CEO’s Message: Working for You
August 2020By Michael S. McWaters, Executive V.P./CEO
If there is one thing I’ve learned about the Suwannee Valley, it’s that the people we serve aren’t afraid of hard work. When Mother Nature strikes, our consumer-members know how to dig in and rebuild. Many of you are farmers, doing the backbreaking work day in and day out to feed the people of this country.
That spirit has been a part of Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative from day one. When major power companies didn’t see a chance to profit in running electric lines to the more rural areas of this state, the people here didn’t sit on their hands and wait for them to change their minds. They decided to create their own electric system, built with their own hands, and supported by their neighbors.
It’s a legacy that means a lot to those of us entrusted to operate this cooperative today. It is always front of mind for our employees as they continue bringing crucial electric service to our consumer-members.
That hard-working spirit has made recent months even more difficult for many people. As the coronavirus pandemic has continued to have economic consequences throughout our state, some of the hardest-working members of our community have found themselves suddenly out of work. For many, it may be the first time they have been unemployed in quite a while, making the modern job market difficult to navigate.
That’s why this month’s newsletter contains a guide to job hunting in the digital age. While some parts of landing a new job will never change, others have evolved a great deal, including writing a resume that stands out from the pack and finding the right position. We hope these guidelines will help any of our consumer members who have found themselves out of work find new opportunities.
Of course, as a cooperative, SVEC is always looking for new ways to give back to our community. When organizations that benefit our community need help, our employees are ready to volunteer their time and money. We are privileged to be able to open new doors for our local students through scholarships, the Youth Tour, and Operation Round-Up. And SVEC also supports the local economy financially each year in the form of jobs, income, and taxes that go straight back into this community.
You can learn about those contributions and more in this newsletter. They are just some of the ways we’re working to help our community through this challenging time. But the work won’t stop when this moment has passed. After all, with the work ethic of our consumer-members setting such a high bar, we could hardly do anything but work hard every day to better serve you.
