Andrea Melton:
Welcome to Live Wire, a podcast powered by Kosciusko REMC. We are a member-owned and locally operated cooperative that supplies electricity to portions of Kosciusko, Fulton, Wabash, and Whitley Counties here in Northern Indiana. Live Wire is a program where we come together to discuss co-op matters, energy, community topics, and to communicate with KREMC members. I'm your host, Andrea Melton. Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Live Wire. Andrea Melton, so excited to be back in the studio for another episode of the official podcast of Kosciusko REMC. Joining me today, I am very happy to have Mike Whitaker, who is our current assistant manager of operations, moved up recently to that title. He was formerly the Lead lineman and Mike's been around here a while, haven't you, Mike?

Mike Whitaker:
Yep. This summer it'll be 20 years.

Andrea Melton:
20 years. That is an amazing tenure, and I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to come talk with me on the podcast today.

Mike Whitaker:
Glad to be here.

Andrea Melton:
We are going to talk about the annual meeting, which is one of our favorite events, probably the favorite event of the year. It's a huge event for Kosciusko REMC and for our membership. That is coming up on Thursday, June 13th. But before we get into all the details of the annual meeting, Mike, since I have you here, I would like to talk with you a little bit about your role here at Kosciusko REMC, and I thought maybe we could talk about how the annual meeting has, in fact, transformed over the years. What do you think about that?

Mike Whitaker:
Sounds great.

Andrea Melton:
How long were you lead lineman before you became assistant manager of operations?

Mike Whitaker:
I moved into the service line maintainer about three years ago, and I did that for about three years. I was lead lineman in that position, and then I just recently took this position in middle to late January.

Andrea Melton:
Awesome. What are maybe some of the new responsibilities you have? How has your work changed? How has it progressed from where you were before?

Mike Whitaker:
Before I was always... In the line maintainer position, you were always working with the members if they had any issues with their homes, if they called in had concerns about their power. If their power was out, I would go restore their power. If they had tree branches that were touching their service wire, you would look at that. I always looked at it like I was the liaison between REMC and our members, so I was the face that they got to see. You always tried to do what was right for them, let them know that we were there to help them, and if we could help them, then obviously we did.

Andrea Melton:
Yeah, absolutely. How have your days been spent lately?

Mike Whitaker:
Well, it's definitely been a lot of learning new stuff. You might think when you're just a lineman, you worry about the work that you get for that day and you might look to the next day or maybe two or three days out. Now, in this position you're worried like a month out, two months out, looking at everything that's coming in, making sure that we have work planned accordingly. Then you look at the safety of everybody that you're trying to lead into the right path and you're looking at all of their safety. That's a top priority for somebody in any position, but especially this position when you're looking out for all of those guys, that's probably number one.

Andrea Melton:
Absolutely.

Mike Whitaker:
You need to make sure that you're all up to date on all of your safety protocols.

Andrea Melton:
Very good. I know we take safety very seriously here at KREMC and the cooperatives on a whole across the state and country. It is number one.

Mike Whitaker:
Yes.

Andrea Melton:
20 years at Kosciusko REMC, have you attended every annual meeting over the course of those two decades?

Mike Whitaker:
Pretty close. I think one year I signed up for one and I must've had a fun weekend or something. I woke up and was like, "I feel like I'm forgetting something today." Then it hit me probably about one, two o'clock. Like, "Oh my goodness, I was supposed to go to the annual meeting."

Andrea Melton:
Wow.

Mike Whitaker:
Yeah.

Andrea Melton:
Was that quite a few years ago?

Mike Whitaker:
Yeah, I think I had probably only been here about two or three years, probably had just moved into the line department. When I started 20 years ago, I started out as a meter reader. Before our new advanced meters came out, we had to go out and read people's meters because you were required to send in your meter reading with your bill, and that's how they calculated the amount of electricity that you used. Every month you would send that meter reading in and then the difference was what you used and you would pay for it like that. If you didn't send in your reading, we had to have that reading so we could adjust your bill. We would have probably two to 3000 meters that we would have to read between two to three guys every month.

Andrea Melton:
Wow.

Mike Whitaker:
Yeah. We were always busy going around. It was always funny when you do that, you learn where people live in the community and then you meet somebody at a party or out in public be like, "Oh, I know where you live, you live here." They'd be like, "How do you know where I live?" It was always funny. I started out doing that and I believe when I started, we had the annual meeting at Lakeview Middle School in the gym.

Andrea Melton:
Okay.

Mike Whitaker:
We would rent a whole bunch of chairs and we had to set the chairs up and we had big tarps that we would have to lay down on the floor. You were talking about a whole day to set everything up, and then you were looking at another day to wreck everything out and we had to put it all in trailers. There was a lot of work that went into it.

Andrea Melton:
Absolutely.

Mike Whitaker:
People, the employees volunteered at that time, but it wasn't very pleasant to volunteer for it because you had to do all the work leading up to the annual meeting. They would have a turnout. The meeting was usually always in April, and so it was always in planting season farmers. Our turnout was always iffy. If it was a rain day, we would have a lot of people come because the farmers couldn't be in the fields. It was always on Saturday morning, but if it was sunny out, then you weren't going to have very many people because of everybody was farming. Everybody's doing yard work in April when the weather's breaking.

Andrea Melton:
Okay. Is it likely because of that the meeting was moved to where it's now in June?

Mike Whitaker:
Yep. Then after we went to Lakeview, I think we started going to WCC Church then, and we did there for many years. That was pretty nice. We didn't have to set chairs up. We would just set our booths up where the members would come in and if they had the energy advisor system was there. We had some vendors that we use, like our tree contractors, and they could talk to members if they had any questions. Then we also have people from the Indiana Electric cooperatives who's like our parent company and then Wabash Valley. They would have representatives that would come in and talk to everybody, and that was really nice, and I think we would've stuck with that. Then Covid hit.

Andrea Melton:
Then Covid.

Mike Whitaker:
Right. We're still waiting for all the effects of Covid to leave. That would be nice if some of that inflation would go away.

Andrea Melton:
Yeah, absolutely.

Mike Whitaker:
Yeah. We were forced to improvise and then they developed the drive-through annual meeting, and then it was really enjoyable then. It was enjoyable to work the annual meeting at WCC. I always liked being like a greeter at the door to see everybody come in and direct them on which way to go to "Why are you here and what are you looking for?" Then I can point them in the right direction. They were always, every meeting that we've ever had, it was usually in the mornings they would get a donut and coffee. Then as the meeting progressed later in the day, now we give them a lunch and a drink at the drive-through portion. But it's really fun. It's fun for me to work the annual meeting because I get to see all the people come through and I'm a friendly person, so I'm a socialite and I like to wave and talk to people. Then I hear my name "Mike, get back to work."

Andrea Melton:
It is a really fun social event. I can see how some people might think back fondly - be a little bittersweet - that it has changed into a drive-through meeting. As with anything, there are pros and cons. I know because it's a drive-through meeting a lot more of the membership has been able to attend. I know the voting numbers are up for those votes for the board of directors election, and a lot of people are able to come through, but you don't get to stand and linger and have those catch up conversations-

Mike Whitaker:
Absolutely.

Andrea Melton:
Presentations that came with that, the other style.

Mike Whitaker:
Yeah. It is nice and in our society today that people still actually want to sit and talk with you face-to-face. All too often people would rather go through a social media or your iPad or cell phone and communicate that way and we lose that face-to-face. When I find myself in those situations, I do enjoy it because you miss that, the face-to-face communication. But we adapted and it's really great for our members now because you can get off work, you can just drive through. It doesn't take up half of your day.
Basically, the line is so fast. If you're waiting five minutes to get into the drive-through portion, you're waiting a long time. Yeah, we thought it was going to be a hassle the first year. We had some bugs in the beginning and that was because we tried to be a little bit too organized and then we found out we'd just let them in and then our great MSRs pull up everybody's accounts really quick and then they were just moving through. We couldn't, there was no line hardly ever. Actually the line is on the exit because we're pushing so many people through so quick.
Then when they're going to leave, they only have one way that they can leave and that's where the backup gets. But it's really not that bad. People are in and out, I would say in less than 15 minutes they get a bill credit, they get a meal, they get a gift. It's our way to give back to the members, and I enjoy being a part of that.

Andrea Melton:
It is. It runs very smoothly. Last year was my first year. I had just been hired. I came in at the tail end, so I think I attended maybe one planning meeting leading up to the big event. I was so impressed with how smoothly it really did run, and it's something really, really fun to be a part of. It's a great day. Let's talk a little bit more about the exact details. The annual meeting is Thursday, June 13th. This year it's going to be from three to six P.M.
What you do is you come and drive through and you'll want to bring your ballot with you to vote for our board of directors election. In previous years, that ballot was in our Indiana Connection Magazine. This year we're sending it to you as a postcard. It will come to you directly in your mailbox. Keep an eye out because that will be arriving soon. Three to 6:00 PM you can come drive through anytime. As Mike mentioned, you get some special perks, some gifts for coming through and seeing us. Each member who drives through will receive a $10 bill credit on their next electric bill just for joining us there. Then you'll also be treated to a delicious boxed dinner to go from American Table who did a wonderful job for us with those meals last year. We're all excited to take those meals home again,

Mike Whitaker:
Very delicious.

Andrea Melton:
And you'll also get a bottle of water and a special gift as you make your way through the drive-through. It is going to be pretty cool. One way that the meeting changed is that because there's so much that needs to be covered at our annual meeting, according to the cooperatives, bylaws, etc, that information was usually presented in person at the meeting. The last couple of years we've been doing videos. The first of four annual meeting live broadcast videos published on YouTube last Thursday, the 16th, we are releasing a video every Thursday at seven P.M. on our YouTube channel leading up to the annual meetings. The next one is Thursday the 23rd, and then Thursday the 30th, and then the final video, Thursday the sixth. If you tune in to the YouTube live broadcast when the video is published, well, first off, you'll get to see more of Mike.

Mike Whitaker:
Just for a short time though.

Andrea Melton:
We had fun filming those videos. We did that in-house this year, but we tied in a contest to those live broadcast videos so that members have more chances to win. Great stuff. We just love to give stuff away. We want you to watch them. When you watch the video, you will look for a light bulb icon to pop up on the screen, and there'll be important facts We want you to remember. After you watch the video, you can take a quiz. It is up from Thursday night when the video publishes until noon on Friday. That is your window to take the quiz. If you answer all the questions correctly, you are entered for a chance to win a $100 bill credit, a $50 Amazon gift card, a $25 Marathon gift card, or a $10 Starbucks gift card.
That's every week we're giving away all of those prizes. Check out that next live broadcast video, Thursday the 23rd if you are listening today or Thursday the 30th, then the sixth, and then our annual meeting is on the 13th. Mike, a lot goes in to making this annual meeting happen. Tell me a little bit what it's like from the operations perspective of having all these people come through the warehouse.

Mike Whitaker:
So we have to make sure that we're neat and tidy. We have to hide all of our clutter. We have a very large warehouse, but we moved in about, we're going on probably about 19, 20 years that we've been in this warehouse. We're like a hermit crab. We're growing to the size of our building.
We like to get everything clean and tidy and we don't want any hazards for anybody driving through the building. Our shop guy, Jason Allen, he does a great job. He has it looking spectacular and then everybody can drive through, but we have to make sure that our parking lot is clean. We have to make sure that our dust control procedures are in place because if we have limestone gravel and cars are driving over that, it's going to be really dusty. We take precautions to eliminate that. This year, we're actually going to have a blacktop driveway, so that is an improvement from years past. We make sure that we have all of our safety protocols out, like our cones, our cautions. We have volunteers that are flagging to guide everybody through to make it as easy as possible.

Andrea Melton:
Right. As we mentioned before, it goes really well. I think we as a team, everyone on the whole does a great job of executing all the details of that day.

Mike Whitaker:
It does. If you're like me and you're listening to this, I don't like crowds. I don't like waiting in traffic. My wife always says, "Oh, it's okay. It'll be okay." Going to the Starbucks line and there's 20 cars. I'm like, "I'm not waiting."

Andrea Melton:
Right.

Mike Whitaker:
My wife's like, "Hey, it moves quick." I'm like, "15 minutes is not quick." It is not like that at all. You are in and out of this in no time. I believe we have seven bays that you can drive through. We have one lane comes back and it opens up into seven bays, and then you go through the bays, get your stuff, get your bill credit, and then you exit, and then you leave one lane. It really is smooth, a smooth transition.

Andrea Melton:
It really is. Again, keep an eye on your mailbox for your ballot for the board of directors election. Just to let you know if you haven't seen that information yet, we have three seats that are open for election this year. Two seats have incumbent directors running. The third seat is open due to retirement. We have two candidates who are running for that seat who are new nominees. We have Steve Miner, incumbent, versus Jill Shock, Rick Parker, incumbent, versus Tony Siebeneck. Then for that third seat that is open, we have Tyler Bouse and Don or DJ Fouce running for that seat. Make sure you fill out your ballot, bring it with you Thursday the 13th. If for some reason you lose it or can't find it, we will be able to help you vote and provide that for you when you show up. That is all the details I think. Is there anything else, Mike, that we haven't talked about when it comes to the annual meeting?

Mike Whitaker:
I would say one thing, when you come in, as soon as you pull into the door, whatever overhead bay you come into, look immediately for someone to be getting your information. It's not like you're going to pull halfway through the building and then stop. You'll actually just pull right inside the building and then you stop. We'll have people there to guide you to let you know you need to stop right here. But when you pull in and you've never been, it is "Where do I go, what do I do?" There's cars everywhere and there's people everywhere. It's basically as soon as you pull into the building and your tires hit over that concrete line, that's when you need to stop. Our MSRs will be engaging with you to get your information.

Andrea Melton:
Very good. Good tips, that is good to know. Yes, especially if you're a first timer to the annual meeting.

Mike Whitaker:
Yeah. We hope our numbers grow. Every year they grow by a couple of hundred. I commend you and your marketing department because you guys are doing a great job. You guys are a big reason why we've had such an influx in our member response to our annual meeting. I think you guys are doing a great job and getting the word out and in general, just getting the word about KREMC and Connect out there.

Andrea Melton:
Well, thank you very much. We appreciate that. We like our jobs. We like to talk about all the amazing things that the team is doing in the building.

Mike Whitaker:
KREMC is a great place to work, that's for sure.

Andrea Melton:
It sure is. Well, Mike Whitaker, assistant manager of operations, thank you so much again for taking the time to join me today to talk about the annual meeting.

Mike Whitaker:
You're very welcome, and thank you, Andrea.

Andrea Melton:
Have a great rest of your day. You've been listening to Live Wire, the official podcast of Kosciusko REMC. To learn more about KREMC, visit our website, kremc.com and follow us on social media. Thanks for listening.