Baldwin EMC held its annual meeting last week with a room full of members.

The meeting was held Friday morning at Baldwin EMC in Summerdale. Prior to the meeting starting, entertainment was provided by bluegrass group, the Chestangs. Door prizes, including an outdoor grill, were also given away prior to the meeting.

Peggy Vanover, president of Baldwin EMC announced 14,749 members either voted in person on Friday or voted via mail in ballot. According to Vanover, the number of votes received constituted a quorum only for the elections for two districts.

The lawyer for Baldwin EMC announced publication for the meeting, constituting notification of 50,080 members of Baldwin EMC.

“Last year I focused on our vision, and this year I would like to focus on an aspect of that vision this year,” said Vanover. “This year I would like to focus on the customer service aspect of Baldwin EMC’s vision.”

According to Vanover, customer focus is a priority of Baldwin EMC.

“Customer focus requires that the cooperative communicate with the members, so that we all have an opportunity to be informed on cooperative issues. For this reason, EMC actively focuses on communication with the members. Baldwin EMC has more than 68,000 meters, representing more than 50,000 members. Our communications process has to be multi-choice so that each member can select how he or she wishes to receive information from the cooperative.”

Vanover hopes every member of the cooperative can find a communication method, which will work for them, but she admits some are for a younger crowd.

“Baldwin EMC has also developed a Twitter program for use during disasters such as hurricanes. Me, I don’t know how to get on that, but I am sure the younger folks do. But, if there comes a hurricane I am going to learn.”

Despite all the new ways to communicate, Vanover’s favorite is one of the oldest.

“At EMC my favorite communication is face to face, from the front office to each of the board of trustees. Members have access to information. At the last count, the cooperative has at least 16 ways to communicate information to its members. Communications advances are moving at a rapid speed.”

Because the world of communications is rapidly changing, Vanover thinks it is imperative the cooperative stay ahead of the game and do everything possible to reach its members in ways that are convenient for them.

“We are definitely in a communicating world. For that reason, your cooperative must continue to improve communication methods. Baldwin EMC wants its members to be informed because a knowledgeable membership makes a strong cooperative. You can be sure your board and all of the cooperative employees will continue in our efforts to be customer focused.”

The rest of the meeting focused on the past of the cooperative, and how the past will play into the future. Bucky Jakins, CEO, spoke about the past and the future. 

He began by listing some of the cooperative’s accomplishments over the past few years, which include:

“In 2007, we received a national award for our implementation of customer service and accounting technology. In 2008, we received a national recognition for having the best community service program. Again, in 2008, our board of directors received national recognition for training all other cooperative directors. In 2010, our cooperative received national recognition for our accomplishments in the field of communications. If you look at these accomplishments you will understand why we think that we are headed to our vision of being the best,” Jakins said.

Jakins also showed slides from 1947 to give a glimpse into what the cooperative was like then. He began by showing how the power poles were installed, which took at least six men back then and how technology, like irons, have advanced since then as well.

Jakins also spent a great deal of time going through a year’s worth of correspondence from 1947 to see how the cooperative’s members communicated with the cooperative.

“Gentlemen, I have tried to reach you by phone to tell you that the power is out to Miflin, but the phone is out too…it must have taken at least a day or two for the post to get here, they were willing to wait a day or two to get the lights back on,” Jakins read from a 1947 letter.

One letter he read referred to a power bill of $11.67.

“The big issues of that time was keeping the lights on, keeping the bills in line. When I was looking at this correspondence, I got curious about the rates. The value, compared to 1947, you can see that we brought a lot of that value forward,” Jakins said.

Jakins then turned to the future and the challenges he foresees for the cooperative.

“What do we have to do in this cooperative to prepare for the future. It is going to be lot more difficult to keep the lights on and keep rates competitive,” he said.

In the future, Jakins sees a new rate structure that will allow members more options in how they use power, including selective metering. He also foresees electric vehicles having a dramatic impact on the cooperative’s energy supply. He assumes as electric cars become more popular, they will represent almost 30 percent of the load the cooperative currently carries, which will require additional substations and energy sources.

Despite all of the challenges the future may hold, Jakins is confident Baldwin EMC is ready to meet them.

“I think we are very capable and we will manage that future so it is in the best interest of our members,” he said.