

The strength of electric cooperatives has always been its members. Our legislators are well aware of the rural voting block that co-op members represent. To remind them of that fact, the electric cooperatives of North Carolina are holding a Co-ops Vote social media contest through the end of October. Co-ops Vote is a non-partisan way to inform our members about the key issues facing electric cooperatives and encourage our members to support their co-ops and communities when they go to the polls. Rules for the contest are simple:

A co-op member can take a picture with one or more Co-ops Vote items, with the logo prominently displayed, and post it to social media using the hashtags #coopsvote and #nccoopsvote. They will also need to include the name of their cooperative, Albemarle EMC. The Co-ops Vote items can be found in the lobby of the Albemarle EMC office building, located at 125 Cooperative Way, Winfall. The social media post with the most likes will be chosen the winner.

Albemarle EMC also has voter registration application forms available in

the office lobby. If you are not registered to vote, simply fill out the form. The form can be mailed or hand-delivered to your county Board of Elections. To find the Board of Elections nearest you, visit

https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo. All voter registration applications must be submitted by Oct. 12. To avoid any complications, we recommend you turn the form in earlier than Oct. 12. Helping our members get registered to vote is a simple way we can

get our members involved and help get policies passed that will be beneficial to the co-ops and our members.

Voting is only one aspect of our political involvement. The electric cooperatives of North Carolina have two political action committees, called REAP (Rural Electric Action Program) and ACRE (Action Committee for Rural Electrification). The two programs are mainly funded by co-op employees who voluntarily contribute. Last year North Carolina cooperatives raised $181,511 for REAP and $127,897.27 for ACRE. Those funds are used to help fund the campaigns of legislators who support co-op and rural issues at the state and federal level.

The electric cooperatives have teams

of lobbyists in Raleigh and Washington, D.C., who can apprise legislators of bills that cooperatives either would like to see passed or defeated. As nonprofit businesses, electric cooperatives are only interested in legislation that either directly or indirectly helps members. Co-ops’ steadfast political involvement has produced a level of clout that has proven extremely valuable over the years. The ability to influence legislators has resulted in laws such as the North Carolina “move-over law,” designed to heighten safety for line workers. The law requires motorists to either move into an adjacent lane or significantly slow down when passing linemen working on the side of the road.

At the federal level, co-ops have been able to help shape energy policy, which translates to lower electricity rates for consumers. Co-ops have also successfully supported federal spending packages that include hefty funding for rural development and infrastructure, Rural Utilities Service Loans as well as loans for rural broadband development.

Co-op representatives also recently supported legislation designed to strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Because co-ops serve low-density areas, disasters can have a disproportionate impact. Co-ops are eligible for FEMA reimbursements to mitigate recovery costs. Strengthening FEMA’s financial assistance means Albemarle EMC rate payers won’t have to shoulder the majority of disaster recovery costs.

Simply by voting, co-op members strengthen their co-op and do their part to keep rates affordable.

Albemarle EMC is encouraging co-op members to exercise their right to vote this election season.