New President and CEO Leonard Hawkins took to the stage next for his first member address. “Thank you for taking the time to come out tonight. I grew up in a little town called Houtzdale.”
Len continued, “I have worked at United Electric for 25 years. Brady Township is my home, approximately 3 miles from here.
I am super excited to announce the birth of my first grandchild. My wife Kandace and I have a lot to be thankful for: my family, my faith and my role at the cooperative.”
Len discussed the role of United in this time of transition in the energy sector: “Wildfire mitigation is a new area of concern. Fires have a strict liability threshold meaning if the utility is involved in any way, that utility will most likely be liable for all damages.
United’s right-of-way clearing program is an important tool in the fight to prevent wildfires. United’s largest account, a coal mine, is also shutting down operations. The annual usage for this mine was 2.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh), or about 253 homes.
Global supply chains have faced challenges-In the last 4 years our costs have skyrocketed for commonly used items like primary wire (58%), transformers (98%), wood cross-arms (99%), Insulators (70%) and underground cable (114%).
These realities required United to prioritize resources and ultimately increase our rates effective January 1st.”
In the spirit of Cooperative Principles, Len also discussed Cooperation Among Cooperatives with our recent storm related outages and assistance from sister cooperatives, including Rappahannock Rural Electric in Virginia.
Concern for Community was also displayed with the installment of the Brenda Swartzlander Scholarship.
“This scholarship is for members and their children pursuing a degree in business management or electrical engineering. I would like to congratulate Natalie Battaglia for winning the first ever Brenda Swartzlander scholarship.”
