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PrintMiddle Tennessee Electric members got a glimpse of the future during the cooperative's 83rd Annual Meeting at Embassy Suites Murfreesboro Hotel and Conference Center on August 10, 2019.
More than 1,800 consumer-owners attended their local electric cooperative's Annual Meeting on Saturday to review the progress the co-op made in 2018, learn about its current programs and a glimpse at current broadband offerings. They also had the opportunity to participate in free health screenings at the Health Fair and meet with co-op representatives during the Annual Meeting Expo on a variety of topics ranging from vegetation management to energy services.
The expo was designed to encourage members to engage with MTEMC staff at booths, tables and spaces about various topics across the cooperative during the Annual Meeting Expo. The expo provided snacks and also gave members the opportunity to win a variety of door prizes from gift cards to an electric lawn mower.
Carolyn and Mark Lynam, MTEMC members in Williamson County, won the grand prize - a used 2005 Chevy Equinox that had been retired from the MTEMC fleet.
A highlight of the Annual Meeting was a presentation by MTEMC President and CEO Chris Jones to the family of former Board Chairman H. Gordon Bone. Mr. Bone was a prominent Wilson County businessman and Middle Tennessee Electric board member for 35 years, serving as Chairman from 1992 to 2015. While he made numerous contributions to the cooperative, he was perhaps best known for the development of MTEMC's charitable foundation, SharingChange. During the presentation, Mr. Jones announced that the SharingChange scholarships will be renamed the SharingChange Gordon Bone Scholarships to honor his legacy.
Per the cooperative's bylaws, elections were also held during the Annual Meeting. Members reelected Board of Director members Gloria O'Steen (District 1C), Board Chairman Mike Woods (District 2A), and Charlie Bowman (District 3).
MTEMC board members serve rotating three-year terms, and the nominating committee is responsible for nominating next year's board of director candidates.
The 2019 Nominating Committee election resulted in the election of Donald Lampley, Karen L. Paris and Juanita Patton from District 1 - Williamson County; Thomas "Teb" Batey II, Jamey Faulkner and Danny Sapp from District 2 - Rutherford County; Jeanne Melton from District 3 - Cannon County; and Zachary Butler, Ken Howell and Quintin Smith from District 4 - Wilson County.
In other election news, Middle Tennessee Electric members voted to revise MTEMC bylaws to allow joint memberships.
Following the General Session of the Annual Meeting, a Business Session was held during which the treasurer's report was presented by co-op Secretary-Treasurer Steve Seger. The election results were also presented during the Business Session by Ryan McGowin, senior manager and CPA of the auditing firm Jackson-Thornton. A Listening Session open to all members then ensued before the Annual Meeting's close.
In an organizational meeting following the Annual Meeting, the board re-elected Mike Woods of Rutherford County as chairman, Tom Purkey of Wilson County as vice chairman and Steve Seger of Williamson County as secretary-treasurer.
"I always look forward our Annual Meeting and engaging with our membership." said MTEMC President and CEO Chris Jones. "We have so such going on and so many opportunities unfolding before us as we strive to be the very best electric cooperative possible. It is so gratifying to see the members we serve engaged in the democratic process of electing those that represent them and setting the course for our future."
Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative providing electricity to more than 500,000 middle Tennessee residents via 230,000 residential and business accounts in Williamson, Wilson, Rutherford and Cannon counties.
For more information, please contact MTEMC Communications Coordinator Adam Elrod at 615-494-1034.
