Dear Members,

In previous articles, I’ve noted that Randolph EMC members have experienced a higher-than-average number of outages due to the numerous storms and excessive rainfall over the last year. This combination resulted in the ground being saturated with water, contributing to trees pulling up by the roots and falling onto power lines.

We all know the ground has been extremely wet, which has especially been an issue for our farmers, those in construction or outdoor work and utility companies. I recently saw a statistic that puts all this rainfall we’ve received into perspective.

For 2018, in most parts of North Carolina, previous records for rainfall totals were shattered. According to a Facebook post by North Carolina’s Weather Authority, from September 1, 2018, to February 23, 2019, Asheboro received 46.49 inches of rain. They also noted the average total rainfall for a whole year was normally between 35 to 45 inches. So, in six months, we’ve exceeded the equivalent of an average years’ worth of rain.

No wonder the trees were falling over! And when those trees fall onto the power lines, someone has to get the lights back on.

With that in mind, I want to recognize your employee team for all their extra hard work over the past year. No matter the conditions, whether snow, sleet, ice, rain, wind, hurricane, extreme cold or blazing heat, your line personnel lace up their boots and get their work done in a safe and efficient manner. Your office personnel are focused on serving you with exceptional service every day they walk through the door.

John Peterman said, “Programs don’t make quality products, people do.” Several years ago, when putting together a presentation for the employee team, I put my twist on it. “Programs don’t provide exceptional service, people do.” We can have the greatest strategic plan and devise the best program or service for our members, but unless your employee team delivers and steps up to meet the expectations you have for us, these plans, programs and services fall flat.

You truly have an extremely dedicated group of employees that know the reason they come to work every day or night: to serve you, the owners of this cooperative. I get to witness it first-hand. At the end of the day, they are the reason for any success that Randolph EMC has in meeting, and hopefully, exceeding your expectations.

Sometimes I’m guilty of not showing my appreciation and thanking our employee team for all they do. It’s easy to get caught up in the details of getting things done, completing projects and moving the organization forward, and we forget the asset that makes Randolph EMC stand out when it comes to service and dedication. That asset is your employees.

One of our members recently told me a story I have to share with you. I asked permission to share her story and she agreed as long as her name was left out. So reluctantly, we’ll call her “Mrs. C.”

Mrs. C. had arranged for some granny time with her two young granddaughters one afternoon. Their plan was to bake cookies and just have some fun together. Well, as luck would have it, they were ready to put the cookies into the oven and you can guess what happened…the power went out.

They did some other activities, but after a couple of hours, the girls were ready to get on with the cookie baking. So, Mrs. C. suggested they pray for the line personnel working to restore power and that it come back on soon.

The first granddaughter prayed for the safety of the line personnel. The second granddaughter also prayed for safety and ended her prayer by saying, “Now Lord, you know we had planned to bake these cookies and can’t because the power is out. Will you help the lineman get the power on soon?” Mrs. C. finished the prayer and then went to open the refrigerator door. Right at that moment, their power came on. She said both of her granddaughters’ eyes were as big as saucers. What a great story on the power of prayer and a great lesson for her granddaughters to think of others.

Randolph EMC has designated April as Employee Appreciation Month

We are always grateful for your prayers and many members have stated through social media, calls and cards, that during storm events your thoughts and prayers were with those working to get the lights back on. Believe me, your prayers are not taken for granted at Randolph EMC.

Several years ago, the United States Congress and the North Carolina General Assembly designated a day in April as Lineworker Appreciation Day. This is a day to celebrate and show appreciation for all the hard work our line personnel do to safely keep the lights on. Your line personnel are always some of the first responders when major weather events hit our communities, but they quietly go about their jobs without much recognition.

Randolph EMC has also designated April as Employee Appreciation Month. We want to recognize all the Randolph EMC employee team members for their commitment and extra hard work over this past year. It’s a real team effort and I appreciate the dedication they have to serve you.

Cooperatively Yours,

Dale F. Lambert
Chief Executive Officer