Kay Electric Cooperative300 W Doolin Ave • PO Box 607

Blackwell, OK 74631

Tele: (580) 363-1260Toll Free: (800) 535-1079

www.kayelectric.coop

Convenient Bill Paying Options

Pay online using our secure site at www.kayelectric.coop

Pay via telephone during office hours by using a major credit card at 800-535-1079

Pay in person at KEC or use our 24-hour payment drop box in Blackwell

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

District 1...............Jake OlsenDistrict 2...............Chad OttoDistrict 3...............Ron ShoffnerDistrict 4...............Max HohmannDistrict 5...............Mike LebedaDistrict 6...............Brady HostetlerDistrict 7...............Kent McAninchDistrict 8...............Dr. Tim BlantonDistrict 9...............Verl Brorsen

General Manager/CEO Tim Rodriguez

A supplement to Oklahoma Living

COOPERATORMay 2017

the

Manager Reports on ProgressMembers learn of Infrastructure improvements and industry changes at KEC Annual Meeting

Kay Electric Cooperative members received good news about their co-op at the recent KEC Annual

Meeting. Tim Rodriguez, KEC CEO, reported that the downturn in the oil production slowed commercial growth, but allowed the co-op to focus on necessary infrastructure improvements.

“Since 2008, Kay Electric added six substations and completed the conversion of our voltages throughout the system from 7,200 to 14,400,” Rodriguez told members.

The improvements allow KEC to serve larger loads, decrease line loss, and provide an alternate route for power if a substation goes down.

These improvements and others doubled co-op assets while increasing member equity from 33 percent to 47 percent over the past six years. “Your board understands the importance of maintaining a financially healthy organization,” he pointed out.

Rodriguez also explained a major change in the way wholesale power suppliers buy and sell bulk power. “The new method, along with technological advancements, allows power suppliers to price their services more accurately,” Rodriguez said.

The new price structure will mean a change in the appearance of KEC’s monthly electric bills to members. “This isn’t a rate increase,” Rodriguez said. “This is billing that more accurately reflects the costs associated with bringing energy to our homes and businesses.”

Members will see a more itemized bill sometime next year. KEC will continue to explain these and other changes through the newsletter, social media, and at co-op meetings “We’re calling 2017 the ‘year of information and education’ and we are dedicated to ensuring that members are informed,” he said.

Miss the meeting? Check out KEC’s Facebook page for highlights and photos, or visit www.kayelectric.coop.

Grand Prize Winners Prepared To ‘Mow Betta’

Brett Bergman and wife, Bobbie, will spend less time mowing their lawn this summer, thanks to their new John Deere zero turn mower. The Bergman’s won the grand prize mowing machine at the 2017 Kay Electric Annual Meeting on April 7.

For more highlights of the KEC Annual Meeting, please turn to page 2.

2 • June 2017 • The Cooperator

annual meeting snapshots

Please read your newsletter carefully. If you spot your account number hidden in these pages, please contact Kay Electric immediately to claim a $25 credit on your electric bill. If no account numbers are claimed, the prize money will carry over to the next month for a maximum bill credit of $50.

800-535-1079contact@kayelectric.coop

news briefs

$25 is hiding in this issue!

Fixed Charge On Your Bill is A Worthwhile Investment in KECAs an owner of your electric co-op, you make an investment in Kay Electric every time you pay your bill. The customer service fee on your bill is a monthly investment that helps Kay Electric cover the expenses of maintaining its electric system.

Maintaining pole, wires, substations and co-op equipment takes significant resources. The customer service fee ensures that all equipment operates properly and the lights turn on when you need them.

Regardless of how much electricity your family uses, the cost of delivering power to your home doesn’t vary. All members are charged the same for the cost of operation, since all members benefit from the same service.

Your monthly investment ensures you have access to safe, reliable environmentally responsible and affordable power when you need it. Kay Electric values the investment you make in your co-op every month, and it uses that asset wisely for the benefit of all its members.

The Cooperator • June 2017 • 3

co-op values

Kay Electric Announces Youth Tour WinnersMcAreavey and Lipsey will represent KEC in Washington, D.C.

Local Youth Shine at Youth Tour BanquetStanding are Tim Rodriguez, Kay Electric CEO; Mikey Kane, Medford; Aaron Smith, Medford; Brett Severin,Garber; Trenton McAreavey, Tonkawa; and Max Hohmann, president of the Kay Electric board of trustees. Seated are Caitlynn Wickham, Blackwell; Emma Dice, Blackwell; Makenna Sterling, Medford; and Samantha Lipsey, Garber.

Kay Electric Cooperative’s Annual Youth Tour Banquet wrapped up on the evening of March

22. Area juniors wrote essays about what they see as the biggest challenges facing electric utilities in the future and why. School administrators and faculty, parents, and KEC employees and directors listened and learned as the eight finalists presented their essays in speech form.

Trenton McAreavey, Tonkawa High School, and Samantha Lipsey, Garber High School, won top honors for their presentations and earned an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. as participants in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Tour. Brett Severin, Garber High School, and Makenna Sterling, Medford High School, won the all-expenses-paid trip to the Cooperative Youth Leadership Conference in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Winners of cash prizes included Caitlynn Wickham and Emma Dice, Blackwell High School, and Mikey Kane and Aaron Smith, Medford High School.

The essay contest is open to high school juniors within the KEC service territory. A third-party judge evaluated the essays on content, originality, grammar and neatness before choosing the eight finalists. KEC honored the top writers at

the Youth Tour banquet where finalists presented their essays in speech form and answered three questions from the judges. Judges included Erin Liberton, Eastman National Bank, Traci Thorpe, Pioneer Tech, and Jared Grell, BancFirst.

KEC began sending local high school juniors to Washington D.C on Youth Tour in 1963.

As the top winners, McAreavey and Lipsey will also have the opportunity to

compete at the state level for the coveted Oklahoma representative position on the NRECA Youth Consulting Board.

While in Colorado, Severin and Sterling will have the chance to be selected as an Oklahoma ambassador for the multi-state camp.

For more information on Kay Electric’s Youth Tour competition, please visit www.kayelectric.coop or call Cyndi Mitchell at 800-535-1079. #288903

Local Teens Headed For Energy CampKay Electric selected six local teens to attend YouthPower Energy Camp May 30 to June 2. Located near the Oklahoma’s scenic Red Rock Canyon, Energy Camp builds teen leadership skills by teaching campers about cooperatives. This year, the following teens will represent KEC at Energy Camp: Weston Light, Kayleb Darst, and Lukas Steinert, Garber; Amber Watts, Blackwell; Karlie Tucker, Home School; and Kaylee Williams, Shidler.

Congratulations, campers!

For more information on YouthPower Energy Camp, please visit www.oaec.coop. For details on Kay Electric’s Energy Camp contest, please call 800-535-1079 or visit www.kayelectric.coop.

4 • June 2017 • The Cooperator

Tuna SaladContributed by Linda Bocox, winner of the KEC Annual Meeting recipe contest.

INGREDIENTS

2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained1 tablespoon white vinegar1 stalk celery finely chopped1 teaspoon sugar1 tablespoon parsley flakes1 tablespoon lemon juice1 tablespoon finely chopped onion1/4 cup mayonnaise

DIRECTIONSMix all ingredients in a medium or large mixing bowl. Chill in the refrigerator. Serve on a bed of lettuce as a delicious salad or make four sandwiches. Enjoy!

Note: Kay Electric holds a special prize drawing for recipe contributors in conjunction with the KEC Annual Meeting. Members who bring recipes to the meeting are eligible to win a prize. The winner’s recipe is published in KEC’s newsletter, The Cooperator.

safety first

KEC Truck for SaleSEALED BID AUCTION

2008 Ford F-550, 4x4, 101,000 miles, 6.4 diesel engine.

Bid deadline is May 15 at 4pm. Please pick up bid sheets in Kay Electric’s main office, or contact Kent, Brandon, or Paul at Kay Electric, 800-535-1079, with any questions. #1134702

KEC Linemen Earn CertificationTwo Kay Electric linemen earned their journeyman-lineman certification through Northwest Lineman’s College. Lineman Health Lambert and Lineman Tyler Barrows received their certificates at the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City. Pictured are Kay Electric CEO Tim Rodriguez; Director of Operations Jimmy Maupin; Lineman Heath Lambert; Lineman Tyler Barrows; and Kay Electric Board President Max Hohmann.

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