CEO’s Message: A Hardworking Tradition

September 2025

Life in the Suwannee Valley always moves at its own pace. We aren’t Orlando or Jacksonville, and I think for many of our neighbors that’s by design. The big cities have their appeal from time to time, but most of our members like to do things a little differently.

You can see it when you drive down the road on any given morning. You might spot a few people having their morning coffee before heading to the office. But you’re more likely to find farmers preparing their equipment or getting a jump on work in the fields. If you cross paths with them at a local lunch spot, their conversations are more likely to be about weather patterns than making plans for the weekend.

That agricultural heart of our community informs everything we do, even if we have never farmed a day in our lives. We all understand that the season can affect our neighbors, the local economy, and our whole community’s well-being. SVEC itself was born out of that farming community and the desire to cultivate crucial electric service where it didn’t exist before.

Those local roots are still with us today, whether it’s every member having the chance to speak with cooperative leadership or those leaders themselves. Our Board of Trustees is elected from the community, and many of them have farms of their own to tend when they aren’t busy representing their neighbors’ needs for the co-op.

Board President Mike Adams is just one example. In this issue, you can read about his farming background and how he came to serve on the board. You can also learn more about how the cooperative is governed and how that structure sets us apart from private power companies.

In addition, you’ll find information about Watts Up Wednesdays, one of the many ways SVEC makes doing business with your cooperative easier. Come visit us with any questions you have about your account, or just stop by to say hello. And while you’re at it, be sure to congratulate Jimmy Alexander, Cody Blackburn, Calvin Palmer, and Kolby Pickles if you see them out on the job. They recently graduated from SVEC’s Lineworker Apprenticeship Program, and we couldn’t be prouder to give them a shoutout in this newsletter.

Those are just a few of the ways we do things a little differently at a cooperative, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are proud to serve this community because we are a part of it, just like the farmers who came together decades ago to bring electricity to this area. When you wake up early to start working in the fields, you can count on us to be out there making sure the lights are on when you return home.