WIRED

MARCH 2012

POWER OF COMMUNITYPEDERNALES ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

As part of the Vehicle Maintenance team, PEC mechanic Bryan McKinney does everything from oil changes to hydraulic work. Vehicle Maintenance is ready to go anywhere in the Co-op’s service territory, 24 hours a day.

Vehicle Maintenance keeps PEC fleet safe and sound

In light of 2012 being the International Year

of Cooperatives, I’d like to talk a little bit

about how the cooperative business model

differentiates PEC from other utilities.

Our purpose in serving our members is

outlined by the Cooperative Principles:

voluntary and open membership; democratic

member control; members’ economic

participation; autonomy and independence;

education, training and information;

cooperation among cooperatives; and

concern for community.

But how are we different from a retail power

provider? We are different because there is

more to being a PEC member than simply

getting reliable electricity. Our customers are

members who collectively own PEC, serve

on the Board and openly participate in Co-op

meetings, forums and elections. We embrace

democracy and transparency, support

our communities and always encourage

member feedback. The investments of all

of our members who use our electricity get

rewarded each year through the return of

capital credits.

Our way of doing business — the cooperative

way — is refreshing in this day and age. PEC

members really are member-owners who

take pride in being part of a unique business

so important to the Hill Country communities

we serve. I am more than proud to be a PEC

member and I know the majority of you are

as well.

The pride and care you take in serving our

communities — our families, neighbors and

friends — is evident every day.

MESSAGE FROMCEO RB SLOAN

COOPERATIVE DIFFERENCE MAKES PEC SPECIAL

Voluntary and open membership

Democratic member control

Members’ economic participation

Autonomy and independence

Education, training and information

Cooperation among cooperatives

Concern for community

The Cooperative Principles

EATING RIGHT: A CHOICE FOR LIFE

This year, the Safety Department has

launched an initiative to help PEC employees

take steps toward better eating habits.

Better nutrition can give workers more

energy to start the day, more sustained

energy throughout the day and a sharper

mental focus.

“Baby steps” is the advice of Safety

Representative Mary Lou Hale, who believes

that by taking small, incremental steps,

employees give themselves the best chance

to get healthy and stay healthy.

“Don’t try to change your lifestyle all at one

time,” Mary Lou said. “Tomorrow have a

piece of fruit; the next day have fruit and

yogurt or two pieces of fruit; drink more

water. Please don’t try to change everything

all at once. People who do that have a

tendency to fail, and I do not want to see

anyone fail and feel bad about themselves.”

New safety training encourages adoption of healthy eating habits

Breakfast:

Oatmeal

Waffles (add wheat germ or flaxseed to the mix)

Fruit and/or vegetables

Lunch:

Tuna salad (try adding carrots, peppers, red beans

and dried cranberries)

Peanut butter on whole weat bread

Dinner:

Grilled (not fried) meats (try to only eat red meat

2-3 times a weeks)

Cereal (there is nothing wrong with eating cereal

for dinner)

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR MENU WISELYBefore each meal, ask yourself “Could I be eating something with more nutritional value?”

This month, Mary Lou will begin leading

voluntary eight-hour workshops to give

interested employees a more detailed

roadmap to a healthier lifestyle. Employees

have been enthusiastically going to the

Learning Zone to sign up for “Day to Day

Wellness”, a class that provides information

on how diet and exercise can improve your

overall health. The first classes have filled

up quickly and more are being added.

The classes focus on issues such as what

causes headaches, how to reduce stress,

and the importance of a good night’s sleep.

Mary Lou said she hopes that employees

who take this course will “walk away with

ideas of how to eat right, exercise, new

recipes to try and even new friends. I really

can’t wait to hear from the participants on

how they are trying to change to a healthier

lifestyle. … We have lots of different ideas

of how to keep our employees excited,

motivated and healthy.”

Employees eager to begin making positive

changes immediately can begin by

remembering some time-honored maternal

advice. “Mom really was right! Breakfast

is THE most important meal of the day,”

Mary Lou said. If you want a satisfying and

nutritious breakfast using ingredients that

you probably already have in the kitchen,

Mary Lou recommends her personal favorite,

peanut butter toast.

TACKLING A CASE OF THE MUNCHIESSkip the cookies and candy. These options are a smart and tasty way to satisfy your hunger in between meals.

Crunchy: Carrot and

celery sticks

Munchy: Unsalted almonds

Sweet: Fresh fruit

Hot: Low-sodium tomato soup

Credit: American Heart Association

Click here for helpful nutrition tips.

Joy sends care packages to American troops overseas

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT:

JOY FERNANDEZ

Top photo: Joy Fernandez, System

Administrator, Johnson City.

Right photo: Joy’s care packages include

sweet treats and common hygiene products.

Joy Fernandez reached out to her fellow employees to see if they’d like to join her in showing their appreciation for our men and women overseas. The response from her co-workers has been ‘awesome.’

For Joy Fernandez, an SAP Basis System

Administrator in the IT Department,

supporting the men and women in the United

States Armed Forces is something she

learned as a child.

Joy grew up as part of a large family that

included nine brothers, five of whom served

in Vietnam. “I grew up writing letters to them,

and a couple of my

brothers still have the

letters. ... I grew up

knowing how important

it was for the troops to

get stuff from home.

I think that’s why it

means so much to

me,” said Joy, who

served in the Army.

Joy also knows that many deployed service

members don’t receive mail or care packages

from home, and after speaking with a

chaplain at Fort Hood last year, Joy learned

about www.anysoldier.com. The website

enables people stateside to show their

support and appreciation for the men and

women serving our country in any branch of

the military.

Joy said that reading some of the things our

troops ask for made her realize the things we

might take for granted here – T-shirts, socks,

bug spray, candy bars – can make a big

difference in a deployed soldier’s life.

Determined to give the troops a taste of the

home-life they were missing, Joy decided

to get involved about six months ago. “I

have two groups that I send to right now,

but you can do more if you can afford it. It’s

expensive, and I understand why the general

public doesn’t do it or can’t do it.”

This year, Joy wanted to see if anyone else at

PEC might be interested

in helping with the

care packages, so she

posted a note on the

Intranet Water Cooler.

The response was

immediate.

“People have just been

awesome with what

they’ve given so far,” Joy said. “I come to

work and there’s a bag of goodies or a $10

bill left anonymously on my keyboard. It just

makes me cry. I’m so pleased to be part of

our family at PEC.”

For any employees who are interested in

helping the troops, Joy encourages you to

bring her items or money to put toward future

care packages. She pays the postage, fills out

the customs paperwork and bundles items in

plastic bags to protect them en route to our

men and women abroad.

Employees interested in getting involved can

contact Joy directly by clicking here.

THEY HELP PEC KEEP ON TRUCKIN’

Our field trucks travel over rugged terrain, and to keep them in the best possible condition, PEC turns to the Vehicle Maintenance Department. Pictured, from left, are mechanics Robert Meurer, David Hesskew, Brian McKinney and Supervisor Mike Mowrey.

Our members know that PEC linemen are

always on the job. Day or night, rain or shine,

when our linemen get the call, they are ready

to go to work and complete their tasks safely

and swiftly.

There’s another team of employees at

the Co-op who know their phones might

ring at any time: Vehicle Maintenance.

This department has seven people whose

professionalism and dedication helps keep

the PEC fleet rolling and gives our field

personnel the support they need to succeed.

Like all Cooperative employees, Vehicle

Maintenance understands its primary goal is

safety. “We categorize our work by priorities,

and safety is number one,” said Vehicle

Maintenance Supervisor Mike Mowrey.

Mike’s department is using SAP software

to enhance preventive maintenance and

conduct regular safety inspections of each

vehicle.

“SAP will be an excellent tool for us,” Mike

said. “The two keys for employees are to

enter the mileage in a timely manner and

utilize the notification for repairs.”

Administrative Clerk Fran Smith works closely

with Vehicle Maintenance, and Mike said

her assistance on SAP projects has been

invaluable.

Half of the vehicle maintenance crew

typically works in Johnson City while the

other employees are out in the field. Each

employee in the field covers two districts and

is situated so that somone from the team

can get just about anywhere in our service

territory in an hour.

In the field, PEC trucks encounter

innumerable hazards and emergency repair

often is required.

Most repairs – hydraulic leaks, maintaining,

repairing and replacing hoses – have to be

done with the specialized equipment in the

Johnson City facility.

The vehicle maintenance team’s proficiency

with regard to the fleet’s hydraulic units is

essential. “We’ve been focusing more and

more on our hydraulic units,” said Mike.

“The expertise it takes, you can’t just go

anywhere. I have to have qualified guys to

work on it.”

“We concentrate on our buckets, booms and

diggers more than anything else,” said David

Hesskew. “You’ve got to keep the crews

going, that’s the most important.”

Another challenge the PEC vehicles

constantly face is the uneven and damaging

terrain of the Hill Country and the toll it takes

on tires. “We normally don’t wear tires out.

We ruin them,” Mike said jokingly

No matter what our fleet encounters, Vehicle

Maintenance is ready to answer the call.

Vehicle Maintenance team members are, clockwise from top right, David Hesskew, Luther Schumann, Robert Meurer, Mike Mowrey, David Lindig and Allen Hunt.

CHILD’S PLAYKids grow up so fast, and some of them grow up to work at PEC. Can you match the employee

to his or her baby picture? You’ll find the answers on the next page.

There are two current employees in this photo!

Congratulations to employees celebrating more than 20 years with PEC this month.

38 years: Eugene Arellano, Bertram

29 years: Rusty Dunham, Johnson City DiAnn Hamilton, Cedar Park

28 years: Tracy Corpus, Johnson City

27 years: Jeff Hullum, Bertram Margaret Vasquez, Johnson City

26 years: Toni Reyes, Johnson City

22 years: Traci Hallenberger, Johnson City

CHILD’S PLAY ANSWERS SERVICE ANNIVERSARIES

Tamara Price Headquarters

Larry Cotton Headquarters

Karyn Rowney Marble Falls

Rodney Hartmann Johnson City

Carolyn Machado Headquarters

Pete Slover Headquarters

Ashley Urbanowicz San Marcos

Virgil Maldonado Marble Falls

Answers from previous page.

Send us your story idea or photo by clicking here:

wired@peci.com

FROM THE FIELD

When you work at PEC, you’re part

of the family. We like to think of

Wired as our family’s photo album.

If you have fun or interesting

pictures, please share them with

us, and we’ll share them with the

rest of the Co-op.

Becki Sadler, Line Staking Agent, Liberty Hill

Andy Brooksbank, Videographer, Johnson City

Click here to share your fun

or interesting photo!

Josh Hanawalt, Lineman, Cedar Park

Stacy Warren, Member Services Agent, Liberty Hill

MEMBERAPPRECIATIONWhy do PEC members think so highly of our employees? Because people such as Maintenance Worker Larry Cotton offer to help whenever help is needed. Thanks Larry, you make us all proud.

THURSDAY 1Kyle R&R

FRIDAY 2Oak Hill R&R

WEDNESDAY 7Liberty Hill R&R

FRIDAY 9Special Board Meeting of the Committees

WEDNESDAY 14Junction R&R

FRIDAY 16Liberty Hill R&R

MONDAY 19Board Meeting

WEDNESDAY 21Canyon Lake R&RCedar Park R&R

THURSDAY 22Marble Falls R&R

WEDNESDAY 28Headquarters R&R

KEY DATESMARCH 2012

“On Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, my husband and I were driving on US Hwy 281 with a small load of alfalfa we had just purchased at the local feed store. We pulled into the parking lot of Deer Creek Vet Clinic and got out to check our trailer because it was making an awful noise. Somehow the pin holding our trailer into the hitch had worked out its way out and was gone which caused our trailer to rise up and bump the rear of our SUV.

PEC employee Larry Cotton pulled into the parking lot beside us, came over to see if we were okay and asked if he could help. We had never met Larry before. Larry not only helped my husband put the trailer connection back in the hitch, he rummaged around in his truck and found a long bolt we could use as a temporary pin fastener so that we could safely get home. When my husband tried to give him some money for his help, Larry said that helping his neighbors was pay enough for him...it was part of his job at PEC. We are grateful for Larry’s help and just wanted to let someone at PEC know how well you were represented in the community.”

Sincerely, Betty McNallen

1

1-888-740-2220 | (361) 364-2220 | SANPATRICIOELECTRIC.ORG

sanpatricioelectric.org March 2014 SAN PATRICIO EC Texas Co-op Power 19

San PatricioElectric Cooperative402 E. Sinton St. • P.O. Drawer 400Sinton, TX 78387

G E N E R A L M A N A G E R

Ron Hughes

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

Leonard Jones, District 1, BeevilleTom Mayo, District 2, TaftDaren Wilder, District 4, MathisClyde Stewart, District 5, SintonJim Bassett, District 6, George WestTryne Mengers, District 7, TynanAaron Salge, District 8, BeevilleBobby Bauch, At Large, Sinton

Cooperative Services• Online bill payment• Information on the efficient use of

electricity• Convenient payment locations and

methods—credit card or bank draft• Visa, MasterCard and Discover credit

cards accepted• Levelized billing plan—using a monthly

average• Convenient scheduling and options for

construction or connection• Certified electrician services (outside of

facility only) never stop. We will be oncall 24/7 for your convenience.

CONTACT US

For information during office hours and outages after hours

CALL US

(361) 364-2220 local or

1-888-740-2220 toll-free

FIND US ON THE WEB

sanpatricioelectric.org

San Patricio Electric Cooperative, an organization that has been serving andstrengthening Texas communities for 75 years, recently presented a $10,000donation to the South Texas Children’s Home, a ministry with a 60-year tradition of helping those in need.

SPEC partnered with CoBank to give the donation through the “Sharing Success”program. CoBank, a cooperative bank that serves Rural America’s industries andorganizations such as electricity providers, launched the multimillion-dollar match-ing grant program in 2012.

Ron Hughes, the general manager of SPEC, contacted CoBank about makingSouth Texas Children’s Home a grant recipient in 2013. The children’s home has beena member of the co-op since 1952, and the faith-based organization has a stellar rep-utation for its good work within the community.

“Our Sharing Success program is rooted in longstanding cooperative principles,including concern for community and cooperation among cooperatives,” said RobertB. Engel, CoBank’s CEO. “We’re delighted to be partnering with so many of our cus-tomers, including San PatricioElectric Cooperative, to sup-port a wide variety of worthycauses across rural America.”

The children’s home is adebt-free organization sup-ported entirely through private donations, and it pro-vides all services without cost.

“The money received fromSan Patricio Electric will beused to provide for the dailyneeds of children and familiessuch as food, clothing, house-hold supplies and much moreas lives are impacted everyday,” said Kyle Luke, vicepresident of development andcommunications for the SouthTexas Children’s Home Min-istries. “Children and familiesin Texas and around the world will benefit from this generous gift.”

Hughes said the children’s home was a worthy recipient of this donation, and theSan Patricio EC Board of Directors quickly agreed when he suggested they reach outto CoBank and take advantage of the “Sharing Success” program.

“San Patricio Electric has been serving our members and their communitiessince 1938,” Hughes said. “In all that time, we’ve seen a lot of organizations helpmake this region of Texas a better place to live. It’s hard to think of any group morecommitted to improving the lives of the people in this community than the SouthTexas Children’s Home Ministries.

Anyone interested in making a donation to the South Texas Children’s Home Min-istries can contact Kyle Luke at kluke@stchm.org or at (361) 375-2417. Donors mayalso support the organization online at stchm.org⁄donate.

San Patricio Electric, CoBank Donate $10,000 to Local GroupSharing Success program benefits South Texas Children’s Home

San Patricio Electric Cooperative General Manager RonHughes, right, presents a check for $10,000 to Kyle Luke,the vice president of development and communicationsat the South Texas Children’s Home Ministries. SPEC andCoBank each donated $5,000 to the Children’s Home,which has been providing for the daily needs of Texaschildren and families since 1952.

SAN PATRICIO ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

sanpatricioelectric.org20 Texas Co-op Power SAN PATRICIO EC September 2013

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

For San Patricio Electric Cooperative—and the communi-ties we serve—this is an exciting time. Economic develop-ment throughout the region gives us all good reason to beoptimistic about the future, and on the occasion of our75th anniversary, it’s also a natural time to remember andreflect upon the past.

Seventy-five years ago, this part of the country was so differ-ent most of us wouldn’t recognize it. Of course, we’re lucky thatthere are still some people who remember what life was likebefore electricity, and we can learn a lot from them. Theirmemories are a powerful reminder of why no one should takeelectricity for granted.

We should all take a moment to consider how affordable,reliable electricity has improved our quality of life. For exam-ple, I’m amazed at how the flow of electricity throughout thisnation has improved the quality of health care available toeveryone. At our annual meeting in Beeville, we are once againsponsoring a health fair offering a wide variety of free profes-sional medical screenings to all of our members and their fami-lies. I hope our members will attend the meeting and takeadvantage of this valuable service.

Now imagine life 75 years ago, and think about how different atrip to the hospital or a doctor’s office must have been. Imagineall the limitations that local doctors and nurses faced before elec-tricity came to this region of Texas, and think about how electric-ity has enabled us to make significant leaps forward in medicine.

It’s not just the health-care profession. Electricity is thefoundation for almost every modern convenience we have, andit’s exciting to see what new invention will come along next. Ourjob is to make sure you can plug in and enjoy that device as soonas you bring it home, and it’s a job we do with pride every day.

In the last year, I’m proud to tell you our employees main-tained their commitment to safety, and as a result, this co-opcelebrated five years without a lost-time incident. This is aremarkable achievement for any workplace, but it’s truly excep-tional in a profession with so many potential risks. On behalf ofthe board, I would like to thank our employees for their long-

standing dedication to safety.San Patricio Electric is also working diligently to provide

support for our local communities, which is one of the sevencooperative principles that all co-ops strive to honor. In thepast year, we participated in county agriculture fairs and eco-nomic development fundraisers, and hosted a tour of one of thepower plants that provides us with electricity.

This cooperative continued its tradition of helping teachersand students by offering scholarships, classroom demonstra-tions and electrical safety education. San Patricio Electric onceagain offered outstanding high school juniors and seniors thechance to earn a trip to Washington, D.C., on the Government-in-Action Youth Tour. Courtney Reopelle represented the co-op in Washington this year and called it, “an amazingexperience that I will cherish forever.”

And since our last meeting, this organization has been ableto make significant improvements to infrastructure and facili-ties. Throughout the cooperative, we are installing the nextgeneration of meters, and on our building in Sinton, we’veinstalled a more durable, energy-efficient metal roof. We’vebeen able to make these improvements without raising rates.One reason your rates have not gone up is the new businessbeing generated by the Eagle Ford Shale play.

In 2013, our revenue increased by more than $1 million, andour margins climbed by more than 25 percent. For the secondstraight year, we retired capital credits in excess of $1.7 million.

Thank you to every member for the vital role you play in thesuccess of your cooperative. We will continue to look for newways to improve, become more efficient and offer you the bestvalue for your money.

Tom MayoTOM MAYO, PresidentBoard of DirectorsSan Patricio Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Jim East, Public Relations Coordinator (361) 319-4044 jeast@sanpatricioelectric.org

*For Immediate Release*

December 17, 2012

CO-OP HONORS FORMER DIRECTOR FOR DECADES OF SERVICE

SINTON, Texas – In November, the San Patricio Electric Cooperative Board of Directors honored former Director Stanley Bushong for his dedicated and distinguished service to the Co-op and its membership.

The Board unanimously passed a formal resolution calling Bushong a “true asset and friend of” the Cooperative. For 23 years, Bushong served as the Director of District 5, which includes parts of San Patricio, Bee and Nueces Counties.

“I always tried to do what I thought was right for the Co-op and the members,” Bushong said. “And after we voted, even if I wasn’t on the winning side, I always gave the Board’s decision my full support. That just seemed like the right way to do things.”

“Stanley is a wonderful man, and he’s quite a character,” said Shirley Hall, a Director-at-Large on the SPEC Board. “He sat next to me at Board meetings for the last 15 years, and he always had a story to tell. He was a fine director.”

Currently Bushong and his wife of 60 years, Bobbie, are focused on their successful farming and ranching operation in the Sinton area.

Stanley was born in Sinton just a few years before the Cooperative was formed, and he remembered when his grandmother’s house began receiving electricity from SPEC in 1939. His father’s work with the railroad took the family all over Texas, and Stanley said he attended 13 schools in 12 years.

He graduated from Sinton High School in 1950 and then served in the United States Navy from 1951-55. He was stationed in California with his then-new bride, and while they enjoyed their time in the Sunshine State, there was never any question that they would come back home to Sinton.

In 1956, the Bushongs returned and Stanley became a member of the San Patricio Electric Cooperative. As they built a family and pursued the American dream, they also gave back to the community. They were active in the Future Farmers of America and in

(Continued)

Jim East, Public Relations Coordinator (361) 319-4044 jeast@sanpatricioelectric.org

the annual Agriculture and Homemakers Show for San Patricio and Aransas Counties. Stanley served on the Board of the Coastal Bend Production Credit Association for agriculture loans, and he served on the Board of the National Grain Producers Association.

In 1989, the SPEC Board of Directors approached Stanley about filling a vacant seat. He agreed to serve out the remainder of the term, and that was the beginning of a 23-year run during which Stanley offered a fresh perspective and an independent voice.

“You always knew where Stanley stood,” said SPEC General Manager Ron Hughes. “He would listen to all the information, and then he made his decision and stood by it.”

“For me, it was a great time,” Stanley said. “I met a lot of good people, people I still know today.”

– 30 –

On Facebook, find SPEC at: facebook.com/SanPatricioElectric On Twitter, follow SPEC at: twitter.com/SanPatricioCoop

Former SPEC Director Bobbie and Stanley Bushong Stanley Bushong