Stories | Recipes | Events | People | Places | Things | Local News February 2020
Wiregrass
Electric Cooperative
Serving soldiers Local businessman advocates for military in many ways
Hope for small town rural development Challenges for rural economic development in Alabama aren’t new or novel, but recent approaches to fixing them are. Case in point: Abbeville WIREGRASS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 24,000 accounts in Houston and Geneva counties in Alabama and parts of Dale, Coffee and Covington counties in southeast Alabama. ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to some 420,000 Alabama families and businesses, which are members of 22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed and taxpaying electric cooperatives. Subscriptions are $12 a year for individuals not subscribing through participating Alabama electric cooperatives. Alabama Living (USPS 029-920) is published monthly by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER send forms 3579 to: Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, Alabama 36124-4014.
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ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION
AREA President Fred Braswell Editor Lenore Vickrey Managing Editor Allison Law Creative Director Mark Stephenson Art Director Danny Weston Advertising Director Jacob Johnson Graphic Designer/Ad Coordinator Brooke Echols Graphic Artist Chyna Miller
VOL. 73 NO. 2
FEBRUARY 2020
Army aide
Dothan resident and local businessman Jeff Coleman completes term in unique position.
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Alabama People
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Safety spotlight
Rachel Riddle is the first woman to head the Alabama Department of Public Examiners. Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s safety campaign draws national recognition.
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D E P A R T M E N T S 11 Spotlight 33 Around Alabama 38 Cook of the Month 44 Outdoors 45 Fish & Game Forecast 50 Hardy Jackson’s Alabama ONLINE: alabamaliving.coop ON THE COVER
Look for this logo to see more content online! Printed in America from American materials
Jeff Coleman’s moving business has served the military for decades, but his advocacy for soldiers extends past those efforts. See story, Page 6.
30 46 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! ONLINE: www.alabamaliving.coop EMAIL: letters@alabamaliving.coop MAIL: Alabama Living 340 Technacenter Drive Montgomery, AL 36117
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Learn about those who serve you Board of Trustees Donna Parrish District 2 President
Tracy Reeder District 5 Vice President Debra E. Baxley District 1 Secretary John Clark Jr. District 3
Danny McNeil District 4
Kip Justice District 6
Donald Ray Wilks District 7
Greg McCullough District 8
David Winstead District 9
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Les Moreland, CEO Wiregrass Electric Cooperative
WEC is entering its 81st year, and we’ve seen many changes in that time. Electricity has gone from a luxury to a bedrock of our society. However, one thing has been constant — providing great service to our members. We’ve done that since the beginning, and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. For 80 years, WEC has done everything it can to go above and beyond to serve you. One way we accomplish this is by making safety a priority. That means making sure our employees work safely so they can go home each night to their families and then return the next day to serve you. WEC was proud to once again be selected to present our “Wiregrass Way” safety campaign during the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Safety Leadership Summit in Orlando, Florida. You can read more about the campaign in this issue of Alabama Living. WEC also serves you by working to improve the community we all live in. We do that through our Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation. One of the ways the foundation helps the Wiregrass is by providing scholarships to deserving high school seniors. If you know a high school senior who would be interested in applying for a scholarship, let them know about it. You can read about how to apply in this magazine. This is just a small sample size of what we do. We do all of these things because we want to serve you. In this issue we also spotlight Jeff Coleman, who is a WEC member and a great citizen of the Wiregrass who knows how to serve this area. He has done so much for this community through his company, Coleman Worldwide Moving, and through his charitable contributions. You can read about the many ways he has served the U.S. Army, including his recently concluded two-year stint as a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army. He was one of 118 people nationwide who might occupy that role at any one time, and he did a fantastic job in this role advocating for our soldiers. He made
the Wiregrass area and his cooperative very proud. Another important component of this issue of Alabama Living is a four-page legislative map with all legislators pictured and information about each. We do this legislative issue annually with AREA, our statewide partner. AREA does an excellent job of sharing information with our members in this magazine’s statewide pages while we work to enhance this coverage in our local pages with articles that touch on issues of particular interest to people living in the Wiregrass region. I can’t stress how important it is for you as a cooperative member and a U.S. citizen to know who is representing you and what they stand for. I encourage all members to look over these pages. I dare say that no industry is affected to a greater degree by the actions of our state and federal government than the electric cooperative industry. That’s one of the reasons you often see legislative updates in the pages of this magazine. We believe it is our responsibility to keep you informed on issues that could affect the cost and availability of electricity in rural America. Legislative updates have also been important during our Broadband for the Wiregrass efforts. We, along with our partner Troy Cable, work very hard to bring broadband to every WEC member. But ultimately, we are going to need help in Montgomery and Washington to make that happen. It’s important we have legislators who understand electric cooperatives and rural America. This is why WEC is involved with the legislative process. This is why we help produce a legislative issue of Alabama Living and why we share information about WEC and this industry with our elected officials. We want to make sure that they know their decisions will impact you. I encourage you to get involved, as well. Read this magazine, learn about electric cooperatives and make your concerns known to elected officials. It can make a difference. n
www.alabamaliving.coop
Y A W S S A R G H E
R I OUG W N E E T ’ H T ENOUGH ISN JUST
WEC Service Area
Contact Information Mailing address 509 N. State Hwy 167 P.O. Box 158, Hartford, AL 36344 Phone 1-800-239-4602 Toll Free Outage “Hotline” 1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day) Website www.wiregrass.coop Find us here:
Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (@WEC2), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Payment Options BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Inc. Department 1340, P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340
WEC’s Vice President of Engineering and Operations Jason Thrash and the WEC engineering team go above and beyond to make sure they are providing reliable electricity for members. Through the use of technology, WEC’s engineers can start responding to outages quicker, many times before the member even knows. This helps cut down on outage times and helps keep the linemen safe. Going above and beyond is something WEC employees proudly do each day because “just enough” isn’t enough. This is The Wiregrass Way.
WEBSITE Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop. PHONE PAYMENTS Payments may be made any time by dialing 1-800-239-4602. NIGHT DEPOSITORY Available at each office location. IN PERSON Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Payment kiosks also available 24/7 in all offices. Hartford 509 N. State Hwy. 167 • Hartford, AL 36344 Samson 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 • Samson, AL 36477
THE WAY WE PROVIDE RELIABLE SERVICE
Ashford 1066 Ashford Highway • Ashford, AL 36312 Dothan 6167 Fortner St. • Dothan, AL 36305 For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4781 or Dothan City Sanitation at 334-615-3820.
Alabama Living
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Dothan resident and Wiregrass Electric Cooperative member Jeff Coleman stands in front of a UH-1 Huey helicopter at Ozark Airport-Blackwell Field.
Moving for the military WEC member Coleman advocates for soldiers in many ways Jeff Coleman’s numerous accolades and life experiences give him a unique perspective on the U.S. Army. “My first recollections are on the back of a moving van going through the Ozark gate at Fort Rucker and really the fun that I had moving these patriots and families,” says Coleman, president and CEO of Coleman Worldwide Moving. “My family has been moving the military for over 50 years. We’re a 105-year-old company, so as a young boy growing up in the business, I had a lot of good experiences at Fort Rucker relocating the U.S. military all over the Wiregrass, and really all over the world.” 6 FEBRUARY 2020
Those early memories have translated into a career of service to military personnel for Dothan’s Coleman — and not just in business. Coleman recently concluded a two-year stint as a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army, or CASA. He was one of 118 people nationwide who might occupy that role at any one time. “I thoroughly enjoyed my term as the CASA and what I did to help in recruiting for the Soldier for Life program and also for our active duty, our Army Reserve and our U.S. National Guard components,” he says. www.alabamaliving.coop
Local businessman Jeff Coleman (far left) stands with members of Ozarkbased Friends of Army Aviation following a flight in a UH-1 Huey helicopter.
A high honor
Each U.S. president appoints a secretary of the Army to handle “the recruitment, organization, training, equipping and care” of active-duty, Army Reserve and U.S. National Guard soldiers, as well as Department of Army civilians, according to the U.S. Army’s official website. CASAs aid in that process, providing at least one voice from each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories to inform the secretary of the Army about any regional concerns or desires. The Army awards two CASA positions to Alabama — one for northern Alabama and one for southern Alabama. When Dothan’s Mack Dove concluded his 10th and final permitted year as a CASA in 2017, he recommended Coleman for the Alabama Living
position based on the assistance Coleman had previously provided the military. “When I was civilian aide to the secretary of the Army, I was the epitome of civilian, but I had a lot of touchpoints with the military all my life,” Coleman says. “I have been through it all my life — have had friends in the service, in the Army. Then in my business career, I’ve been moving them for 35-plus years. I’ve touched the Army all over the world. I’ve loved our soldiers and what they mean for our community.” Coleman, a Wiregrass Electric Cooperative member, says his main responsibility in the CASA role was to aid in recruitment for the active-duty component of the Army as well as the Army Reserves and the U.S National Guard. “We want to get the best and the brightest into our volunteer Army,” Coleman says. “We’ve got to continue to promote that the United States Army is an incredible career — excellent for youth to join to be a part of the strongest and most powerful force in the world.” “Wiregrass Electric supports our troops, and Jeff ’s advocacy for them as a
civilian aide to the secretary of the Army and through other avenues exemplifies the cooperative’s spirit,” says Brad Kimbro, WEC’s chief operating officer.
Additional advocacy
While his business and personal experiences aided in Coleman’s selection to the CASA role, his involvement with Friends of Fort Rucker likely served as the true catalyst. Coleman served 15 years on the board of FOFR — a coalition of Wiregrass city, county, community and business leaders that assists in the preservation and advancement of Fort Rucker. Ozark Mayor Bob Bunting, a retired Army colonel, helped form FOFR when Congress considered several rounds of Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, decisions in the 1990s and 2000s. Initiatives mandated under BRAC could result in the expansion of training at an installation, but they also might force reductions or outright closures in cost-saving maneuvers. Bunting says Fort Rucker officials cannot comment on BRAC deliberations unless congressional leaders and other FEBRUARY 2020 7
Jeff Coleman, a staunch proponent of the military, readies for a flight in a UH-1 Huey helicopter the U.S. Army used for decades.
decision-makers request their thoughts. Citizens can relay any of the Fort Rucker leaders’ concerns or desires through discussions with their own congressional representatives, a process FOFR bolsters. Bunting says Coleman’s business acumen and leadership in several other roles, including as a past Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce board chairman and Business Council of Alabama board chairman, provided great insight to FOFR. That only increased when Coleman served as a CASA. “As a CASA, he could do more,” Bunting says. “When you have the secretary of the Army’s ear, you can voice those concerns. You’re also privy to a lot of information. He was a perfect fit. He was very loyal to attend the meetings.” Even though Coleman no longer serves as a board member, he continues to support FOFR’s efforts in other ways and says he treasures FOFR’s accomplishments and his service to the organization. “That’s been a successful venture,” Coleman says. “I’m happy that our communities have come together to continue to help the United States Army strengthen Fort Rucker. I really was blessed to be a part of that group, and it’s been a rewarding experience to be with the mayors and our county councilmen and all the people who are friends of Army aviation.” n
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Coleman serves more than just the military Though Jeff Coleman’s career and community advocacy can be heavily linked to supporting the military, the businessman remains active in other arenas. “It’s community leaders like Jeff who make the Wiregrass the great place that it is,” Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro says. “We are so appreciative of what Jeff has been able to do in terms of military support, in terms of the initiatives he accomplished through the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, the Dothan Tuesday Rotary Club and the Coleman Center for Early Learning and Family Enrichment.” The Coleman Center for Early Learning and Family Enrichment, which opened this fall on the Troy University Dothan campus, provides First Class Pre-K program classes and other educational opportunities for children 4 years old or younger. It is named for Jeff’s father, James, and represents the Coleman family’s commitment to education. Additionally, Jeff Coleman served a nine-year term on the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, including two years as chairman. Kimbro says Coleman’s business also makes a large impact on the Wiregrass. The Midland City-based company employs more than 2,500 people worldwide, about 250 of those locally. “We’re very pleased to call him a member, and we appreciate his support of the cooperative,” Kimbro says. In return, Coleman appreciates being part of WEC and values the organization’s efforts to expand broadband internet services into rural Southeast Alabama. “I think it’s very important when you look at what Wiregrass Electric Cooperative does to help rural Alabama with their broadband,” Coleman says. “Very, very important for economic development, for our farmers, for all those great citizens who live in rural Alabama to get connected to the internet with speed that will allow them to do a lot of things online. I am thankful to the co-op for what they do for economic development and keeping the power on.”
www.alabamaliving.coop
Safety campaign to be highlighted at NRECA meeting Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s latest safety campaign will be highlighted during the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Safety Leadership Summit in Orlando, Florida, in mid-April. WEC leadership will present a look into the “Wiregrass Way — Just Enough Isn’t Enough” campaign implemented in 2019. Brad Kimbro, WEC chief operating officer, says maintaining a safe environment for cooperative employees remains at the forefront of WEC’s annual goals. “Service to our members is our No. 1 priority, and we accomplish that through our No. 1 goal of safety for our employees,” he says. Similar to WEC’s previous safety campaigns, “This Is My Why” and “Always and Never,” the new campaign of “Just Enough Isn’t Enough” continues to include WEC employees and their families. The safety campaign featured the “Just Enough Isn’t Enough” phrase followed by taglines such as “That’s why I don’t take shortcuts,” “That’s why I never lose focus on the job” or “That’s why I never have a bad attitude about safety.” Kimbro says the new safety campaign posters, which were strategically placed in WEC facilities, aimed to inspire employees to take a few more moments to ensure they were working in a safe manner. “If it could encourage employees to take one more second to think about the proper personal protective equipment or ensuring they had the proper clearance, that was the goal,” he says. “If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your family.” In addition to preventing harm to employees, a focus on safety improves productivity as it reduces loss-time accidents and workers’ compensation claims. “Any accident is one too many,” Kimbro says. “We can’t rest. That is why we do these campaigns.” Kimbro says the safety campaigns reinforce a culture of safety WEC maintains in various ways. “The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and our statewide asso50 FEBRUARY 2020
ciation, Alabama Rural Electric Cooperative Association, do tremendous work in assisting our cooperative and other cooperatives be safe. They both make sure our employees have the best training possible in the electric industry,” Kimbro says. The cooperative conducts monthly safety meetings to remind employees about safety procedures, and a safety committee comprised of employees reviews those procedures and any other safety-related items necessary. Foremen also conduct “tailgate sessions” with crews ahead of every job to review the challenges each presents as well as the safety equipment that might
be needed to complete the task, Kimbro says. The NRECA will highlight WEC’s overall safety culture along with the safety campaign, Kimbro says. NRECA leadership routinely asks WEC to make a presentation at the annual safety summit. “It is a true honor for our cooperative to once again have NRECA’s leadership invite WEC to be part of this national safety summit,” Kimbro says. n
WEC Working Foreman Johnny Hudson with his wife, Christie, and their two sons Will and Tyler.
www.alabamaliving.coop
Let WEC’s Operation Round Up power your educational goals! Pick up a scholarship application today! Applications for Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s annual Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation scholarships are available at any WEC office, area high school guidance counselor offices or online at wiregrass.coop. Applicants must be a WEC member or the dependent of a WEC member, and applications must be submitted by April 3. Operation Round Up awards scholarships to students who are pursuing postsecondary education or training. Awards can be made in the following categories: § Traditional students — high school or home-schooled seniors interested in attending a two-year or four-year accredited college, vocational school, technical school or continuing education program in Alabama. § Nontraditional students — students interested in attending a two-year or four-year accredited college, vocational school, technical school or continuing education program in Alabama. These students delayed enrollment into a postsecondary institution, are financially independent for financial aid considerations, have dependents other than a spouse or are single parents. § Wallace Community College Lineworker program — those interested in taking Wallace Community College’s Preapprentice Lineworker classes and have a demonstrated financial need. Since 2016, Operation Round Up has awarded dozens of scholarships to area college students. The contributions of WEC members who opt to round their power bills to the next highest dollar amount support the ORU scholarships and other charitable causes in the Wiregrass.
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For more information, visit the Operation Round Up page at wiregrass.coop.
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