GTC wins Cooperative Innovators Award

COMPILED BY VICTORIA S. DECASTRO

Congratulations to Georgia Transmission Corp. in Tucker for winning the 2006 Cooperative Innovators Award.

Georgia Transmission Corp. (GTC), a not-for-profit electric cooperative that builds and maintains electric transmission lines and substations for 39 electric membership cooperatives in Georgia, was selected as a winner of the 2006 Cooperative Innovators Award by the Cooperative Research Network of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), a national organization representing the interests of electric cooperatives and the consumers they serve.

The award, presented in May at NRECA's Connect Conference in San Antonio, Texas, honors GTC for its new approach to siting transmission power lines. The method includes using software that GTC developed with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) of Palo Alto, Calif.

"We are honored to win this award," says Mike Smith, president and CEO of GTC. "We are especially gratified since the award will increase awareness of this important new tool. This gives planners and engineers new freedom to exercise their expert siting judgment by making it easier to manage multiple sets of geographic data. We feel that electric utilities would benefit enormously from this standardized siting process."

For, more information on GTC's siting methodology, visit www.gatrans.com.

Championing a cause

Paul Wood, president and CEO of Tucker-based Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (EMC), the statewide association representing the state's 42 electric co-ops, received one of six Touchstone Energy Brand Champion Awards at the 2006 Connect Conference in San Antonio in May.

A strong supporter of a national brand identity among electric cooperatives, Wood positioned Georgia EMC to take over the role of Regional Partner in Georgia in 1999.

During his four-year tenure on the Touchstone Energy board of directors, Wood campaigned for the Touchstone Energy Home Program and for the Living the Brand Employee Learning Program. Today he continues to promote the Touchstone Energy brand in Georgia and throughout the country by working with the other Touchstone Energy CEOs/general managers and the Touchstone Energy national staff.

At the Tattnall County Ag Day in Reidsville, Canoochee EMC director Lavanda Lynn shows children how fields were plowed in days gone by.

All about agriculture

Reidsville-based Canoochee Electric Membership Corporation (CEMC) had a noticeable presence this year at the Tattnall County Ag Day at Tattnall County High School in Reidsville. CEMC Director Lavanda Lynn showed children how farmers once plowed fields with mules, and CEMC Safety Coordinator Jack Shuman gave a safety demonstration, which warned children of the dangers of electricity. Director LaNell Oliver also played a major role in organizing the event.

Started in 2001, Ag Day is held for area elementary school children to promote agricultural awareness and appreciation. More than 8,000 children and adults have visited the event in the last five years. This year, more than 1,500 students and close to 300 adults attended.

"We are pleased to help with an event that really teaches kids the importance of agriculture in their everyday life," says CEMC CEO Dusty James.
-- Joseph Sikes, Canoochee EMC

Tops among linemen

Beautiful, sunny weather greeted linemen from across the state who came to the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry on May 6 to compete in the 12th annual Georgia Lineman's Rodeo. Here linemen demonstrated skills they use every day to keep the lights on for electricity consumers. This year's competition featured 34 journeyman teams and 72 apprentices.

GreyStone Power lineman Derek Caruth, on the ground, gets tools ready to send up to linemen Matt Williams, left, and Tony Brown.

Teams competed in four divisions: electric membership cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, electric cities and seniors (age 45 and older).

In the EMC division, Douglasville-based GreyStone Power placed first with Jefferson-based Jackson EMC second and Covington-based Snapping Shoals EMC third. In the municipal division, Marietta Power finished first; in the investor-owned utility division, Georgia Power finished first and third with Savannah Electric placing second.

During the daylong competition, linemen put safety first as they raced against the clock, climbing poles and changing out live-line insulators, reconfiguring fiberglass and wooden cross arms, and carrying out a simulated rescue of an injured co-worker from the top of a power pole.

The winning team of seasoned GreyStone linemen consisted of Tony Brown, Matt Williams, Derek Carruth and Coach Eddie Elrod.

"It feels great!" says Carruth, who has competed in the rodeo since 1998. "We stuck with our plan of taking our time and getting everything right, and followed through with it."

High-scoring EMC

In the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) study of customer satisfaction, Flint Energies, a member-owned electric cooperative based in Reynolds, scored one of the highest ratings in the country among electric utilities. No investor-owned utility in the United States scored higher than Flint Energies.