News
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Federal Policy Updates
Mike Knotts, director of government affairs While the Tennessee Legislature is in session, I focus much of my time on the goings-on at the Capitol in Nashville. While it’s nice to spend more time at home this time of year, there are some important developments in Washington, D.C., that impact your cooperative. Power Marketing Administrations In the August 2012 edition of this magazine, I discussed the threat to the future of the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs). The PMAs, owned by the federal government, are a byproduct of the public service that a dam built to control flooding provides to all [...]
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Time is Precious
Mike Knotts, director of government affairs Not too long ago, somebody repeated an interesting saying to me. I doubt it was an original thought; rather, it has been repeated over and over again and probably attributed to 20 different people. So I won’t try to correctly attribute the original author, but the meaning is excellent just the same. “Time is the only thing you spend that you can never get back.” I have been reminded of this indisputable fact over and over recently. Writing this very column is one example, as the staff of The Tennessee Magazine was kind to [...]
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Power’s Price Tag
Mike Knotts, director of government affairs When you go to the store to buy something, you usually take a look at the price tag before you decide to purchase it, don’t you? Few of us can just buy what we want no matter the cost, so we have to consider price along with the other factors to help us decide whether to buy a product. Usually that price is clearly displayed for us to see. At the gas pump, the price towers in foot-tall numbers out by the street to make sure we don’t miss it. At the grocery store, [...]
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Built to Last
by David Callis, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association Management gurus James Collins and Jerry Porras penned a book in the mid-1990s titled “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.” The book, based on a six-year research project at Stanford University, examined 18 long-lasting companies. In the foreword the authors write, “… visionary companies distinguish their timeless core values and enduring purpose (which should never change) from their operating practices and business strategies (which should be changing constantly in response to a changing world).” Tennessee’s electric cooperatives aren’t quite as well known as [...]
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Co-ops – Contributing to your community
by David Callis, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association As we continue to celebrate the International Year of Cooperatives, we like to showcase other ways that cooperatives benefit your local community — not by delivering a product or a service but by delivering on a commitment. If we’re shopping, we tend to look for the best value for our money. It’s easy to think of a cooperative as a place where we shop or receive a service: seeds, fertilizer or electricity. But cooperatives don’t exist merely to sell a product — there are often [...]
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Co-ops — closer than you think
by David Callis, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association Our weekend shopping excursion had several oddly related purchases. Among them: butter, dog food, cranberry juice and running gear. All interconnected to each other. And all have something uniquely in common with your electric bill. The link? For the first clue, we go to England. The year is 1844, and 28 weavers have just formed the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers. This group of tradesmen was able to collectively sell their products in a store that they could not have individually afforded. Yet working together, [...]
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Powering Progress
by David Callis, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association Near the end of “Saving Private Ryan,” as Tom Hanks’ character is dying, he leans forward and mutters one last command to the young private: “Earn this.” He speaks the words after most of his men have died saving the private’s life. He speaks the words to the soldier in an effort to convey the magnitude of the sacrifice made on his behalf. Moving forward with a new team in place for 2012, “Earn this” is our internal watchword at the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association.While [...]
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The ripples of good deeds
by Tom Purkey, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association I had a wonderful November. Each year representatives from all Tennessee electric co-ops gather for an annual membership meeting, just like the individual cooperatives do, featuring speakers who provide a host of useful information and political leaders to report on our state and country. This year’s meeting was special for me: It was my last. I gave my usual report to the representatives of the 23 member electric cooperatives that make up the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association; however, on the first evening, I was honored [...]
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The next chapter
by Tom Purkey, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association OK. Where do I begin? I have a real-life story to tell you — one with a happy ending and, yes, some tears. I moved from Oneida to Nashville 24 years ago, bringing my wife, Sharon, and our four wonderful young children. I had lived in that small Scott County town for 30 years, since I was 11. And Sharon had lived her whole life there until we decided that moving to Nashville could provide new, positive opportunities for the whole family. We loved the [...]
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Counting My Blessings and Giving Thanks
by Tom Purkey, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association This is the season that, in my mind, stands out as the most important time of the year. It’s a time that challenges and inspires each of us to remember how we’ve been blessed — a time of thanksgiving. And, of course, it’s immediately prior to the season of giftgiving. Over the years, I have made a point of naming the things for which I’m thankful. So here I go, one more time: I’m thankful for … This wonderful country where we enjoy freedoms that [...]