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Empowered is a monthly newsletter for members of

CONGRATULATE YOUR CENTRAL TRUSTEES

Central Rural Electric Cooperative is excited to announce Mark Pittman and James Wells as district five and six trustees, respectfully.

Three candidates filed to run for the district five position. The vote took place at the District 5 Meeting on Sept. 8 at Central’s headquarters in Stillwater. Through the rankedchoice voting process, Pittman received the majority of votes at the meeting and retained his seat on the board of trustees. Pittman has served on the Central board since 2012, including three years as president. Wells, the incumbent for district six, did not face an opponent. Therefore, according to the bylaws, the trustee holding office from that district shall retain their seat in office for an additional three-year term provided he/she otherwise qualifies. Wells has served the Central board since 2021.

Mark Pittman, District 5 Trustee

Since 2018, Pittman has served as Central’s representation on the KAMO Power board. He graduated from Oklahoma State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. He has worked in the industrial supply industry and is the Founder and CEO of MPSquared, LLC. Pittman and his wife Carla live in the Stillwater area.

James Wells, District 6 Trustee

Wells is the president of A&B Eco-Safe Pest Control, Diversified Resources Group, and the owner and manager of Alpine Investment Properties. He has been a member of Central since 1988. Wells is also a current board member of the Bandit Football Association, Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and has been a local youth sports coach since 1993.

ANNUAL MEETING BYLAW BALLOT BREAK DOWN As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, Central is member-owned and operates by a set of bylaws. These bylaws were first established when Central was founded in 1938.

advances, and member needs and expectations grow. It is important for Central to periodically review and amend the bylaws in order to remain relevant and effective.

These documents provide a framework for governing and conducting business. As time passes, the energy industry changes, technology

This year, there are three proposed bylaw amendments to be voted on at the upcoming Annual Meeting.

Read about the proposed changes to the bylaws before you attend the drive-thru Annual Meeting on October 6! Learn more by scanning the QR code or visiting MyCentral.coop/AnnualMeeting.

FIBER UPDATE

SUBSCRIBED FOR A YEAR

Centranet is a subsidiary of Central Rural Electric Cooperative

O CTO B E R 2 02 2 Central Board of Trustees: Carol Dvorak, President (District 3) James Wells, Vice President (District 6) Gary McCune, Secretary/Treasurer (District 1) Greg Tytenicz (District 2) Sid Sperry (District 4) Mark Pittman (District 5) Bill Davis (District 7) Hunter Robinson - Chief Executive Officer Empowered Editors: Jillianne Tebow - Vice President of Business Development and Marketing Larry Mattox - Director of Communications Kory Bowman - Marketing and Communications Specialist Ivy Swan - Marketing and Communications Specialist

www.mycentral.coop facebook.com/MyCentralCoop twitter.com/MyCentralCoop instagram.com/MyCentralCoop

Notice: Central’s office will be closed on October 10 for employee training. Central Rural Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Centranet was born out of the same motivation that started Central so many years ago, providing a necessary service to rural members.

Despite these challenges, understanding our subscribers’ needs and providing reliable, high-speed internet has been our top priority.

Like rural electrification, many Central members were ready for the essential modern utility of highspeed internet.

Not only has Centranet been able to build mainline fiber quicker than expected, but also we have been able to expand our services. Centranet began offering two assistance programs and home phone services.

As we look back on a full year of providing Centranet fiber to subscribers, we are happy to share that this project has reached major milestones at a dizzying pace.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal government program that decreases eligible subscribers’ bills up to $30 per month, or up to $75 per month on qualifying Tribal land.

From the beginning, we developed a four-step process to complete the Written by fiber build project. This Lifeline is a federal Mark Prather, process includes makeprogram to help make President of Fiber ready engineering, communications services and Technology make-ready more affordable by construction, fiber construction and providing eligible customers with splicing fiber all before a zone can a discount on monthly phone and open to the public. internet service. You can learn more about these programs on our website. This year, we have completed all of phase one and are on track to Centranet would not exist without completing the project within the Central and its members. We are five-year timeline. working hard to provide all of Central’s members access to reliable, In August 2022, we officially opened high-speed internet. to 50% of Central’s membership. We’re breaking the rurals to bring However, this year has not been you the fastest, most reliable internet. without its challenges. Weather and You can count on Centranet, to limited resources due to competing deliver first-class service. fiber projects across the nation impact how fast we can build the Visit centranetfiber.com to see if project. With fiber builds across the Centranet is available to you. state and nation, equipment is in high demand.

YOUR FALL GUIDE AROUND CENTRAL All October Frontier City Frightfest 11501 N. I-35 Service Rd., OKC Sept. 24-Oct. 30 Thursday-Sunday • Various Times Guthrie Haunts 4524 Riverside Cir., Guthrie Sept. 16-Nov. 5 Fri. and Sat. • 7-11 p.m. Grider Farm Pumpkin Patch 14500 S. Country Club Rd., Perkins Oct.-Nov. 1 • 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Oh My Gourd Pumpkin Patch 9212 E Glencoe Rd, Glencoe Sept. 30-Oct. 31 • Fri. 2-7:30 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. • Sun. 1-7:30 p.m. Parkhurst Pumpkin Ranch 720 S. Henny Rd., Arcadia Sept. 21-Nov. 13 Various hours until dark First Weekend in October Wildflower Festival 11414 W. OK-33, Coyle Oct. 1 • 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Howell Roping Co. Roping Event 4518 Expo Circle E. Stillwater Oct. 1 • Begins at 10 a.m. OSU Native American Student Association Powwow 4518 Expo Circle E. Stillwater Oct. 1 • Noon-11 p.m. Pin Buckle Barrel Race Lazy E Dr., Guthrie Oct. 3-9 • 9 a.m. Second Weekend in October Oklahoma’s International Bluegrass Festival 308 N. 5th St., Guthrie Oct. 6-8 • 10 a.m.- midnight

Asian Moon Festival Plunkett Park, UCO 673 E. Edwards St., Edmond Oct. 7 • 6-8 p.m. Cushing Fly In Fair 2414 Tom Maloney Dr., Cushing Oct. 7-9 • 9 a.m.-midnight Third Weekend in October Oklahoma’s Richest Rodeo Lazy E Dr., Guthrie Oct. 14-16 • 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Guthrie Wine Festival Oklahoma Ave. & Wentz St., Guthrie Oct. 15 • 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fourth Weekend in October OSU Homecoming Walk Around OSU Greek Neighborhood, Stillwater Oct. 21 • 5:30-9 p.m. Sea of Orange Parade Main St. (9th to Hall of Fame), Stillwater Oct. 22 • 9-11 a.m.

CYBERSECURITY SAFETY TIPS This month marks the 18th year of Cybersecurity Awareness month, so what are you doing to protect yourself online? In 2021, the FBI reported 847,376 ransomware, business email compromise schemes and criminal cryptocurrency complaints with $6.9 billion in potential losses, which is a 7% increase from 2020. Here are a few tips to help keep you safe online: �

When available, enable multi-factor authentication.

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Use strong passwords and a password manager.

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Update software regularly.

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Change the manufacturer’s Wi-Fi password on your router.

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Use unique phrases to remember your passwords.

Downtown Trick-or-Treat Downtown, Chandler Oct. 29 • 5-6 p.m.

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Don’t use common words or numbers like “password” or “1234.”

Luther Trunk-or-Treat Main Street, Luther Oct. 31 • 5:30-7:30 p.m.

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Don’t use personal details like your date of birth in a password.

Monster Mash Drive-Through TBD, Perkins Oct. 31 • 5-7 p.m.

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Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts.

Edmond Historic Ghost Tours N. Broadway & E. Hurd St., Edmond Oct. 22 • 6-8 p.m. Last Weekend in October Route 66 Neonfest 13100 E. Old Hwy 66, Arcadia Oct. 28-30 • 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

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Fin CREC Annual Meeting

Watch yo your offi ur mail for cial not ice!

Oct 6 22

Chandler • Guthrie • Perry • Stillwater

Lincoln co. Fairgrounds • Logan co. Fairgrounds • Noble Co. Fairgrounds • Payne Co. Fairgrounds $10 Bill Credit 4

3-7 pm • Drive-Thru

$20 Meal C

ard