CEO’s Message: Up at Dawn

April 2024

It’s no secret how hard our linemen work when storms come rolling through. Most of our consumer members understand that these crews can get a call at any hour to leave their families, brave the conditions that others are taking shelter from, and get to work making repairs so you and I can have the electricity we need.

Even when the wind and rain are gone, they’re often called upon to work long hours for days on end replacing broken power poles and miles of fallen lines. These are the moments when our linemen are most visible, and our community always does a great job of showing support for the work they do.

But what about in between the storms? When the emergency repairs are done and the backup crews have left town, our linemen continue to work hard every day to bring our consumer-members the affordable and reliable power they deserve. Because they do their job so well, there’s a good chance most of us don’t even notice.

Maybe it’s replacing an old pole to stand up to stronger winds during the next storm, while our control room operators reroute power so your service is never interrupted. Or they might be hooking up power for a new co-op member.

So much of the work our crews do each day is easy to overlook. But as SVEC celebrates Lineworker Appreciation Day this month, we wanted to give you a glimpse of just one part of the job our linemen do. In this newsletter, you’ll find great photos illustrating the work they do daily, starting before the sun rises and continuing under its full heat.

You can also get a look at some of the ways we’ve been engaging in the community and some fun upcoming events. SVEC was at the Suwannee County Fair in March, where we were excited to be joined for the first time by our friends at Rapid Fiber Internet. You can get a look at a safety demonstration we held for local homeschooled students. And, of course, April means it’s time to start thinking about playing in our Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament for United Way, which has quickly become a favorite local tradition.

As we celebrate our linemen, I hope you’ll all find your own ways to say thank you. If you see them out at the grocery store, at church, or coaching Little League, take a moment to let them know you appreciate all the hard work they do for this cooperative and our community.