By Staff
Vince Johnson of Flomaton and Vernon Baggett of Repton were elected to the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives' Board of Directors during the association's 61st annual meeting held recently in Montgomery.
Johnson, general manager and chief executive officer of Southern Pine Electric Cooperative, Inc., will serve on the association's training and development committee.
Baggett will serve on the association's member services, strategic planning and legislative committees.
AREA's board also re-elected Gary Harrison of Dixie Electric Cooperative in Union Springs, as chairman. Jim McRae of Tombigbee Electric Cooperative in Guin, will serve as vice-chairman with George Kitchens of Joe Wheeler Electric Member Corp., of Decatur, elected as secretary-treasurer.
The association's annual meeting, which was held in Montgomery, attracted more than 400 rural electric leaders and supporters from across the state.
U.S. Congressman Jo Bonner, of Mobile, received AREA's 2008 Eminent Service Award, which is the association's highest award. Named as the association's State Representative of the Year was Rep. Warren Beck of Geneva.
The state's electric cooperative quilt was presented to Col. Michael Underkofler of the 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base.
The quilt, which carried the theme of “Honoring Our Troops, Then and Now,” was created using winning quilt squares sewn by electric cooperative members.
It will be on permanent display in the 908th headquarters.
Two individuals received the association's Pioneer Award of 2008. H.T. “Bud” Gregg, a long-time trustee at Tombigbee Electric Cooperative was the first recipient of the award. Howard Haygood, former manager of Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and attorney for Pioneer Electric Cooperative, was also honored with the award.
The Jack Jenkins Cooperative Employee Citizenship Award was presented to Wyndel Eiland. Eiland recently retired from the South Alabama Electric Cooperative in Troy.
The 2008 Communicator of the Year award was presented to Cary Hatcher of Wiregrass Electric Cooperative.
Southern Pine Electric Cooperative is a service-oriented, distribution electric utility that is owned by the members it serves. Southern Pine provides electric service to members in portions of Baldwin, Conecuh, Covington, Escambia and Monroe counties in Alabama.
The headquarters office is located in Brewton and the three district offices are located in Atmore, Evergreen and Frisco City.
Today, Southern Pine serves more than 20,000 accounts and 3,161 miles of line in portions of Baldwin, Conecuh, Covington, Escambia and Monroe counties.
Southern Pine Electric Coopertive's headquarters are located on South Boulvard in Brewton.
The Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives is a foundation of not-for-profit electric cooperatives, which provide dependable electricity to more than 1 million Alabamians in 64 counties.