The WireWest Florida ElectricA Touchstone Energy® Cooperative

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West Florida Electric’s Newsletter for Employees and Trustees

Volume 20 • Issue 4 • April 2013

WFEC to Host Annual Emergency Management Meeting

WFEC will be hosting its Annual Emergency Agency Meeting on April 9, 2013 at the Graceville office, for local emergency agencies. The list of attendees will include sheriffs, police chiefs, city managers, and emergency management directors from all four counties served by WFEC. Beginning in May and extending through the stormy season in the panhandle,WFEC linemen and dispatchers are often in direct communication with thefront-line employees from these agencies. WFEC began hosting these yearly meetings in 2010 in an effort to facilitate a good relationship with these employees and to educate agencies about WFEC processes and outagerestoration procedures. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour ourservice department, meet our key staff, and see first hand how outageinformation comes in and how it is processed. They will also be encouraged to participate in a round table discussion to present ideas that they feel will facilitate a better working relationship and ask any questions they might have.

Nominate Someone for the “Power of One” Awards Today

Do you know someone whogoes above and beyond the callof duty to volunteer or help yourcommunity? WFEC members are not the only ones who can nominate individuals for the “Power of One” awards. You can too! Please help support this new program and nominate someone today. It’s simple. Nomination forms are available in each district office lobby or online (www.westflorida.coop).

We plan to create an employee awards portion to the “Power of One” so for now, please refrain from nominating other employees, family members and members of the board of trustees. See Terry Mullen or Candace Croft with any questions. Don’t forget - nominate someone today!

April Birthdays

Debra Kamke, April 2 Jamie Murray, April 14 Randy Weeks, April 15 David Davis, April 27

April Service Anniversaries

Freddy Wood, 31 years John Booker, 19 years

Debra Kamke, 38 years Gil Perea, 19 years

Greg Calloway, 30 years Martha Benton, 26 years Keith Varnum, 10 years

April WeddingAnniversaries

Brian & Carrie Buckalew 7 years

Susie & Tommy Johnson 36 years

Employee News

Congratulations to Jamie Alday of Sneads, who was the Top Health Quiz winner for March. Don’t forget to complete your quiz and return it to Donnie Worley for your chance to win $50!

Our prayers and thoughts are with Jarrod Smith and his family who were in a car accident over the weekend. Everyone (including baby Carson) is fine, just a little banged up.

New signs will be installed at the Sneads office in the next few weeks.

New commercial ad rates for the Current Light Flashes will go into effect this month. The rates will increase from $23 per column inch to $28 per column inch. Color ads will also be available on the cover of the publication for $50 per column inch.

The online version of the CLF also has a new look this month. A new “viewer” is being used for the PDF version of the publication.

Employee News continuedAround 40 pre-school students from Graceville Elementary School (Virginia Green’s class) visited the co-op last week. They toured the service center, mechanic shop and also got to spend some time watching linemen work in a digger derrick and bucket truck. When the students were asked, “What you liked about your trip to West Florida Electric?” Some said the bucket truck, some said the digger truck, some said seeing him digging the hole, and some said the snack. Below are some photos from their visit.

Communications Specialist, Candace Croft, shows the children some of the safety gear linemen must wear in the field.

Linemen, Josh Smith & Kevin Nelson, demonstrated how they dig holes to set poles using a digger derrick and how they use the bucket trucks to do their work.

Win a Day Off with Pay!

The “Kilowatt Kowboys” next fundraiser will give all employees a chance to win a day off with pay. Purchase 1 chance for $5, 3 chances for $12 and 6 chances for $20. Tickets will be available beginning March 5 in each district office - just see Sharon, Mary, Beverly or Susie to buy yours today! The drawing for the day off with pay winner will be held on April 19 (the day of the Relay event).

Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives Turn 15! April showers may include confetti as co-ops celebrate the 15th birthday of Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives, the branding program of the nation’s electric co-ops. We’ve been a proud member of the brand since 1998, and we’re not alone. Touchstone Energy Cooperatives represent a network of 741 co-ops serving 30 million members in 46 states, all committed to improving the quality of life for families and businesses in the communities we serve. Launched April 4, 1998, the brand constantly evolves to better meet the needs of co-ops. Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ programs support communications, economic development, strategy execution, community engagement, and residential energy programs.