San Patricio Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting on September 28, 2024 was a soaring success. More than 350 members and their guests gathered at the Bee County Exposition Center for the annual event.

 

Before the meeting began, members were invited to take part in a free heath fair, conducted by Christus Spohn Health Services. Attendees were served a complimentary breakfast of muffins and beverages. They were also given the opportunity to learn more about the co-op through informational displays.

 

 

An Elevated Experience

The weather in the early morning hours was perfect and more than 130 members were able to take advantage of free tethered hot air balloon rides!

 

The Touchstone Energy Balloon Team was on site with their truly impressive balloon. It holds 77,000 cubic feet of air, stands over 75 feet tall and is 60 feet wide when fully inflated. It was piloted by Cheri White, a Texas native with more than 40 years of experience flying balloons across the country.

 

 

An EVent to Behold

This year, our Annual Meeting fell during National Drive Electric Week, and we invited Aztec Chevrolet to show off some of their EVs. They brought nearly a dozen hybrid and electric vehicles, including the new Tesla Cybertruck. The EVent had a ton a traffic!

 

Current Affairs: The Latest Co-op News

During the business meeting, members heard the latest co-op news. Jannessa Healy, SPEC’s 2024 Youth Tour participant gave a presentation about her experience on the Washington, D.C. trip. Clif Lange, with South Texas Electric Cooperatives, gave a presentation on ERCOT and the challenges facing the energy industry. And Ron Hughes, SPEC’s general manager, addressed the membership and took questions from the crowd.

 

Finally, members watched a video of SPEC Linemen, Wade Bounds and Jesse Rivera, recapping their experience bringing electricity to a remote village in Guatemala for the very first time.

 

Board of Directors Results

This year SPEC had three director positions up for election: District 1, District 5 and Director-at-Large. Members were asked to vote in the board election from September 3 – 23 by casting ballots by mail or online.

 

Of SPEC’s 9,895 members, just 902 members cast ballots in this year’s election. As announced during SPEC Annual Meeting, the Nominees for the 2024 Board of Director’s Election and results are as follows:

 

 

District 1 (three-year term)

• Gary Jones received 523 votes.

• Dodson Sullivan Jr. received 330 votes.

Gary Jones was elected director for District 1.

 

 

District 5 (three-year term)

• Clyde Stewart received 788 votes.

Clyde Stewart was elected director for District 5.

 

 

Director-at-Large (three-year term)

• Jack Bishop Jr. received 330 votes.

• Lea Ann Lockard received 325 votes.

• Michele McGee received 211 votes.

Jack Biship Jr. was elected director-at-large.

 

 

The Luck of the Draw: SPEC Members Win Prizes

A total of 55 members won door prizes at SPEC’s annual meeting on September 28. Prizes were donated by San Patricio Electric Cooperative, Texas Electric Cooperatives, SE Engineering, Lamar Technical Services Inc., Urban Electrical Services, TechServ, Titan Utility Services, JL Mathews, Dods Communication, LogoStore USA and Gateway.

 

Prize winners include: Charles Smith, John Gross, Robert Paz, Carl Pickett, E C Whiddon, John Cook, Rebecca Herschberger, Jim Elam, Carlton Vanway, Robert Horton Sr., Barbara Burnett, Daniel Keese, Cynthia Lozano-Ayer, Leo Franco, Marsha Barnett, Timothy Rios, Ramiro Romero, Greg Ozuna, Katherine Brown, Nick Alaniz Jr., Triple C Ag, Louis Trochesset, Anna Soto, Eliseo Cantu, Quentin Fudge, Edwin Arandela, Lance LaRue, Cora Kuenstler, Rene Cantu, Carlton Moss, Andres Gaitan, Joe Villanueva, Phyllis Borroum, Russell Wyatt, Gus Kaase, David Mendez, Good News Baptist Mission, Oscar Lopez, Powell Brown, Linton Savage Jr., Don Taylor, Leo Lopez, Pam Waid, David Sparkman, Scott Aschenbeck, Roy Russell, Dennis Zamzow, Mary Alice Ramirez, Ross Cansino, Martin Silva, David Chapa, Hexiquio Rodriguez, James Curry II, Delia Soto, and James Lotspeich.

 

We held a separate door prize drawing for the kids in attendance. A total of 10 children won a prize, donated by San Patricio Electric Cooperative.