“The only thing that is constant is change.”
As a new chapter begins for your electric cooperative, this old adage by Greek philosopher Heraclitus rings true to this day.
Many of you have known me as the chief operating officer here at Roanoke, but today I write to you in a different capacity. In December, I assumed the duties of interim president and CEO, following Curtis Wynn’s transition in leadership to SECO Energy. In doing so, this is the first of what I hope to be many CEO messages as we move forward.
For the past 24 years, the co-op has been very capably led by Curtis. Under his leadership, we accomplished several impactful initiatives in an ambitious, multi-year strategic plan that matured in December.
Most notably, Roanoke Electric marked significant progress in the following programs and services:
- Helping more than 1,400 member-owners receive much-needed energy efficiency improvements in their homes through our Upgrade to $ave program;
- Connecting nearly 2,000 subscribers to high-speed internet and smart grid energy efficiency capabilities through Roanoke Connect;
- Offering discounted subscription rate packages to electric vehicle owners through our Electric Vehicle Pilot Program,
- Improving our system’s reliability and saving member-owners money on energy costs through our system-wide change of all residential and commercial meters to new digital meters.
Underscoring the key accomplishments highlighted above, Roanoke became the fourth electric cooperative in the nation to be inducted into the prestigious Palladium Group’s Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy.
We are so proud of our work over the past several years, setting the stage for what is to come. Looking ahead, we will continue to adapt to an evolving energy industry as we strive to also meet the unique needs of this region.
Our new strategy, called Vision 2025, will set our focus on three main areas.
- Reduce the wholesale cost we pay for electricity and embrace smaller energy generation and storage technologies that provide electric capacity or energy where you need it
- Improve the efficiency of our system in delivering electricity to you.
- Enhance the way we connect with you to build trust and satisfaction with solutions to meet your needs.
Today, we can take pride in the foundation of success on which we stand as a cooperative. While we cannot predict what changes the future holds, I can assure you that one thing will remain constant: We will continue to lead the way, putting first and foremost the needs of those we serve.