Members Encouraged to Attend Annual Membership Meeting
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Lenoir, North Carolina (June 2, 2008) – The most important meeting of the year for members of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation will be held Saturday, June 14, as the cooperative’s Annual Membership Meeting takes place at Ashe County High School.
Members of the cooperative received annual meeting information in their annual report and annual membership meeting kit mailed to all members in late May. All annual report kits were customized this year to enable a new feature this year for the return of capital credits checks to some 20,000 members who received capital credits refunds of greater than $15. Members who qualified for a capital credits refunds of less than $15 received a credit on their bill earlier in the year and were notified of the amount in their customized annual report kit. Members who were new to the cooperative received a detailed explanation of capital credits.
Among important business at the annual meeting will be the election of four nominees for open seats on Blue Ridge Electric’s board of directors. Nominated for these seats by member representatives on this year’s Nominating Committee are: Martha McKnight, Alleghany District; David Boone, Ashe District; David Eggers, Caldwell District; and Clayton Cooke, Watauga District. No nominees by petition were received by this year’s March 11 deadline.
While the Business Session begins at 10 a.m., members can register from 8 to 10 a.m. and are strongly encouraged to bring their registration ticket printed on the back of their customized capital credits sheet contained in their annual report kit. Prior to the business session, ham biscuits and drinks will be served while they last in the cafeteria, and entertainment will be provided by the Hayes Family in the gym from 8:45 to 9:25 a.m.
Members must be registered and present to win all prizes, which this year includes: one 32-inch LCD TV per district, one digital photo frame per district, and four $50 bills per district. An array of other prizes, including two family 4-packs of tickets to an Appalachian Summer Festival’s grand finale concert with Charlie Daniels, will also be awarded. All registered members receive a complimentary tote bag with a pack of energy saving compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).
A highlight of this year’s Annual Membership Meeting will be an update from Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson on our nation’s emerging energy policy and climate change legislation. Electric cooperatives across the country, including Blue Ridge Electric, have developed a special website for consumers to stay up to date on the topic and make their voices heard to ensure continued reliable and affordable electricity. For a link to this site and more information, visit Blue Ridge Electric’s website at www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.
Updates will also be given on the state of the cooperative and community support activities such as the Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation, which was formed to support local economic and community development initiatives. The Foundation, which is advised by a 12-person advisory committee made up of Blue Ridge Electric members, manages funds generated from the member supported Operation Round Up. Blue Ridge Energies, the cooperative’s propane subsidiary, also donates a portion of its profits to the Members Foundation.
As part of the cooperative’s focus on helping members become energy efficient, an Energy Fair will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. A variety of displays will help members learn how to be wiser energy users and save on their monthly energy bills. These include: Ray’s Weather Center, as well as NC GreenPower, the state’s renewable energy initiative to encourage “green” energy development, the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Blue Ridge Electric’s online energy, and free Energy Savers booklet, and an interactive Peddle Power display. Employees will also be on hand to discuss the benefits and implementation of Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI), which will benefit members and the cooperative through greater efficiencies and increased power reliability.
Blue Ridge Electric staff will also be on hand to explain Operation Round Up, the member supported program that helps fund the Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation through members voluntarily rounding up their electric bills to the next dollar amount.
A Capital Credits display will also be available with staff to answer any questions about this important benefit of belonging to a cooperative.
For the sixth consecutive, members can also take advantage of free health screening and information provided by Ashe Memorial Hospital.
Other exhibits also include Blue Ridge Energies, the cooperative’s propane and heating fuels subsidiary with showrooms featuring gas logs and other hearth products located in each district office of the cooperative. Staff from An Appalachian Summer Festival will also be on hand to register members for their ticket give-away, as well as staff from Carolina Country magazine who will be giving away backpack bags and a drawing for their gift basket.
There’s fun for the children too. The Children’s Program, staffed by Blue Ridge employees, will provide games and refreshments from 9 a.m. until the end of the business session for the convenience of parents.
Blue Ridge Electric is a member-owned electric cooperative utility serving some 73,000 members in northwest North Carolina. Its heating fuels and propane subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, serves customers in an area stretching from Catawba to Alleghany County.
Full details of the Annual Membership meeting are listed in the annual report kit mailed by Blue Ridge Electric to each member in late May. Information is also available on the cooperative’s web site at www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.
