The Hard Work Continues With Major Tasks Completed, New Goals Ahead
This year and the past few years have been challenging, to say the least.
We have had periods of little growth and periods of rampant expansion. We launched a broadband initiative called Coosa Valley Technologies, and we’ve faced an amalgamation of social, energy policy, and other challenges that affect the way our business conducts its business.
Through it all, our board, and your representatives, have steadfastly guided your electric cooperative and its subsidiaries. Their commitment to this organization has made it possible for us to weather the storms, and with their help, we are setting it up to meet the challenges of the next 85 years.
But their work is not over, and neither is ours.
Earlier this year, we completed the buildout of the first phase of the fastest, most reliable, fiber-optic network available in our area. We are now able to deliver broadband internet service to any Coosa Valley Electric service location.
We have come a long way since I came to work here in 2001. Our cooperative was growing at that time. By 2008 when the housing market crashed, we had grown to serve nearly 17,000 homes and businesses. Within a year we had lost more than 1,000 of those services.
For the next 10 years, our area saw zero growth. During that time, we focused on improving our electric reliability and operational efficiency. We installed smart meters, replaced aging conductors; upgraded transformers, regulators, and other equipment, and modernized our outage response systems. We invested in being a better provider of electric service.
Also, during that time, we improved our finances. We built equity and started paying back capital credits. By 2018, growth returned to our system.
Today we serve more than 18,500 consumers and counting. With the developments that are both planned and under construction, we will continue to see growth for at least the next few years.
Far from the stagnation of just a few years ago, our story now is 1 of growth.
Our new broadband subsidiary, Coosa Valley Technologies, is adding customers at a fast pace. Today it serves more than 6,500 customers and adds hundreds more every month.
We’re not just serving homes. Businesses are calling us every day to get in line for our service, and our competitors are feeling the pinch because we are the only, fully fiber-optic service provider in our area.
What does this mean to our customers? It means we are delivering the fastest speeds and the greatest reliability. While outages are going to happen from time to time, your service will not be interrupted every time it rains, the wind blows or when clouds roll in. Our competitors cannot say that.
Our propane subsidiary, Coosa Valley Propane, continues to grow, as well. Every year since the day we opened the doors, your propane company has added new customers by providing superior service to our customers.
Our drivers deliver gas on time and will make sure that your tank is kept full. We are consistently friendlier than our competitors. If you have propane needs, I urge you to talk with our representatives at Coosa Valley Propane.
So, what does the future hold for our great Cooperative? Well, I’ll tell you the future is looking bright.
As I said before, we see growth in electric consumers for the foreseeable future. Our propane company continues to add new customers every year. And our broadband company is expanding beyond our boundaries.
In keeping with our tradition of bringing services to those who are unserved or underserved, we are not finished.
Thanks to $20 million in grants awarded to us earlier this year, we are right now building fiber into Pell City, Piedmont, and Jacksonville. We’re also expanding our network into Harpersville, Vincent, Westover, and other small communities in and around our service territory.
You, the members of Coosa Valley Electric, have put your faith in us to deliver reliable, affordable electricity, propane, and now broadband internet. We thank you for the opportunity to provide you with so many valuable services.