CEO’s Message – June 2025

It Takes the Whole Team

We have a great team of employees at Wiregrass Electric Cooperative (WEC). We are able to serve our members due in no small part to the hard work of our employees.

From those in member services and accounting to information technology, engineering, warehouse, payroll, human resources, communications, and our line crews — it takes the whole team for the cooperative to work effectively.

We marked National Lineworker Appreciation Day in April with a special event at WEC’s main office in Hartford. Of course, we appreciate our lineworkers for all they do year-round, but Lineworker Appreciation Day is a time set aside to acknowledge what these dedicated workers do and show our appreciation for the sacrifices they make and the dangers they face on the job.

Today’s lineworker is not what you would have seen a few decades ago. Like other jobs, the skills required have changed, and there is more focus on safety. Lineworkers now use GPS, advanced communication systems, and smart tools. It’s still a physical job, but there’s so much more to it now.

All our employees have had to evolve as the industry has changed. They’ve learned new skills, new technologies, new software, and new safety requirements.

But nothing tests a cooperative’s mettle quite like a hurricane.

June marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and our employees will be on high alert when tropical systems form and spin toward the Gulf Coast and move inland. A tropical system moving toward the Wiregrass means all hands on deck. It is a lot of long hours, everybody pulling together and working around the clock.

Of course, as we all know, it’s not just hurricanes that can cause large outages during the summer months. Severe thunderstorms can do their share of damage when they blow through the area — lightning, tornadoes, and straight-line winds can all wreak havoc on a utility system.

But our employees are here when the power goes out, whatever the cause. They are ready to respond and give our members the great service they’ve come to expect.

The cooperative’s employees have as much stake in our electric system as any member. The Wiregrass is their home. Their families go to local churches. Their children attend local schools. When the early-morning calls about power outages come in, our lineworkers leave their homes to do their jobs. They’re not traveling for hours to get here — they live here.

The work that goes on inside our offices supports our lineworkers out in the field. The warehouse must be stocked. Supplies must be ordered. Accounting must pay the invoices. Dispatch directs line crews where to go during outages. The IT staff keeps our servers, computers, and communications up and running. And employees must be trained to use software, equipment, and how to do their jobs safely. All to keep your lights on.

WEC has dedicated people who work at the cooperative, and it takes us all.

The cooperative’s board of trustees supports our employees and the work they do. The board allows us to secure the tools and resources necessary to make sure our employees are trained and can serve our members.

We are a small outfit — WEC employs 58 people — but every employee works efficiently, uses the latest technology, and wears multiple hats. It’s all done with the purpose of serving our members, keeping the lights on, maintaining our distribution system, and giving members a reliable and affordable electric service.

On a broader scale, we want to give our members hope and opportunities through jobs with businesses that choose to locate in our service territory because we can give them a reliable service. We couldn’t do that without our employees.