Author: wtcadmin

The official results of the 2019 Annual Meeting of Members of Horry Electric, held on Tuesday, May 14,  have been tabulated!

A total of 3,294 registered members was required to achieve quorum and that number was reached early Tuesday afternoon. By 7 p.m., a total of 5,855 members had registered. Registration was from noon until 7 p.m.

Based on an informal poll conducted by employees at registration, more than 7,300 people attended the event held on May 14.

At the meeting, Pat Howle, executive vice president and CEO, officially announced his retirement, which will be effective July 5, 2019. He introduced Danny Shelley, who currently serves as chief financial officer, to the members in attendance as his successor. More details will follow in a future edition of South Carolina Living.

The three trustees up for re-election were re-elected to three-year terms beginning  May 15. Elaine Gore was re-elected for District 1; Ronald Floyd for District 5; and Ashley Anderson for District 7.

The board of trustees met immediately following the adjournment to elect officers for the coming year. Johnny Shelley remains as president; Eugene Harriott as vice president and Ashley Anderson as secretary/treasurer.

Not many businesses pay you for buying something you wouldn’t want to live without, but electric cooperatives do!

This year, members of Horry Electric Cooperative will be receiving a portion of the capital credits assignment for 1999, 2000, 2001 and/or 2018.

The allowable retirement this year is $4,616,206 less $500,000 in estate payments. The total amount being distributed is $4,116,206, which includes the $695,623 balance of 1999; the $1,006,197 balance of 2000, $2,114,386 balance of 2001 and $300,000 of 2018.

• If you were a member in 2018, you will receive 1.57% of your 2018 assignment.
• If you were a member in 1999 and/or 2000, 2001, you will receive the remaining unretired balance of your assignment for that year.

Capital credit disbursements are made by the end of April. Due to the expense of processing and issuing checks, members with refunds in amounts less than $100 will see a credit on their electric bill.

All refunds below $100 will be credited to the accounts of eligible active members when the account bills in April.

Members can calculate the approximate amount of their 2018 allocation and disbursement by using the chart shown below. It was designed to help members calculate and estimate what their capital credit check or electric bill credit might be.

 

The April 2019 edition of South Carolina Living magazine was delivered to member mailboxes this past weekend and it’s available online!

The main part of South Carolina Living magazine, which can also be found online, includes the usual recipes, a list of festivals and events, plus a few feature articles about interesting people and places in our own state!

The April edition has six pages dedicated to local news about your co-op. Highlights include:

• CEO Column:  Don’t miss it!  Annual Meeting May 14
• Annual Meeting Map, plus Horry Extra and Member Service Department
• Features include: Students write books to learn about electricity; Rural Lady of the Year’ and Co-op bees just fine, thanks to the teamwork of employee and member
• It’s Capital Credit time! It really does pay to be a member!

 

The March edition of South Carolina Living magazine was delivered to member mailboxes this past weekend and it’s available online!

The main part of South Carolina Living magazine, which can also be found online includes the usual recipes, a list of festivals and events, plus a few feature articles about interesting people and places in our own state!

The March 2019 edition has six pages dedicated to local news about your co-op. Highlights include:

• CEO column – Are you connected to us? We’ve expanded our social media outreach
• WIRE Scholarship and Bright Ideas grant application details
• I need space! – If co-op equipment could talk – landscaping around electrical equipment
• He’s the man for unmanned flight at HEC – Reid Williams is Horry Electric’s first pilot
• How about some homegrown renewable energy? Consider Community Solar!
• Trusted energy advisers encourage action! YOU can help Beat the Peak

Story courtesy of HGTC

Horry-Georgetown Technical College has announced the creation of a $25,000 endowment for its electrical lineman technician program, created by Horry Electric Cooperative in honor of one of its employees, Kevin Gore. Gore, an advance line technician who has worked for Horry Electric for over 30 years, is battling stage four pancreatic cancer.

Representatives from Horry Electric surprised Gore with the news in early February.

“Kevin was overcome by the news of the endowment and the scholarship that will be awarded on an annual basis in his honor,” said Burroughs Nobles, manager of operations for Horry Electric Cooperative. “Kevin asked me to be sure to tell everyone what a privilege it is to be able to work for a company like Horry Electric Cooperative where everyone cares about each other like family, and where the leadership values each person’s contribution to the organization.”

Horry Electric created this fund in his honor because of the impact he’s had on his coworkers over the years.

“Kevin was always the first person I saw as I pulled into our parking lot. He always had a smile on his face, a positive attitude, and started your day making you glad to be part of Horry Electric Cooperative,” said Pat Howle, executive vice president and CEO of Horry Electric Cooperative.

The endowment will make a difference in the lives of future generations of electrical line workers.

“I am so very thankful for this endowment, as it promises a fantastic and bright future for line workers in the industry,” said professor Scott Shoemaker. “some of our students are challenged with the cost of the program and the required tools. Because of donations like this, students are able to begin their career debt-free. It is very heart-warming for myself and our students that Horry Electric chose to honor Mr. Gore’s legacy in this way.”

The electrical lineman technician program at HGTC is a one-semester certificate program that prepares graduates to enter the electric utility industry as an apprentice with a broad understanding of the skills, knowledge, safe work practices and physical ability required to perform line work. Students must be 18 years of age and hold a valid driver’s license to enroll in the program.

The February 2019 edition of South Carolina Living magazine hit mailboxes earlier this month and it’s available online! 

The main part of South Carolina Living magazine, which can also be found online includes the usual recipes, a list of festivals and events, plus a few feature articles about interesting people and places in our own state!

We published just two pages of local co-op news in this month’s edition of the magazine. The main feature of this publication is the 2019/2020 Legislative Guide.   You can use it to keep in touch with elected officials in Columbia and in Washington D.C. 

The directory includes the name of each legislator, plus their district number and the names of the counties in which they serve. Addresses and telephone numbers for each are included. Some of our representatives have websites, while others have email addresses. 

The Legislative Guide also includes information about the Public Service Commission and the Office of Regulatory Staff. 

All information in the directory is current as of January 2019, but is subject to change without notice. 

 

We’ve updated our Welcome brochure for new members! It was created to introduce the cooperative to NEW members, but the information is appropriate for ALL members. You can find a copy on our website on the page dedicated to New Members!  

We welcome you to discover the value of co-op membership. The information package includes a long list of programs and services offered by the cooperative. It also features our office phone numbers, addresses and payment options! 

A membership certificate is part of the package. Plus,  a Co-op Connections® card, which gives members of Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives access to discounts on everyday expenses!

There are all sorts of advantages to being a member of an electric cooperative and there are even more when your co-op is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative! 

Horry Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a non-profit, member-owned organization providing information and energy-related services on a fair and equitable basis.  We’re local people, serving you.  

 

 

FARMERS on Horry Electric Cooperative’s distribution system can apply for a limited number of discounted energy audits available in South Carolina.

Central Electric Power Cooperative, the power supply aggregator for Horry Electric and 19 other South Carolina co-ops, was recently awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office to provide energy audits to 40 farms in South Carolina. The audits will meet ASABE Standard 612 criteria and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

The South Carolina Agricultural Energy Audit Program will provide discounted energy audits to help identify projects that reduce farms’ energy costs through efficiency and demand reduction. Once approved applicants’ audits have been completed, a representative from Horry Electric Cooperative will discuss these energy-saving opportunities with the farmer.

The audit can be used to apply for USDA grants and incentives through several programs including the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).  Please note that you are required to pay for 25 percent of the cost of your energy audit.  The cost will depend on the size and complexity of your operation and will be determined during a follow-up call once you have submitted this application.  

SC Agriculture Energy Audit Program flyer

SC Agriculture Energy Audit Program Application

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The January 2019 edition of South Carolina Living magazine hit mailboxes this weekend and it’s available online!

The main part of South Carolina Living magazine, which can also be found online includes the usual recipes, a list of festivals and events, plus a few feature articles about interesting people and places in our own state!

The Horry Electric January 2019 edition has six pages dedicated to local news about your co-op. Highlights include:

• CEO column – Resolve to modify energy use. We provide the tools; you take advantage
• Attention High School Juniors! – applications being accepted for Youth Tour/Youth Summit
• Horry Extra:  CCU students help VFW post add solar power
• Grinding of Greens for 2019; Energy Experts available for group presentations and call goes out for HEC WIRE Scholarship applications.

Horry Electric’s chapter of W.I.R.E. (Women Involved in Rural Electrification) is offering a $1500 scholarship to an eligible high school senior who plans on attending either Coastal Carolina University or Horry Georgetown Technical College in the Fall of 2019.  The applicant must be the child or dependent of a member of Horry Electric Cooperative, Inc. and live in the home with the member in order to qualify.

The scholarship award is for one academic year for an entering freshman. $750 will be given for the fall semester. An additional $750 will be given for the spring semester, contingent upon meeting the 2.5 GPR requirement.

Scholarship Criteria includes:

1. Applicant must be a member or dependent of a member of Horry Electric Cooperative, Inc. and must live in the home with the Member of Horry Electric Cooperative, Inc.

2. Awards are for one academic year for an entering freshman. $750.00 will be given for the fall semester; an additional $750.00 will be given for the spring semester contingent up meeting the G.P.R. requirement.  One $1500.00 total scholarship.

3. Scholarship recipient must have at least a cumulative 2.5 G.P.R. at the end of the first semester of college to receive the second-semester scholarship balance of $750.00. Copies of grades need to be given to Susan Brown at the end of the first semester when registering for the second semester to receive the final check.

4. Loans and/or college work-study awards received in addition to this scholarship do not reduce its’ full value in any way.

5. In accepting this scholarship, the student gives consent to the release of grades and other relevant information to the scholarship sponsor at the end of each semester.

6. All applications must be received by Horry Electric’s WIRE Group by Friday, March 1st, 2019. Applications received after Friday, March 1, 2019, are NOT eligible.

7. Applicants must be attending Coastal Carolina University or Horry-Georgetown Technical College only. Disbursement of these funds will be handled by Coastal Carolina University or Horry-Georgetown Technical College as per their procedures. (12th-grade seniors who plan to attend CCU or HGTC may apply.)

8. In the event there is no qualified applicant, the scholarship is suspended for that year.

9. In the event that the scholarship recipient receives the first $750 for the Fall Semester and does not maintain GPR and/or drops out of school, the balance of the scholarship is suspended for that applicant and for the remainder of that school year/spring semester. And suspended indefinitely for that student.

10. Financial need will be an important consideration in determining a winner.

11. Students may be asked to participate in an interview process as a final step in this process; however, by completing and returning the application is no guarantee that every applicant will gain an interview. Those selected for an interview will be contacted

Applications have been sent to all high schools in Horry County and are available for students through the guidance counselor. Students can also download and print the application from this news story. All applications should be mailed to Mrs. Susan Brown – WIRE SCHOLARSHIP; Horry Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Post Office Box 119; Conway, South Carolina; 29528-0119

Application deadline is Friday, March 1, 2019. Fax copies are not accepted. All instructions are specified on the application.

WIRE Scholarship Criteria for 2019

WIRE Scholarship Application 2019

Questions?  Call 843.369.2211 or email Mrs. Susan Brown.