Membership Matters
April 2000
A New Symbol for a Growing Cooperative
Moving into the next century as a progressive, full service energy provider is the driving force behind a new symbol for your cooperative.
Our new logo represents the cooperative’s commitment to keeping Blue Ridge Electric a strong cooperative for our members by preparing for deregulation and diversifying to offer additional energy services such as propane, heating fuels, and commercial gasoline through our subsidiary company, Blue Ridge Energies.
You may notice that the new Blue Ridge Electric logo looks the same as the logo of our subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies. We believe this coordination represents the cooperative as the comprehensive energy provider that we’ve become, while at the same time clearly identifying the two companies.
Keeping the name “Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation” in our new logo was important to us, and we believe it is important to you. While we wanted to better reflect our vision for the future with a new logo, we also remember our heritage and the region we serve.
Another thing that will remain unchanged is the way we do business. Blue Ridge Electric remains a not-for-profit cooperative organization. That means our members are the owners of the cooperative and its subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies.
As a member of Touchstone Energy, which is a nation-wide network of over 560 electric cooperatives serving over 15 million customers, we retain the Touchstone Energy designation as part of our logo. When you see the “Touchstone Energy” name, you can be assured that you’re being served by a local, member-owned electric cooperative that is committed to serving customers with integrity, accountability, innovation, and community involvement.
We hope you like the new Blue Ridge Electric logo and what it represents. It’s a symbol of our commitment to serving you with affordable electricity, diversified energy services, and with the highest level of customer service and attention.
Blue Ridge Electric Sponsors An Appalachian Summer Festival -- Discount Offered to Members for Kenny Rogers Concert
Blue Ridge Electric members can once again receive discounted tickets to the grand finale concert of An Appalachian Summer Festival, this year featuring well-known country music star Kenny Rogers.
Blue Ridge Electric is a sponsor of An Appalachian Summer Festival, which is a cultural arts program of Appalachian State University (ASU). Members of Blue Ridge Electric are eligible for the discount as part of the cooperative’s sponsorship.
This year, the grand finale concert will be held on Saturday, July 29, in Kidd Brewer Stadium at ASU. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. with the concert beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Look for information about how to obtain discount tickets, prices, and other details in the May Enlightener.
As a strong supporter of ASU, this is the third year Blue Ridge Electric has sponsored An Appalachian Summer Festival.
“ASU is an integral part of northwestern North Carolina, and An Appalachian Summer Festival is an event that offers cultural entertainment to local residents and draws visitors to our region,” said Doug Johnson, chief executive officer of Blue Ridge Electric.
“We’re very excited about having Kenny Rogers as our guest performer this year, and I believe many of our members will take advantage of the discounted tickets to see this talented entertainer.”
The Perspective
An Editorial by Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson
A Sign of the Future
This issue of the Enlightener is one of the first places you’ll see the new logo for your cooperative. I’d like to take this opportunity to explain what our logo change means to you as a member-owner of Blue Ridge Electric.
First, let me say that we have not changed our name, or the way we operate your cooperative. We felt it was important to keep the name you’ve known us by since the early 1940s: Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation. We also believe more firmly than ever in the cooperative’s philosophy of doing business—and our input from members says you do, too.
Blue Ridge Electric continues to be a member-owned, locally operated electric cooperative. In fact, we reaffirmed that commitment last spring as we joined Touchstone Energy and added this designation to our logo. Touchstone Energy is a nationwide network of more than 560 electric cooperatives working together to serve members and their communities with the personal service and care that only a locally-owned business can give.
What is changing? Our industry. Deregulation of the electric utility industry is being implemented by a number of states, and the North Carolina General Assembly commission studying this issue has recommended that our state deregulate by summer 2006. While we are very actively participating in the legislative discussion with our eye on protecting rural consumers, we’re also strategically preparing ourselves for the potential impact on Blue Ridge Electric.
A major step in our preparation for an increasingly competitive marketplace was the establishment of a subsidiary company and the purchase of a propane, heating fuels, and commercial gasoline distribution company in 1998.
Our subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, is providing us very valuable experience in operating in a competitive customer-choice marketplace.
Customer expectations are also changing. Homeowners and business-owners alike want choices in their energy products, and cooperative members have said they like having the option to purchase them from the cooperative they’ve come to trust for honest, dependable, and personal touch customer service.
We hope you like our new look. It reflects where we’re headed as a progressive, full service energy company that cares about our customers and the communities in which we operate.
Right-of-Way Growth Management Plan to Begin
This summer, Blue Ridge Electric will continue its successful right-of-way management program utilizing a low-volume, backpack application method to control tree sprout growth beneath power lines. This prevents tree and large shrub growth that could interfere with power delivery over the cooperative’s 6,000 miles of power lines serving 60,000 customers. The program also aids in the safety of line technicians who service the lines throughout the year.
Trained technicians will be hand-applying a droplet mixture directly to tree sprouts that have been selectively chosen. In addition to keeping rights-of-way clear and safe, this method allows new, low-growing vegetation to thrive for the benefit of wildlife.
Members along new routes where the right-of-way program will be conducted will receive an informational letter from the cooperative and will be invited to an open house prior to the program. Any member wanting to learn more about the cooperative’s right-of-way management program is invited to contact Grey Scheer, community relations director, by calling your local Blue Ridge Electric office.
Books Donated in Honor of Earth Day 2000
Earth Day 2000 represents the tenth year that Blue Ridge Electric has donated environmentally focused books to schools in the cooperative’s service area as a way of helping young people become more aware of environmental issues and the need to preserve our natural resources.
This year, 37 school libraries will receive the book “One Good Apple: Growing Our Food for the Sake of the Earth,” by Catherine Paladino.
Blue Ridge Electric works with school media coordinators and consults national book reviews to select a book that will be well received by students and academically useful.
Meet the Candidates for Your Board of Directors
You have the opportunity to meet the candidates for your cooperative’s Board of Directors during a “Meet the Candidates” forum to be held in each district customer service office on the following dates: Alleghany County: May 30, Ashe County: May 31, Watauga County: June 1, and Caldwell County: June 5. All forums begin at 7 p.m.
Directors will be elected during your cooperative’s Annual Membership Meeting, which is being held this year on Saturday, June 10, at the new Ashe County High School in Ashe County. One three-year term is to be filled in each of the following districts: Caldwell, Watauga, and Ashe. The three-year term of the member-at-large seat will also be filled. The member-at-large seat must be filled by a minority.
Published monthly by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation for its 50,054 members.
