Membership Matters

May 2005

As a Member-Owner of Blue Ridge Electric
You’re Invited to Your
Annual Membership Meeting
Saturday, June 11
Ashe County High School, West Jefferson

Registration: 8-10 a.m.

• Register at the concession stand and be eligible for prizes. Receive a Blue Ridge Electric umbrella.

Health Fair: 8-10 a.m.

• Free health and fitness screenings by Ashe Memorial Hospital

Recognitions: 9:35 a.m.

• Scholarship and youth leadership winners will be recognized in the gym

Children’s Program: 9 a.m. to end of business session

• Prizes, refreshments, and outdoor games (weather permitting)

Food: 8-10 a.m.

• Ham biscuits, coffee, soft drinks, fruit, and doughnuts while they last

Business Session: 10 a.m.

• Reports to the membership
• Director elections

Entertainment: In the Gym

• Amantha Mill: 8 to 8:30 a.m.
• The Hayes Family: 8:35 to 9:20 a.m.

Exhibits: 8-10 a.m.

• Blue Ridge Energies, the cooperative’s subsidiary offering propane, gas fireplaces, heating fuels, stoves, and more!
• BREMCare, the cooperative’s charitable program
• Information about Member Services
• Information about Construction Services
• An Appalachian Summer Festival
• Carolina Country

Prize Drawings: (End of business session)
(Members must be registered to win)

• Four $50 bills per district

Grand Prize (must be registered and present to win):

• Retired 1996 Ford Explorer

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Members Only News
-For Members of Blue Ridge Electric

Your Board of Directors

President
John Woodruff

Vice President
Kenneth Greene

Secretary-Treasurer
Jeff Joines

Assistant Secretary-Treasurer
Joy Coffey

Other Directors
Jackie Blackburn
Clayton Cooke
David Eggers
Charity Gambill
J.B. Lawrence
Martha McKnight
Bradley McNeill
Oren Teague

2005 Election

The following people were nominated by the Nominating Committee for member consideration for the board of directors election:

• Martha McKnight - Alleghany District
• Jackie Blackburn - Ashe District
• David Eggers - Caldwell District
• Clayton Cooke - Watauga District
  

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The Perspective

An Editorial by Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson
All Members Invited

One of the advantages of being a member-owner of a cooperative is the voice you have in the business. And one of the best ways we stay in touch with our members is through the Annual Membership Meeting, held the second Saturday of June each year. On June 11 this year, we’ll be hosting the annual meeting at Ashe County High School. I hope you’ll join us for what we consider the most important member meeting of the year as we update you on the operation of your cooperative.

One of your most significant opportunities for involvement occurs at the annual meeting. It’s here that our members elect their directors – representatives that help guide and direct your cooperative. The election is important because your board of directors acts as your voice and assists in meeting the needs of the membership as a whole.
At the meeting, Blue Ridge Electric’s president, John Woodruff, and I will give updates on Blue Ridge Electric’s performance in 2004.

Before the business session you’ll have a chance to attend exhibits, meet with Blue Ridge employees, ask questions, or just relax and enjoy the refreshments and entertainment. Or, visit the health fair as Ashe Memorial Hospital partners with us once again to offer members complimentary screenings and wellness information. And there’s always the chance to win prizes. In addition to cash prizes awarded in each district, our grand prize give-away is a Ford Explorer recently retired from our service fleet.

Look for more information about the annual meeting in the Annual Report/Annual Membership Meeting Notice mailed to members in late May. This booklet gives you details about the meeting as well as highlights from your cooperative’s activities in 2004.

One of my favorite parts of the annual meeting occurs before the business meeting when I have the opportunity to mingle and talk with our members in the relaxed atmosphere of the information and food areas. It’s a great opportunity to hear what’s on your mind and it also reminds me of the special reason Blue Ridge Electric exists: to serve our friends and neighbors in northwest North Carolina.

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If You
Can’t Attend…

If you’re a member unable to attend the annual meeting, you may still vote for directors by giving your proxy to another member who will be attending the meeting and can submit it for you. Your proxy is the perforated portion of the back cover of the Annual Report and Annual Membership Meeting Notice, which is mailed to members in late May.

The cooperative’s bylaws specify a few simple requirements for voting by proxy. These include having the following on the proxy:

• Printed name of the member submitting your proxy, plus their signature and address.
• Signature of a witness and the date it was signed (witness cannot be the same member who is submitting your proxy).

Other guidelines regarding voting by proxy are:

• Members may vote one valid proxy in addition to their own vote.
• Members representing a business, civic group, industry, church, etc., may not vote the proxy of another member.
• Powers of attorney are treated as proxies.
• Only a member can carry a power of attorney.
• Blue Ridge Electric employees cannot vote proxies.

Copies of the cooperative’s bylaws are available in any Blue Ridge Electric office.

Published monthly by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation for its 52,353 members.

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