From the CEO
Summer 2022Summer is winding down, school traffic is back, and many of us are ready for a reprieve from the Florida heat. I thank you all for working through rain and historic heat to serve our members and volunteer within our community. From safety demonstrations to blood drives and back to school events, we continue to show up for those we serve, as cooperatives should always do.
As you all know, SVEC has announced Rapid Fiber Internet, a fiber-to-the-home high-speed internet network that will give residents and businesses in Hamilton, Lafayette, Suwannee and Columbia counties access to the same opportunities for things like education, employment and entertainment as people in big cities. True to our roots, it is just another way that our cooperative is stepping up for our members. Be sure to read about the project’s expected impact on grid reliability and how to help us obtain grant funding in the Reliability and Economic Viability sections of this issue.
Big announcements receive a lot of attention, but let’s not forget the employees that work every day to keep our co-op in motion. In the outreach section, we recognize employees like Jodi Hughes and Paige Peacock who provided life-saving blood donations, and community organizers like Crystal Udell and Trevita Horton who gave us new ways to connect with local youth. We also get to catch up on employee’s personal lives, like the birth of Chuck Millsap’s first child and Jon Little’s trip to Alaska.
Lastly, as we glance at our SMORE stats, let’s use the new quarter as an opportunity to boost community volunteering and safe account passwords. Touch-a-Truck will be held November 12 and many volunteers are needed. Be sure to check out the Security Audit feature in Keeper, which will notify you of at-risk passwords that need changing. If every goal is reached, co-op employees could each receive a $740 SMORE bonus. If the year ended today, we’d leave $237 of that on the table. Let’s continue to work safely and find ways to give “SMORE” each day.
–Mike
