STORM STORIES...Lessons Learned...How to Prepare

Rob Land, Director of Risk Management & Training of the Association of Missouri Electrical Cooperatives talked to 31 Illinois electric co-op employees about how the Missouri co-ops handled a massive 2009 ice storm.  The storm hit January 26 and caused $180 million in damages to seven Missouri co-ops.  A workforce of 3,200 helped replace 16,500 poles.  Communication with daily updates to legislators and press were important as well as keeping websites up to date, said Land.

Attendees learned how Missouri utilized mutual aid with cooperatives and contractors along with additional superintendents, operations managers, warehouse and mechanics personnel.  They also heard about how they handled the logistics of a huge increase in their workforce, communicating with their members and the media, order of power restoration, and how to work with FEMA. 

IEC Scholarship Fund Benefits from Dinner at GobNob

Jim Reinhardt of Fletcher-Reinhardt purchased a 4-course gourmet dinner at the AIEC Annual Meeting auction. All proceeds from the auction went to the IEC Scholarship Fund. 

The dinner, held on November 14th at the base of the GobNob wind turbine, was hosted by David Stuva, President/CEO of Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative, who also acted as waiter for the event.  Seen above from left to right are Stuva, Rose and Gary Bokermann, and Mary Jane and Jim Reinhardt.  Before sitting down to dinner, they were given a tour of the wind turbine by RECC Field Engineer Martin Hinton.

Mr. Osamu Ohno, Fellow of the National Personnel Authority and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, visited Illinois to learn more about the utility industry in the U.S. He first met with employees and board members at Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative on Nov. 16 and visited the Gob Nob wind turbine. He then traveled to Springfield to meet with the employees of the AIEC.

Japan has 10 utilities and has been transitioning to deregulation. As in the U.S. deregulation has not yet benefited residential consumers. Ohno learned more about how electric cooperatives are structured and work together to serve members. He also learned the really important things like how to eat a horseshoe at lunch with Jimmy Ayers from RECC. Ohno thanked John Freitag for the hospitality. Then, in broken English, he asked for some Alka-Seltzer before he left.