Reflections From 2024

By John Bartley, CEO/General Manager Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative (GCEC)

As we begin a new year, I want to reflect on some of Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative’s milestones and accomplishments in 2024.

Community Involvement

We worked with our generation and transmission cooperative, PowerSouth, and fellow distribution cooperatives, CHELCO and West Florida Electric, to host appreciation lunches for WJHG/WECP, WMBB, WPGX, and iHeartMedia.

Other ways we have been involved in local communities include:

• Hosting regular blood drives
• Collecting items to benefit the Children’s Home Society
• Sponsoring Warrior Beach Retreat.
• Participating in the Ronald McDonald House Casual for Kids Day
• Donating to United Way
• Participating in R.E.D. Fridays (Remember Everyone Deployed) by buying red T-shirts for GCEC employees
• Wearing pink T-shirts and pink hard hats for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October
• Joining CHELCO and West Florida Electric with a contribution to St. Jude
• Continuing to be involved in organizations such as chambers of commerce and the Emerald Coast Business Women’s Association
• Sponsoring Eastern Shipbuilding’s Freshwater Classic
• Sponsoring the Fall Festival at Harders Park
• Sponsoring a booth on Second Street in Wewahitchka on Halloween nig
• Participating in backpack food drive in partnership with Calhoun Liberty Credit Union
• Sponsoring The Wall That Heals
• Providing boxed lunches, water, and snacks to the Bayhead area following the January 9 tornado
• Presenting sponsor of Florida River Fest

Hurricane Recovery

We assisted co-ops in Florida and Georgia with recovery efforts following Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton.

Facilities & Growth

Plans are in the works to build a new GCEC headquarters.

Approximately 10,000 homes are expected to be added to our system during the next few years, thanks to the expansion of Cedar Creek, Fanning Bayou, Hodges Bayou, Lake Merial, and several other planned subdivisions in Bay and Gulf counties.

System Maintenance & Upgrades

Rights-of-way are on track. This has prevented outages systemwide.

Tyndall Air Base

GCEC sponsored several Tyndall events.

We continued to add fleet and personnel to meet the growing needs of Tyndall Air Force Base.

A three-person lighting crew, led by Jason Curry, continues to add and replace lights on the base. Once this project is completed, there will be approximately 8,000 lights on base.

The overall rebuild is a way out, as we still only have 35% of the design in most cases.

We received an excellent contractor performance assessment report.

Products, Services & Technology

GCEC offers a $100 rebate to electric vehicle owners who log onto our website and provide information about their EVs and charging habits. This will help us plan our system and rates.

GenerLink’s transfer switch continues to sell well.

Meter poles are also selling well. The co-op participated in a manufactured home digital marketing campaign to promote rebates.

New IT policies have been put into place to further enhance cybersecurity.

We began offering Homeserve to our membership.

Youth Programs

High school juniors participated in the Youth Tour program this year, and 2 winners from that group traveled to Washington, D.C.

Other ways we have been involved with youth programs include:

• Career Day at Deane Bozeman School, Port St. Joe High School, Wewahitchka High School, and Waller Elementary School
• Awarding $20,000 in scholarships to high school seniors
• Sponsoring back-to-school luncheons for Gulf County teachers, Southport Elementary School, and the teacher appreciation luncheon at Southport Elementary School
• Participating in a flag-raising ceremony at Waller Elementary School
• Participating in Palm Bay Academy’s Truck Day
• Supporting Gulf County 4-H at the livestock sale

Live Line Safety Demonstration Trailer

We continue to educate the public about safety around power lines. This year, our safety trailer made appearances at:

• Honey Festival
• Florida River Fest
• Southport Elementary
• Bay Haven Charter Academy
• Community Day at Waller Elementary School
• Our annual meeting
• Chipola College
• Wewahitchka library
• Blountstown High School

Employees

The co-op added 17 employees to its workforce. 22 earned promotions.

Employees completed supervisor, accounting, and apprentice training.

We held a lineman appreciation luncheon and a Christmas party. Other “fun days” included college colors day, our annual Halloween chili feed, and Thanksgiving lunch.

We are proud to offer a wellness program and incentives to our employees.

Safety training is held at least once a month for all GCEC employees. Training includes CPR, active shooting response, poletop rescue and fire extinguisher operation.

Trustees

In January, Dwight Van Lierop attended the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s New Director Orientation in Arlington, Virginia.

In March, the board members attended the NRECA PowerXchange Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

In April, Dwight and Jimmy Black traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the NRECA-sponsored legislative conference.

In May, Robert Byrd, Rupert Brown, and Jimmy were re-elected to serve another term on the GCEC Board of Directors.

In May, Dwight took on the role of president of the board of directors. Betty Moore took on the role of vice president of the board, and Jimmy became secretary of the board of directors. Carl Goodson became the PowerSouth Energy Cooperative representative for Gulf Coast Electric, and Rupert and Eddie Jones will represent GCEC on the Florida Electric Cooperative Association board of directors.

In May, the board members toured the new PowerSouth Lowman Energy Center in Leroy, Alabama.

In October, the board members attended the NRECA Region 2 and 3 Conference in Columbia, South Carolina. On this trip, the board members and their wives participated in a donation drive to help those who were affected by Hurricane Helene.

In November, the board members participated as a group in the NRECA Board Leadership Certificate Class, “The Board’s Role in Safety.”

Voter Engagement

GCEC continues to meet the requirements of a Five-Star Co-op.

We have 100% participation by our employees, management, and trustees in the America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC.

We participated in the state legislative cookout in Tallahassee.

On behalf of everyone at GCEC, I wish you a happy and prosperous 2025.