EMPIRE ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC. [Echoes of the Empire] Farewell and Thanks BY NEAL STEPHENS || RETIRING GENERAL MANAGER A As you know, I retired as general manager on December 31, 2014. After 35 years of working for Empire Electric Association (28 as general manager), I find it particularly humbling to offer a final goodbye. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electric engineering, I was offered a job to go to work for a rural electric cooperative in Cortez. I had no Neal and Becky Stephens leave Cortez after 35 years. idea what a nonprofit cooperative was or that I was beginning a 35Electrification Administration. The best year career. I eventually accepted business model recommended by the the engineering manager’s job when Vic REA was a not-for-profit cooperative Jacobs retired in 1983 and the general model. Members organized and formed manager’s job when Everett Johnson Empire in 1939, and Empire has provided retired in 1986. electric utility service for over 75 years One of my favorite mission statements came from the Montezuma-Cortez School now. Keeping members first has worked well for Empire. District. It was simple, yet picture-perfect Without question, our members have with respect to focusing the mission of always elected “best-in-class” directors for the district. “Kids First” resonated with the cooperative. I am honored, privileged me, and I adopted a similar internal and blessed to have worked for so many mission statement as I managed Empire excellent directors (28) over the last 28 Electric. My internal mission statement years. became “Members First.” Without question, our most valuable reEmpire exists for one purpose. Rural source is our employees. Empire is what it residents in southwestern Colorado and is because of the dedication and commitparts of southeastern Utah wanted elecment employees make every day to keep tric utility service and the only organizathe lights on, and to do it safely, efficiently tion willing to finance it was the Rural and reliably. Keeping the power on 99.9 percent of the time for almost two decades is incredible, and it has everything to do with our most valuable resource. It has been a pleasure working with professional best-in-class employees over my tenure with the cooperative. Together, we (members, directors and employees) accomplished much during my tenure, and dealt with some very serious issues as well. I am confident the current board and new General Manager Josh Dellinger will continue in this tradition and continually improve the cooperative’s mission as they deal with the uncertainties of the future. Empire’s members own a best-in-class quality organization worthy of your support. The future will not be easy as many regulatory mandates are on their way that will ultimately impact electric rates. I encourage all of Empire’s members to stay involved and support the positions developed by your new management and board. I am thankful I had the opportunity to work for an excellent organization and to raise a family in the Cortez community for 35 years. I conclude with a generous thank you and a humble goodbye. May God bless all of you. “It has been a pleasure working with professional best-in-class employees over my tenure with the cooperative.” — Neal Stephens coloradocountrylife.coop FEBRUARY 2015 7 [Echoes of the Empire] My Co-op Message Visit www.eea.coop to see how you can save on your energy bill by replacing incandescent bulbs with other energy-saving lights such as LEDs. Click on Save Energy at the top of the home page; go to the Energy Calculators, then Lighting. While you’re there, check out the other calculators and the Analyze Your Bill link to find out how your whole house can become more energy efficient. My Co-op Calendar February 2...........................................................Groundhog Day February 13................................................ EEA’s Board Meeting February 14...........................................................Valentine’s Day February 16............................................................Presidents Day February 16.............................Scholarship Applications Due My Co-op Reminder Student and adult scholarship applications are due February 16, 2015. Applicants must be members of Empire Electric Association. Scholarship application forms are available on the Empire Electric Association website at www.eea.coop or at Empire’s headquarters, 801 N. Broadway, Cortez. High school students may also pick up forms at their high school guidance counselor’s office. For more information about Empire Electric’s scholarship program, contact Ginny Johnson at 970-564-4490 or email ginny. [email protected]. Daylight-Saving Time: Spring Ahead March 8 Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month Did you know that 90 percent of the energy used to operate a washing machine comes from using hot water? A simple switch from hot to cold can Bull Kissing Kitty by Judy Malarchick “What do you call a very small valentine?” “A valentiny!” 8 4 FEBRUARY 2015 save a great deal of energy. Also, consider air drying or even line drying to save even more household energy. — U.S. Department of Energy coloradocountrylife.coop [Echoes of the Empire] Announcing the 2015 Youth Trip Winners E Each year, Empire Electric sponsors students for state and national youth trips to deepen their knowledge of electric cooperatives, boost their leadership skills and help them interact with local, state, and national government officials. All interested juniors from local schools are eligible. Students are encouraged to creatively promote themselves when sharing their desire to attend the trips. The selection committee of board directors and staff considers other criteria that includes the completeness of the application, school activities and community volunteering. The high-point scorer is selected for the Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., and one junior from each school is selected to attend the Leadership Camp in Steamboat Springs. The 2015 Youth Tour winner is Jessica Gutierrez. Jessica attends Mancos High School and will join more than 1,500 other students from across the United States in June during the Washington, D.C., trip. She is inspired by her parents, Rogelio and Teresa Gutierrez, who came to the United States because of the opportunities available for their children. Her career objective is to become an immigration lawyer. All of Jessica’s activities can’t be listed here, but they include an internship at Colorado Legal Services, drama, sports, leadership roles and community service. A recurring theme in Jessica’s application was giving back, as expressed here in a direct quote: “I believe that when something is offered to you, it isn’t just for the taking. In my mind, one of our hands is to receive and our other hand is to give.” Congratulations to the following students selected to attend the Leadership Camp held in Steamboat Springs in July. The Dolores High School representative is Larissa Umberger, the daughter of Jason and Jill Umberger. Her community involvement includes the Salvation Army Thrift Store, flood clean-up with Outdoor Colorado, a Thanksgiving food drive, Christmas shopping for children, PTA family craft night and blood drive. Larissa is active in sports, student government and leadership roles. She is a National Honor Society student. Her future plan includes a bachelor’s degree in math, science or education. Case Baughman, the Dove Creek High School representative, is the son of Shane Baughman and Kim Bailey. Case excels both in the classroom and on the playing field. His extracurricular activities include National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Students Taking Action against Underage Drinking, football, wrestling, baseball and track. Case wants to get his master’s degree in history with a career goal of becoming a writer and historian. coloradocountrylife.coop The Mancos High School representative is Anna Cox, the daughter of Terry and Dana Cox. Anna is involved at school and still finds time to volunteer in the community. She participates in basketball and volleyball and manages the boys basketball team. Her leadership roles include student council, Youth Adult Partnership Training, class officer positions and Omni Institute. Anna was inducted into the National Honor Society in February. Her community service includes the Sugar Pine bike rally, Grace’s Soup Kitchen, elementary mentoring, assisting with toy and food drives and other community functions. As Anna mentions in her application, living at the Cox Family Ranch also entails chores like moving side rolls during the irrigating season and feeding livestock year-round. The Montezuma-Cortez High School representative is Judy Ha, the daughter of Chi Ha and Lisa Yang. Judy is an honors student interested in government, history, psychology, philosophy, music, cross-country track and the Panther Press. Her other interests include Upward Bound, dance, traveling, origami, magic, drama, swimming and reading. She also volunteers for Trails 2000, Durango Food Bank, Shop with a Cop, Teen Maze, Adopt-A-Highway, Santa’s Helpers and Salvation Army bell-ringing. Judy is looking forward to building her leadership skills and sharing her experiences and knowledge with new acquaintances. The Monticello High School representative is Lashay Lewis, the daughter of Kurt and Tamra Lewis. Lashay is a high achiever, not only in academics, but also in leadership and citizenship activities. She is a National Honor Society member (and actively participates in its fundraising), the junior class vice president, on student council and an eight- year member of Fair Farmers Lamb Club. She also participates in several other organizations. Lashay has a long list of citizenship accolades related to livestock competitions and community service. In addition, she is a team player in basketball, volleyball and golf. In 2014, Lashay entered the cedar chest competition at the San Juan County Fair and won a blue ribbon. Her outside interests include sports, four-wheeling, swimming, hiking, boating and service to her community. Jens Brewer, a Monticello High School senior, is representing Empire Electric as an ambassador at the Leadership Camp this year. He attended camp in 2014 and was selected by his peers to return and assist new campers when they arrive and encourage their involvement throughout the week. Jens is the son of David and Marti Brewer. FEBRUARY 2015 9 [Echoes of the Empire] Empire Electric Association 2015 Annual Meeting M Members of Empire Electric Association, Inc.: Pull out your 2015 calendar and enter Thursday, June 18, as the date for Empire’s 2015 annual meeting. It is currently scheduled to be held at Empire Electric’s Calvin Denton Room, located at 801 N. Broadway, Cortez, Colorado. Registration will begin at 5 p.m. with the meeting beginning at 6 p.m. This will be a business meeting only. Members who attend will get a $10 credit on their electric bill. If it becomes apparent that a large number of members will attend, the location may change and you will be notified of the change. If you are interested in serving on Empire’s seven-member board of directors, the bylaws require the following qualifications to become or remain a director. The director shall: • Be a member of the cooperative. • Be a bona fide resident of the district represented. • Be a citizen of the United States of America. • Be at least 18 years of age. • Not be an employee of the cooperative. Two district seats are open for election in 2015. They are District 5 (Kent Lindsay, incumbent) and District 6 (Dave Sitton, incumbent), broadly described as follows: •D istrict 5 is generally the southwestern portion of Empire's service area including Towaoc and the western part of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation, a portion of the city of Cortez, McElmo Canyon and part of Empire's Utah territory. •D istrict 6 is generally the southeastern portion of Empire's service area including the town of Mancos, a portion of the city of Cortez, the eastern part of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation and all of Mesa Verde National Park. The map on the right will give you an idea if your bona fide residence is within District 5 or 6. If you are interested, call 970565-4444 or stop by Empire’s headquarters at 801 N. Broadway in Cortez (ask for Josh Dellinger or Denise Rosenbaugh). Once you are assured you qualify, pick up an official nominating petition form to get your name on the 2015 ballot. Nominations are by petition only and must include the signa- ture of at least 15 members of the cooperative whose bona fide residence is within your district. Qualifying candidates must file the official nominating petition with the cooperative’s secretary within a 45-day window beginning March 20, 2015 and ending May 4, 2015. The secretary will post a list of qualifying nominees at the end of the work day on May 4, 2015. Each member of the cooperative is entitled to one vote on all issues properly brought before the membership, including the election of directors. Members may vote either in person at the annual meeting or through mail-in ballots. Mail voting shall be through ballots provided by the cooperative and shall be received by 5 p.m. June 12, 2015. All members are strongly encouraged to vote. Again, please contact Josh Dellinger or Denise Rosenbaugh if you have any questions. We hope to see you at the meeting. PARTNERING WITH MEMBERS TO PROVIDE A HELPING HAND E Each year, co-op members volunteer financial assistance to those in need through the Energy Outreach Colorado program. This nonprofit organization raises money for energy assistance and energy efficiency measures that reduce energy costs for Coloradans. Empire Electric provides matching energy assistance funds up to $20,000. Empire’s members voluntarily donated $1,814.13 in 2014 to assist those requiring help with their heating bills. The Piñon Project provides a helping hand to families in need by providing selfsufficiency programs. The organization has grown to 50 employees and celebrated its 20-year anniversary in 2014. Donated funds are administered by a group of like-minded agencies called the Montelores Energy Assistance Coalition, whose mission is to assist local families in need. This coalition group reviews applications on a weekly basis. 10 4 FEBRUARY 2015 General Manager Josh Dellinger presents a donation check in the amount of $14,387.26 to the Piñon Project’s executive director, Kelly Willis. coloradocountrylife.coop