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Randolph Electric Membership Corporation holds 85th annual meeting

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ASHEBORO — Randolph Electric Membership Corporation (REMC) celebrated its eighty-fifth annual meeting on Friday at Southwestern Randolph High School in Asheboro. The theme of the meeting was “Past and Future, Always Present.”

The event kicked off with entertainment provided by The Harvesters. President Jerry Bowman called the meeting to order, and the cooperative’s general counsel, Aaron M. Christensen, presided over the meeting. Rep. Neal Jackson (R-Randolph) delivered the invocation, and the Southwestern Randolph High School Jr. ROTC presented the colors.

Christensen announced there were 1,020 Cooperative members registered, either electronically or in person, which constituted a quorum. The attendance at the event was estimated to be around 720 people, with 361 members attending the in-person business meeting and 618 members registering online.

During the business meeting, the membership elected three directors. Scott Cole was elected to represent District 2, Jerry Bowman for District 4, and Tammie Phillips for District 7 on the REMC Board of Directors.

Bowman presented a report on the events and investments of the past year, highlighting the cooperative’s achievements. Secretary-Treasurer Billy Maness provided a financial report for 2022, indicating over $73 million in revenue and $68 million in expenses. CEO Dale Lambert addressed the theme of reliability and emphasized the commitment of Randolph EMC to providing safe, reliable, and affordable energy to its rural member-owners.

Randolph EMC has more than 32,000 members and more than 4,100 miles of line in areas of Randolph, Moore, Montgomery, Chatham, and Alamance counties. 

Throughout the meeting, members had the opportunity to win various door prizes, including cash and bill credits, gift cards, bicycles, small appliances, and local pottery.

Scott Cole, representing District 2, has been serving on the Board of Directors since 2019 and was re-elected to the position. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Appalachian State University and a Master of Science in Plant and Soil Science from NC A&T State University. Cole is currently the Environmental Health Program Director with the Montgomery County Department of Health.

Jerry Bowman, President of the Board of Directors, was also re-elected to represent District 4, a position he has held since 1993. Bowman has a long history in the automobile sales and service industry. He is a board member of Carolina Bank, an active member of the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce, and a past officer of the Randolph Rotary Club.

Tammie Phillips, Vice President of the Board of Directors, has been representing District 7 since 2008 and was re-elected to the post. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from North Carolina State University and is employed by the North Carolina Department of Justice. Phillips is actively involved in her community and attends Tyson’s Creek Baptist Church.

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Randolph Electric Membership Corp. helps purchase new fire engines 

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Last week, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation (REMC) officials presented state and local fire representatives with checks to assist with purchasing new fire engines. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded the REMC grants for each fire truck – $225,000 to Robbins Fire Rescue in Moore County and $360,000 to the Ulah Volunteer Fire Department in Randolph County – through the Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant program. “We are thankful to receive this funding from Randolph EMC,” said Charlotte King, fire chief of Ulah VFD. “This new fire engine will benefit the residents and businesses of southern Randolph County, including Seagrove, Asheboro, and neighboring fire districts. This will enhance our emergency response capabilities.” These grants are combined with a 20% match from the REMC and will be loaned to the recipients at a zero-point interest. As these funds are repaid, REMC will receive the payments into its Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund for lending toward future projects. “Randolph EMC cannot repay our firefighters for the sacrifice, courage, and strength they embody every day,” said Nicole Arnold, communications and public affairs manager for REMC. “But we can play a small part in improving the tools they work with to save the lives of those in danger.”

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Power restored after storm punishes county

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A tree fell across Park Street and power lines in Asheboro during the storm. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO — About one-third of the accounts for Randolph Electric Membership Corporation experienced some sort of power outage stemming from the leftovers from Hurricane Ian.

REMC reported that all power had been restored by early Sunday morning.

“I am proud and appreciative of our line personnel and support team for going the extra mile for our members,” said Dale Lambert, CEO of REMC. “As always, our team worked as safely and efficiently as possible to repair the damage.”

The cooperative said that crews worked through Saturday night to restore power. All members in Randolph, Moore, Montgomery, Chatham, and Alamance counties had received power hours later.

As a result of the storm, REMC had 268 separate outages. REMC’s system sustained numerous fallen trees, downed lines, and broken power poles. 

Additional line personnel from sister cooperatives Union Power and Edgecombe-Martin County EMC in North Carolina, along with crew members Sumter Utilities in South Carolina, joined REMC line crew and contractors in restoration efforts.

According to information from REMC, there are damaged trees that could fall and cause new outages in the upcoming days. Members should report any potentially damaging situations.

By early Monday afternoon, according to tracking devices, only three Duke Energy customers were without power in Randolph County. Duke Energy is the largest power provider in the county.

Last Thursday, Randolph County officials declared a local state of emergency effective at 1 p.m. Friday. A state of emergency was declared for all unincorporated areas of the county.

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REMC stresses ‘Stronger Together’ as members gather again

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ASHEBORO — The theme for the Randolph Electric Membership Corporation’s annual meeting was “Stronger Together.”

That certainly held relevance Friday night.

The gathering for the 84th annual meeting was the first in-person event in three years for the cooperative.

“Randolph EMC invests in our communities and in our young people because we believe we are stronger together,” said Jerry Bowman, board president of REMC. “We also invest in you, our member-owner, by returning excess revenue to you in the form of capital credits.”

Secretary-treasurer Billy Maness reported that REMC the cooperative’s total assets and liabilities is at nearly $185 million, reflecting a gain of about $7 million from a year earlier.

“I’m happy to report that our cooperative continues to remain financially sound because of your support,” Maness told attendees.

CEO Dale Lambert said that the power flowed to REMC members for 99.982 percent of the time in 2021. So in terms of outage time, that reflected the lowest percentage in at least 20 years for the cooperative that includes parts of five counties.

“We were very blessed in 2021 that no major storms hit the system,” Lambert said. “But I believe it’s a testament that we are on the right track to improving reliability.”

Much of that comes with maintenance and foresight. This year, more than $5.3 million in system improvement projects are set to be conducted.

A new program was introduced that will be available for members with fully electric homes. This is the “Connect to Save” program.

“Participants will have the ability to purchase smart thermostats at a highly reduced amount, have it installed for free, receive a free hot water control device that can track usage and be placed into ‘vacation mode’ when you’re heading out of town,” Lambert said. “And all this can be done from your smart device.”

Sign-ups were taken at the meeting, but others can add their residences to the list by contacting their local offices.

After the 2020 and 2021 meetings were held virtually online, this meeting was held in the Southwestern Randolph High School gym. More than 275 attendees were on site. While counting online registrants, organizers estimated about 600 people tuned in one way or another.

U.S. Congressman Richard Hudson spoke, while attendees included North Carolina House members Jamie Boles, Pat Hurley and Allen McNeill.

Three directors were elected during the meeting: Lee Isley for District 1, Larry Routh for District 3 and Jeff Sugg for District 6.

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Utilities brace for potential snow and ice this weekend

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ASHEBORO – As locals make sure their cupboards are stocked and snow gear is located, energy providers are making sure they have enough spare power poles, transformers and wires as snow and ice are in the weekend forecast. Randolph Electric Membership Corporation has activated its Storm Response Plan and is currently monitoring winter weather advisories issued for its service area in Randolph, Moore, Montgomery, Chatham, and Alamance Counties.  Recent models from the National Weather Service predict significant snow and ice accumulation this weekend.

“We are preparing for a multi-day outage event,” said Randolph EMC CEO Dale Lambert. “We want our members to know that our employee and contractor teams are prepared and ready to respond when power outages start occurring.”

Duke Energy said their crews are preparing as well as they can for snow and ice that can have unpredictable results in the Piedmont. Duke said they are making sure they have enough poles, transformers, wires and other material to make repairs and rebuild their systems.

“The issue we are watching with this storm is the possibility of freezing rain falling on top of wet snow and adding additional weight on trees,” said Lambert. “We are preparing for a significant storm event and I ask our members to also make preparations. Plan as if you will be out of power for several days and have the necessities your family needs on hand.”

The precipitation mix and a few degrees difference in air temperature can change the impact of winter storms on power grids

With the probability of significant power outages, Randolph EMC line technician crews, member service staff and contract personnel are on stand-by to respond should power outages occur. Despite COVID concerns, Randolph EMC’s workforce is at full capacity, and all crews stand on alert. REMC has also called on utility crews from sister cooperatives and its contractors to supplement its workforce. REMC crews have fully stocked trucks with materials needed for repairs and tested equipment to ensure its readiness.

REMC encourages customers who experience a power outage to report it by calling 1-877-736-2633 (1-877-REMC-OFF).