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INSIDE THIS ISSUE President’s Message…………….........5 Executive Director’s Message………..7 Annual Meeting……………………10-23 Business Accounting Agenda……….24 Fall Management Agenda………..28-29 Safety Summit……………………..30-33 Member News…………………. ...36-37 Scholarship Foundation………….38-46

TGA NEWS is a publication of the Tennessee Gas Association. If you have information for the TGA Newsletter: please submit for the NEXT ISSUE

Send to: Kelley Zamboni, Editor

E-mail: kzamboni@tngas.org

ADVERTISERS CGS, Inc………………………………....2 Martin Contracting………………………3 Blankenship CPA Group……………….4 James N. Bush Construction…………. 4 USI Consulting…………………………..6 Powell & Meadows Insurance…………8 B.H. Holmes Construction……………..9 J.B. Gibbs & Son………………………..9 Consolidated Pipe & Supply………….17 G&C Supply…………………………….20 Energy Worldnet……………………….25 Tri-Star Energy Consultants…….. 26-27 Tri-State Meter & Regulator…………. 33 SJ Patterson Company……………….47 Clark Engineering & Utility Solutions. 49 Jackson Thornton……………………..50 Central Service Association. ………..51 Team Construction…………………...52

TGA NEWS 5

PRESIDENT ‘S MESSAGE

TGA Membership As my year as TGA President begins, I would like to first thank you for confidence in electing me to this position. The strength of TGA has been built over the past 57 years with the leadership that has gone before me. My hope is to contin-ue TGA on an upward trajectory and further the success of this great organization and its members. The theme of this year’s Annual Meeting at The Henderson Resort in Destin, Florida was “Waves of Change, Oceans of Opportunity”. The Annual Meeting Committee planned a phenomenal conference with an outstanding slate of speakers.

The membership received valuable information on a variety of topics. During the Welcome Dinner, the inaugural “Keeper of the Flame” award was presented. The gracious recipient of this year’s award was Carolyn Ramsey from Jefferson-Cocke County Utility District. Carloyn’s servant heart and loyalty to the natural gas industry and TGA made her a most deserving recipient. The evening ended with the presentation of the prestigious Silver Flame Award, to the “gas man” himself, Cliff Swoape with Middle Tennessee Natural Gas. Presentations continued throughout the week as we showed admiration and appreciation to Lynette DiMeola for her 13 years of loyal service to TGA and its members through numerous commemorative plaques and gifts. The President’s Dinner wrapped up the conference by honoring Brooke Sinclair as she concluded her year as President and the passing of the gavel. I want to thank Brooke, Lynette and Jamie for their hard work and dedication to TGA over the past year. With the exciting kick-off behind us, we shift focus to the coming year and the “Waves of Change, Oceans of Opportunity” that are before us. Each year our membership and the industry evolves whether through retirements, promotions, or regulatory changes. This year the “waves of change” have already begun to roll in. TGA has now hired our 6th Executive Director in 57 years of existence, Kelley Zamboni. She is a familiar face to TGA’s members through her work on multiple committees and the TGA Scholarship Foundation. She worked alongside Lynette during her final weeks in preparation for the transition. Please join me in welcoming Kelley in her new role and in supporting her as she begins to lead our association.

With change comes “oceans of opportunity” and it is our job to pursue these opportunities. Through TGA’s core values, we will set the P.A.C.E. to take advantage of these opportunities. We will begin with “promoting” the direct use of natural gas in the face of anti-fossil fuel lobbying. We will continue with “advocating” for stronger relationships within the industry and with our elected officials. Using the tools at our disposal, like our collective voice and the TGA PAC Fund, we will increase the association’s profile with state leaders to advance natural gas as the fuel of choice for Tennesseans. To accomplish our goals, we must continuously “collaborate” with existing members and industry leaders but more importantly with the next generation of leadership. We must instill in them, the necessary knowledge to ensure TGA continues to be a strong organization. This brings us to the last core value of TGA, “educate.” Not only are we charged with educating our state leaders and future industry leaders but also the public. We will continue to educate them on the value, reliability, sustainability and economic advantages of natural gas.

Behind all these opportunities is a small army of TGA Committees, Committee Chairs and dedicated volunteers. Thank you! I am confident in the work we will do to support the values of TGA. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank the TGA Business Partners. We could not meet the needs of the membership without your involvement and support. You are an integral part of TGA, and I look forward to working with you. Now let’s get started on a great year!

Braxton Williams 2019/2020 TGA President

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TGA NEWS 7

As I begin writing my first article for the TGA Newsletter, I find myself asking what the membership wants to hear from me as Executive Director of their Association. Most of you have known me for over 15 years. My involvement with TGA began thru my representation of SCUD on various Committees. I believe the various positions I held at SCUD over my 26 years and my involvement in TGA have greatly prepared me for this role.

For those of you who have worked with me thru TGA, I hope I have always operated with the best interest of the

Association and its members at the forefront. My passion for this industry and this Association run deep. I will do everything I can to keep this great organization moving onward and upward. We have outstanding leadership and membership groups within TGA that encompass people and organizations supporting the common goal of keeping natural gas at the top of the energy list.

With all of that being said, I do ask for your patience. There is one of me and many of you. In the near future I

will set out to visit our membership, making my way thru the State of Tennessee, stopping in to say hello and to see what TGA might do to better serve you. I plan to attend regional association meetings to learn what is going on in your area and how we can partner together to meet the needs of our mutual members.

We recently held the Safety Summit at the Montgomery Bell State Park. As you will read in the newsletter, it

was once again a great success. The Committee did a phenomenal job putting together an agenda that educated the attendees on various safety facets of working in the natural gas industry. As one of many conferences to come, I thoroughly enjoyed working with this passionate group of Committee Members. I expect the upcoming Business, Accounting & Professional Development Conference, November 5-6, along with the Fall Management Conference, November 7-8 at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge to be great as always. Don’t miss these valuable conferences.

To sum it up, I appreciate the support from the membership and Jamie. I am beyond excited to be your new

Executive Director and look forward to the years to come!

Kelley Zamboni Executive Director

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

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TGA NEWS 9

Tennessee One-Call System 1.800.351.1111

www.tnonecall.com

B. H. Holmes Construction, Company, Inc

Underground Utilities

In Business Since 1981

615-793-3133

LAVERGNE, TN

TGA NEWS 10

ANNUAL MEETING 2019

TGA Annual Meeting “Waves of Change, Oceans of Opportunity”

June 17-19, 2019 Destin, Florida

The 2019 TGA Annual Meeting was held at the wonderful Henderson Resort in Destin Florida. We had wonderful attendance at the meeting this year with 333 attendees representing 37 Natural Gas Systems. We started Sunday with our Board of Directors meeting handling important business on behalf of TGA members. Day one began our General Sessions and we closed the day with our Welcome Dinner. What an excellent first day. We received valuable updates from Retiring TGA Executive Director, Lynette DiMeola, TGA Scholarship Foundation President, Dan Hicks, TGA Lobbyist Jim Spears as well as from Bill Turner of TN 811. We wrapped up General Session with Colonel O walking us thru Leadership Then and Now. The Welcome Dinner was one for the books. The weather was perfect and the sunset set the scene for TGA to award the inaugural Keeper of the Flame Award to our very own Carolyn Ramsey with JCCUD. Carolyn exemplifies the spirit of the natural gas industry in service to customers, colleagues, and the Association. We ended the evening presenting the distinguished TGA Silver Flame Award to none other than Cliff Swoape. Cliff with MTNG takes natural gas safety to a whole new level and his passion for the industry and TGA is unmatched. We congratulate these two outstanding recipients and are proud to call them friends. Day two’s General Session did not disappoint. We began the day with a special presentation of a fabulous plaque to our retiring Executive Director, Lynette DiMeola. Bert Kalisch, President & CEO of APGA, then offered a valuable status update of their work on behalf of its members. An eye-opening look at “Sexual Harassment - In The Me Too Era” was presented by Janet Hayes followed by an entertaining look at “The Economic, Political and Business Climate” by Dr. Roger Tutterow. Stephen Dyer with CSA wrapped up the day capturing everyone’s attention with his Cyber-Terrorism Defense presentation. We greatly appreciate our speakers and the valuable information they provide our members.

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ANNUAL MEETING 2019

Annual Meeting final day was a success. We began by once again honoring Lynette with a fabulous plaque and a shirt with the TGA logo that is more her style. David Smith with Eben Concepts kicked of the slate of speakers offering insight in the Health Insurance Benefits next Utilities Specialist for the TN Comptroller of the Treasury, John Greer shared the mission of the organization which strives to Make Government Better. An insightful ethics lesson was presented by Aaron Beam and we ended the day with TN Public Utility Commissioner David Jones. Past Presidents gathered for lunch to reminisce and offer valuable suggestions to help move our Association forward. The afternoon held recognition for out-going Committee Chairs and the Annual TGA Business Session. Wednesday evening’s President’s Dinner was full of fundraising, a farewell speech, food and fellowship on the dance floor. We honored Brooke Sinclair with KUB as TGA’s President for the 2018-19 year and welcomed Braxton Williams with JEA as the incoming President. Lynette DiMeola gave her entertaining retirement speech and Kelley Zamboni was introduced as the new Executive Director of TGA. Our members raised $2,170 for the Harvest House of Destin, Florida thru the Together Giving to Another program. The members also bid high at the Silent Auction bring in $9,080 for the TGA Scholarship Foundation. The group then enjoyed musical entertainment by Jim Smith of Pigeon Forge, TN and several took a spin on the dance floor. Another successful TGA Annual Meeting comes to an end. We look forward to the upcoming 2019-2020 year and all of the opportunities it brings to continue the great success of the Tennessee Gas Association.

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ANNUAL MEETING 2019

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ANNUAL MEETING 2019

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Brooke Sinclair, 2018-2019 TGA President Lynette DiMeola, Retiring Executive Director

Bill Turner, TN 811

Janet Hayes, Lewis Thomason Colonel John Olshefski Bert Kalisch, APGA

Dan Hicks, TGA Scholarship Foundation President

ANNUAL MEETING 2019 SPEAKERS

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John Greer, TN Comptroller Office

David Jones, TPUC Aaron Beam, Speaker & Author

Jim Spears, TGA Lobbyist

Roger Tutterow, Ph.D.

ANNUAL MEETING 2019 SPEAKERS

David Smith, Eben Concepts Stephen Dyer, CSA

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ANNUAL MEETING 2019

2019-2020 Officers & Board of Directors

Past Presidents Luncheon

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ANNUAL MEETING 2019

Pat Riley, Gibson County Utility District Binh Chau, Paris-Henry County Utility District

The TGA Annual Meeting Committee would like to thank Pat Riley of Gibson County Utility District and Binh Chau of Paris-Henry County Public Utility District for their collaborative efforts to provide photography for this years Annual Meeting. All Annual Meeting photos featured in the newsletter were contributed by Pat or Binh.

TGA NEWS 19

ANNUAL MEETING 2019

TGA appreciates all of the sponsors for this successful event. It takes a village to present such an interesting and informative meeting and a village we had. The Annual Meeting couldn’t provide the spectacular quality without valued sponsors.

President’s Dinner Sponsor $10,000 Consolidated Pipe & Supply Room Key Sponsor $8,000 Team Construction Beach Chair / Umbrella $5,000 Eben Concepts Golf Tournament $5,000 Martin Contracting, Inc. Diamond $5,000 Central Service Association Enbridge James N. Bush Construction Platinum $3,000 CenterPoint Energy Services Frazier & Deeter USI Consulting Gold $2,000 Atmos Energy Corporation StrataG

Silver $1,000 Boardwalk Pipeline Partners Brown Construction Brown Jake & McDaniel, PC, CPAs Enervest Operating, LLC Hawkins County Gas Jackson Thornton Natural Gas Distributors of East TN Pipeline Construction Company SCUD Homestore Southern Cathodic Protection TC Energy Thigpen Solutions West TN Gas Association Bronze $500 Blankenship CPA Group, PLLC BP Energy Company CH4 Concepts Chris Georges Sales Company Clark Engineering & Utility Solutions Cookeville Gas Department Equipment Controls Company Industrial Training Services Magnolia River Services Middle TN Gas Distributors Assoc. Revelation Energy Resources, LLC

In Kind Sponsorship Tennessee 811, Beach Bags

CenterPoint Energy, Deep Sea Fishing Lunch

Thank You 2019 Annual Meeting Sponsors!

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ANNUAL MEETING 2019

Together Giving to Another Annual Meeting attendees contributed $2,170 to Harvest House of Destin, Florida during the Presidents’ Dinner at this year’s Annual Meeting. The collection is an Annual Meeting tradition, benefiting a local charity serving the area where the Annual Meeting is located.

TGA NEWS 22

ANNUAL MEETING 2019

2019 Tennessee Gas Association Keeper of the Flame Award

Tennessee Gas Association presented Carolyn Ramsey with the Association’s new 2019 TGA Keeper of the Flame Award at the June 2019 annual meeting of members and delegates. “The TGA Keeper of the Flame Award is a new award for the Association, acknowledging the recipient’s exemplary spirit and loyalty to the natural gas industry in Tennessee” said 2018/19 TGA President, Brooke Sinclair. With twenty-seven years of experience in the natural gas industry as Office Manager of Jefferson-Cocke County Utility District and her previous 30 year career with AT&T, Carolyn Ramsey represents the true character of this award. Jefferson-Cocke County Utility District was established in 1957 and serves 2 counties with over 7,900 customers and 48 employees. Carolyn’s involvement with TGA is invaluable. Her years of customer service experience served TGA well as she served countless years on the TGA Customer Service Committee. Under her Chairmanship, the Committee offered valuable training to the members of TGA. Most recently Carolyn and JCCUD hosted a very successful TGA Customer Service Workshop. The Jefferson and Cocke County communities have benefited greatly from Carolyn’s love and generosity. She is instru-mental in the work of the Cocke County Education Foundation pursuing grants to fund the Imagination Library Program where children from ages birth to five receive books. She is involved in the Cocke County Leadership Program, Kiwanis, March of Dimes and Relay for Life. Cooking and baking are a passion of Carolyn’s and she blesses countless people and organizations with her canned and bakes goods. Carolyn resides in her family home in Del Rio, TN with her husband of more than 50 years, Barney.

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ANNUAL MEETING 2019

Silver Flame Recipient, Cliff Swoape of Middle TN Natural Gas & 2018/2019 TGA President, Brooke Sinclair of Knoxville Utilities Board

2019 Silver Flame Recipient, Cliff Swoape & past Silver Flame Recipients

Tennessee Gas Association presented Clifford M. Swoape with the Association’s esteemed 2019 TGA Silver Flame Award at the June, 2019 annual meeting of members and delegates. “The TGA Silver Flame Award is the highest honor the association awards, reflecting the recipient’s exemplary support and dedication to the natural gas industry in Tennessee” said 2018/19 TGA President, Brooke Sinclair. With over thirty years of experience in natural gas distribution, Clifford M. Swoape serves as the Manager of Safety & Training for Middle Tennessee Natural Gas serving all or parts of 22 counties with over 64,000 customers in the middle Tennessee area. Cliff’s accomplishments are too numerous to mention, including serving as Chair of the Tennessee Gas Association Education Steering Committee for multiple years, an Officer for the TN Building Officials Association & TN Plumbing & Mechanical Inspectors Association, American Public Gas Association’s Codes and Standards Committee, and Southern Gas Association’s Distribution Technical Training and Technology Training Committees as Past Chair. Cliff is a Certified Utility Safety Administrator through the National Safety Council and a founding member of the Natural Gas Distributors Association of East Tennessee and the PIPE (Partners In Protecting Everyone) Program. He has continually served as Secretary/Treasurer since 2003 for the Middle Tennessee Gas Distributors Association. Cliff loves his community. The Woodbury First United Methodist Church values his involvement as Finance Chair of the Thrift Store Board and serving as Staff Parish Relations Chair as well as helping with the Food & Backpack Distribution program. Cliff has held various offices including District Governor and was named Tennessee Lion of the Year for the Woodbury Lions Club. Cliff is a graduate of Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas where he earned his B.A. in History. He loves spending time with his wife and 4 children and recently welcomed his first grandchild. In his spare time, Cliff enjoys reading and the outdoors and has complete the Music City Marathon 3 times.

2019 Tennessee Gas Association Silver Flame Award

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EDUCATE

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EDUCATE

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EDUCATE

TGA NEWS 30

SAFETY SUMMIT 2019

TGA Safety Summit August 12-14, 2019

Montgomery Bell State Park Burns, Tennessee

The 5th Annual TGA Safety Summit was held August 12th-14th at Montgomery Bell State park in Burns, TN. It began Monday afternoon with open discussion items relating to barcoding, DIMP, leak reporting, and GIS. An evening of networking was spent at the bowling alley enjoying pizza and friendly competition sponsored by the Business Partners. The Safety message continued on Tuesday as the attendees choose which track they would follow to maximize their experience. Track options included the significance of a productive safety culture, leak investigation, light ups and a work healthy program. TPUC offered an update and insight into utility damage prevention inspections. Hands-on demonstrations from a variety of the vendors gave attendees the chance to get practical experience. The attendees enjoyed a great dinner grilled up by Balon Valves at the Bash on Tuesday evening. Safety awards were given to utilities with outstanding safety records from 2018 and everyone enjoyed seeing the 811 hot air balloon. The TGA Safety Summit wrapped up on Wednesday with Emergency Planning “Building an Exercise” Workshop, trenching, leak repair, and tapping. The Safety Summit provided valuable information to 145 attendees representing 53 gas systems. The Safety Summit Committee did a fantastic job assembling a valuable conference.

Safety Summit Committee L to R: Matt Paul, Jeff Patterson, Bert Meece, Jimmie Tullis, Committee Chair - Jocelyn McInturff, Vice-Chair Thomas McCutcheon, Cliff Swoape, Sam Andavazo

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SAFETY SUMMIT 2019

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SAFETY SUMMIT 2019

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Together Giving to Another Safety Summit attendees contributed $482 to the Dickson County Help Center in Dickson, Tennessee.

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ONLINE TRAINING

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ONLINE TRAINING

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MEMBER NEWS

Underground Utility Damage Prevention Enforcement Board submitted by Stephanie Howell, PE

The UUDPEB met on Wednesday, August 28, 2019. Chairman Kevin Tubberville began the meeting with the roll call and the review and adoption of the May 22, 2019 meeting minutes. An informative overview of the Open Meetings Act was then presented by Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter. The Election for “Seat C” of the Executive Committee was held and Mr. Wayne Hastings was chosen to represent utilities.

The TPUC staff provided a program update: The Commission Invoice for Q3 (FY19) was approved. Chairman Martin B. Daniel’s letter of August 12, 2019 regarding public comment policy was discussed. TPUC

plans to pursue developing Rules for Public Records Requests and Public Comment for the Enforcement Board (EB) to review and approve. This will give the EB procedures for providing requested information to the public and procedures for the public to comment in the EB meetings.

Tennessee 811 provided an update: Overall 342 people have been through training, representing 245 organizations. Of those, 85 people representing

56 organizations have been training during 2019. Those who have attended training more than once total 40 repeat offenders.

Bill Turner of Tennessee 811 then discussed the legislative proposal for 2020. Several of the requested Damage Prevention legislative changes align with TGA member’s needs. The TGA Executive Committee is working on a separate path to address important legislative changes important to TGA members.

The importance of utilities utilizing the DIRT program was stressed. TN811 is currently comparing DIRT data with 811 ticket data to determine the effect of exemptions on damages. This initial data analysis provided several valuable insights on details of damages using a map to pinpoint locations, causes, use of white lining, etc. This data will be made available in the future. Effectiveness of the enforcement and damage prevention program was a question raised by PHMSA in the recent TPUC audit.

Tennessee 811, TPUC, and the Board are to present a draft version of the Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) at the November meeting. The MOUs govern how each group interacts with the other.

TGA presented the proposal for the use of funds ($25,000) collected from excavator penalties to pursue updated and expanded advertising in conjunction with the requirement of Public Awareness Communications. It was noted that the EB has no history with distributing the funds. TPUC Advisor Ryan McGehee intends to consult the State CPO and F&A regarding the request as the current Damage Prevention Law uses the work “contract” to use the funds. Board members requested that the advertisements included all utilities rather than specifically centering on the natural gas utilities represented by TGA. The EB will work with TPUC to evaluate steps to do so, which could include a legislative change. The proposal will be discussed in the November Board Meeting. The floor was open for public comment and Tennessee 811’s Craig Ingram made mention of the upcoming PIPE program meetings to be held across the state in the coming months. The program is a great way to get excavators from the gas utility communities further educated on the law and importance of utilizing the one-call system. The Executive Committee held their monthly meeting immediately following the Board’s meeting. Minutes from the previous meeting were adopted. The Underground Damage Prevention Act was discussed in reference to Enforcement and Ethics requirements. A total of 22 cases were presented.

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MEMBER NEWS

State Energy Policy Council submitted by Mike Ellis & Sue Kristjansson

Since the first meeting of the council in December of last year, the council’s time has been spent primarily in the “education” of council members regarding the major energy sources and providers in Tennessee. These individual reports have included presentation from TVA, the nuclear industry, NASEO (the National Association of Energy Officials), EIA data and statistics, and of course an excellent presentation on the natural gas industry by Sue Kristjansson. The purpose of these presentations was to provide a foundation of knowledge and understanding on the major energy industries in the state. This activity served an important purpose and was time well-spent.

Our most recent fact-to-face meeting was held Wednesday, June 5th at the Baker Center at UT-Knoxville. With this foundation in place, our next steps will be to finalize the council’s mission statement, along with the scope of our future work, and ultimately, recommendations to the governor and legislature on policy. It should be stressed that any policy recommendations are not n the short term. This council is still in its formative stages. Our next scheduled meeting is in September 25th in Memphis. Below is a link to the council’s website. There isn’t a lot of information here yet, but all the presentations, council membership, agendas, meeting minutes, etc. will eventually be posted here so you may check the site from time to time for more details as they become available. https://comptroller.tn.gov/boards/sepc.html.

Energy Efficient Schools Initiative (EESI) submitted by Matt Stennett

I am pleased to report that the Initiative has awarded over $130 million in grants and loans to improve energy efficiency in Tennessee schools. Not one of those grants/loans since I joined has involved any fuel-switching or net loss of natural gas load to electricity. The following information is from the FY2019 report.

The Energy Efficient Schools Initiative (EESI), was established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2008 with $90 million and is administratively attached to the Department of Education. Through EESI’s grant and revolving loan programs, $130,609,167.36 has been awarded to Tennessee’s public K-12 schools and saved schools in excess of $64 million on energy costs. All administrative costs associated with the 3-person EESI team are covered by low-interest loans and treasury fund balances. Administrative costs have remained less than 2.8% of the total allocation. As of June 2019, interest collections to date totaled $2,978,795.77. Every dollar of the original funding and the FY2019 state appropriation has gone directly to Tennessee’s public school districts. One-Hundred-Twenty-Six grants and Eighty-Eight loans have been generated by this program since 2008. In FY2019, EESI received its first state funding appropriation, totaling $11,000,000. These funds are specifically authorized for loans and do not revert to the general fund. One-hundred percent of funds from the FY2019 appropriation has been allocated to projects in six school districts across the state (Campbell County, Grainger County, Lake County, Overton County, Smith County, and Union City). All projects are under construction and progressing as scheduled. The current EESI Loan Program uses a low-interest (1.5%-2.0%) revolving loan mechanism to fund energy efficient projects in Tennessee’s public K-12 schools. As of June 30, 2019, loan originations totaled $110,904,405.08. Principle repayments averaged $687,000 per month and forecasted to increase to $904,041 per month during FY2020. As of June 30, 2019, loans outstanding totaled $58,637,602 and loan principle repayments were $49,442,823.00. Thirteen loans have been paid in full, and there have been no defaults to date. EESI’s application period is open year-round and projects are funded as soon as funding is available and have met the EESI technical review criteria. In FY2019, the EESI received and approved nine loan application totaling $17,612,905.50. Additionally, EESI received 7 letters of intent totaling over $19,000,000 in project need.

TGA NEWS 38

SCHOLARSHIP

Since 1997, the Tennessee Gas Association has proudly sponsored a Scholarship Program for the children of TGA members. Funding for these scholarships is collected throughout the year from golf and fishing tournaments, silent auctions as well as donations from individuals, foundations and business partners. The Tennessee Gas Association Scholarship Foundation has been granted 501(c)3 status under the Internal Revenue Code, effective October 24, 2011, therefore, your gift/donation is tax deductible within the limits established by the code.

SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION Message from the President

Dear Fellow TGA Members: Thank you for your continued interest and support of the Foundation and its activities carried out by the Scholarship Committee.

The Foundation held its required Annual meeting and election of officers in conjunction with the TGA’s Annual Meeting at The Henderson Resort in Destin Florida. The Foundation Board re-elected: Mr. Rob Neil – Treasurer; Ms. Kelley Zamboni – Secretary; and myself as President. In addition, Mr. James Sager of the Greater Dickson Gas Authority was elected Vice President.

The Silent Auction to benefit the Scholarship program was held at the Annual Meeting and produced good results. This event provides a significant portion of the funds used for scholarships. Thank you for your support through donations and your bidding. It is not too early to be thinking about items to donate for the 2020 Annual Meeting, which will be held in Chattanooga.

The Annual Scholarship Benefit Golf Tournament, was held Thursday September 26th at the Franklin Bridge Golf Club in Franklin. Becky Thompson and the Committee did a great job putting together this event. This event requires a lot of hard work and the planning for the 2020 Tournament will start as soon as this one concludes.

The Scholarship Fall Benefit Fishing Tournament took place Friday, September 27th at Fate Sanders Marina on Percy Priest Lake, Nashville. We appreciate the support of participants in both of these fundraising events.

Both of these events are important components of the Foundation’s overall fund raising efforts for the Scholarship program.

I would also like to encourage you to remember the Foundation as you consider ways to honor or memorialize an individual throughout the year. A generous donation has recently been received from the firm of our legal counsel, Baker Donelson. We appreciate and continue to encourage these meaningful gifts.

See the list that follows and please thank these donors for their generous support in providing increased educational opportunities for the children of TGA Member Employees.

Thank you for all you do!

Daniel C. Hicks, President TGA Scholarship Foundation

TGA NEWS 39

SCHOLARSHIP

The Tennessee Gas Associa on Scholarship Founda on extends sincerest apprecia on to the following donors

January 1, 2019 ‐ August 15, 2019

Tennessee Gas Association Middle Tennessee Gas Distributors Association

East Tennessee Group Municipal Energy Acquisition Corporation

Natural Gas Distributors Association of East Tennessee Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz

In Memory of Jeremy Snodgrass Jerry & Diane Snodgrass

Dan & Fran Hicks

In Honor of Dan Hicks James & Carolyn Sager

In Memory of James C (Jim) Hawk Jean M. Meyers

Dan & Fran Hicks

Jim & Carol Hodges

In Honor of TGA Member Systems Employees Dwight & Brenda Work

Scholarship Recipient Note of Thanks

TGA NEWS 40

SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT

Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament September 26, 2019

What a difference the weather makes! This year’s golf tournament could not have requested better weather unlike last year’s washout. We had 28 teams made up of 116 golfers support the Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament held at the Franklin Bridge Golf Club in Franklin, TN on Thursday, September 26th. A special thanks to all of the sponsors and the Scholarship Foundation Committee for all of their hard work putting this successful event together.

2019 Tournament Sponsors Title Sponsor $4,000 Team Construction Lunch Sponsor $1,500 Atmos Energy Corp. Beverage Cart Sponsors $1,400 Mark Rowe Construction Energy Land & Infrastructure Breakfast $1,000 King Pipeline Flight $1,000 Hutchison Tree Service Martin Contracting Plumbing Distributors Inc. & Rheem Triton Construction Putting Contest $500 CUI Distribution, Inc. Russmar Utility Management Vermeer

Hole Sponsors $175 Atmos Energy Corp. Benton, LLC. Clark Engineering & Utility Solutions Enbridge GPM Equipment Greater Dickson Gas Authority Jackson Energy Authority Johnson Construction Kemp Brothers Construction Kimley-Horn Martin Contracting Middle TN Gas Project Hometown Help Nortiz Pulley & Associates Piedmont Natural Gas Russmar Utility Management S&H Dirtworks

SCUD Homestore Vermeer Walker Construction Tennessee 811 United Rentals Trench Safety Raffle Item Donations Texer Group Triton Construction Tournament Committee Becky Thompson, Chair Bill Turner, Vice Chair Richard Clark Kenny Hay Klay Kuhns Scott Shepard

TGA NEWS 41

SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT

Putting Contest Winners: Mike Ellis & Chris Coughlin Both with a Hole-in-One!

First Flight ,1st Place: Triton Construction

Second Flight, 1st Place: Energy Land & Infrastructure

Third Flight 1st Place: Magnolia River Services

Closest to the Pin: Jonathan Barnett Rick Duffer Tony Hughes Matt Davis

Longest Drive: Travis Greenwood Miller McKee

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SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT

Texer Grill Winner: Dan Hicks, MTNG KY811 Golf Bag Winner: Rick Duffer Triton Cooler Winner: Doug Yoeckel

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SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT

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SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT

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SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT

TGA NEWS 46

SCHOLARSHIP FISHING TOURNAMENT

Scholarship Foundation Fishing Tournament September 27, 2019

A great day out on the lake for the participants of the 2019 Scholarship Foundation Fishing Tournament held on Friday, September 27th on Percy Priest Lake in Mt. Juliet. We had 12 boats and 23 fishermen participate in the fundraising event. The 1st place boat was Adam Wagner and Josh Rich with 14.42 lbs, 2nd place went to Tommy Lynch & Danny Hankins with 5.93 lbs and 3rd place goes to Randy Johnson and Erick Hassell with 5.44 lbs. A special thanks to James N. Bush Construction for sponsoring breakfast. We greatly appreciate Jerry Deal and Tommy Lynch from Piedmont Natural Gas for all of their work putting this event together. Thanks again to all of the participants and sponsors this event would not be possible without each of you.

First Place: Adam Wagner & Josh Rich Second Place: Tommy Lynch & Danny Hankins

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Distribution & Operations Conference April 21-23 , 2020

Embassy Suites ~ Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Reservations can be made by calling hotel directly at 615-890-4464 or 24 hour reservations 1-800-362-2779. TGA D&O Conference Room Rates (Group Code is TGA):

1-2 guests in the room: $159.00 per night 3 guests in the room: $179.00 per night 4 guests in the room: $199.00 per night

Deadline for hotel reservations is March 18. We encourage you to make your reservations as soon as possible. Conference agenda and registration details will be available in early 2020.

Monday, April 20

TGA Board of Directors Meeting 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Exhibitor Set up 5:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 21

Exhibits open for viewing 10:00 a.m. Buffet Lunch, Noon

General Session Begins 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 22 General Session & Break Outs 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 23

General Session 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Adjourn prior to lunch.

TGA NEWS 49

Make Plans Now to Attend TGA Annual Meeting 2020

June 15-17, 2020

The Westin Chattanooga, Tennessee

Hotel reservation deadline is May 23, 2020, however we encourage you to make your room reservations as soon as possible. Reservations can be made by calling 866-912-1083. Please ask for the TGA Annual Meeting room rate of $179 per night. To help you plan your arrival and departure dates, please use the information below. Agenda and registration fees will be available in early 2020.

Board Meeting TBD Monday, June 15

Opening Ceremonies Evening Welcome Event

Wednesday, June 17 Adjourn following President's Dinner

TGA NEWS 50

TGA NEWS 51

TGA NEWS 52