What’s in a name?
As we enter the spring season each year, it seems life gets busier. The weather warms up, and the days get longer. We find ourselves cutting the grass, gardening, cleaning gutters, or completing other outside chores. We also tackle a lot of inside spring cleaning tasks.
When schedules ramp up, we can lose focus on our goals. That’s why at Wiregrass Electric Cooperative (WEC) we strive to focus on our very name.
How Does This Help?
The three words that constitute the name of our organization highlight our purpose.
Wiregrass reminds us of the great region we live in. We enjoy nice weather for most of the year, quick access to the beaches, and a quiet, pastoral lifestyle. Most importantly, we recall the quality people we serve — people who are generous, who are committed to raising great families, and who understand the values that make society strong.
Electric reminds us of the valuable service we provide to our coverage area. Electricity equals power, and through it this area has the power to grow economically and more. Electricity changes the way we work, live, communicate and learn.
Cooperative reminds us of the power of togetherness. When big corporations refused to bring electricity to our rural area, our forefathers banded together to take on the monumental task themselves. Inspired by their efforts and the quality of people we serve, we strive daily to improve service to our members and the communities in which they live.
Our predecessors understood the power of one direction, and so do we. That’s why we are glad to emphasize a number of our resources with a series of “The Power of One” messages.
In an effort to provide better service throughout our region, we have developed and refined many programs and initiatives during the past several years.
For example, our one mobile app allows you to report outages, pay your bill, monitor your energy usage and so much more. Our one website, revamped in November, additionally provides a wealth of information on energy tips and our various programs.
Even our offices have great flexibility. You can pay your bills at each location during business hours through a drive-thru or lobby visit, or you can pay 24 hours a day through each kiosk or night deposit box.
We’ve been able to develop these tools through great management of the resources our members entrust to us. Throughout the years, we’ve had great leadership that embraces innovation — starting with our member-elected board of trustees.
We have grown so much in nearly 82 years of existence. But no matter how large we grow, WEC employees will never forget our cooperative’s roots. All we have to do is remember our name.
Les Moreland
CEO Wiregrass Electric Cooperative