York Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Membership

Mark your calendars to shred!

Shred day photo
YEC team members help members shred their important documents. Save the date for this year’s event—Saturday, Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. until noon! Photo by Erin Powell.

York Electric Cooperative hosts annual Member Appreciation Shred Day

Once again this year, York Electric will host its Annual Member Appreciation Shred Event in October. We are partnering with locally owned, veteran-operated Carolina Shred to shred your sensitive documents safely and securely.

Who is invited? All York Electric Cooperative members

When? Saturday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m. until noon

Where? YEC’s main office at 1385 E. Alexander Love Highway in York; Carolina Shred’s Office at 1682 Katy Lane in Fort Mill

What should you do? Gather any documents you need to safely dispose of and bring them to one of our two locations. Documents will be securely shredded on-site. Please remove any trash and debris, especially batteries and electronics, from your shredding material.

Do:

  • Bring your sensitive documents for safe disposal
  • Bring your documents in a box and be prepared to take the box back with you
  • Limit the amount of documents you bring – we want to have enough room for everyone’s documents

Don’t:

  • Add anything other than paper to your stack – trash, especially batteries, could start a fire
  • Bring your documents in plastic bags – they will clog up the machine
  • Forget to visit us on Saturday, October 8 from 9 am to 12 pm!

Questions? Call (803) 684-4248

 

Related Topics:
Renewables
 

Members to decide on single member district voting

The South Carolina General Assembly has passed a new law requiring cooperative members to consider single-member voting districts. Members will decide in a referendum at York Electric’s Annual Meeting.

Important Update: 
The York Electric Cooperative Board of Directors voted to suspend the 79th Annual Meeting because of the coronavirus pandemic. Voting on the proposed bylaw changes and single-member district voting will take place at a later date.   

YEC Members to decide on single member district voting

Explanation

York Electric Cooperative is divided into nine (9) districts, and each district is represented by one Trustee on the board. This structure ensures that our entire service territory is represented. Currently, you can vote in every district election, regardless of where you live. However, if the Cooperative adopts single-member voting districts, you would only be allowed to vote for a board candidate who lives in the district where you live. That election would occur every third year.

Question

Would you like to continue to be able to vote every year for every seat on the Board up for election?

____ YES: “I want the opportunity to keep voting for every seat on the Board every year.”

____ NO: “I only want the authority to vote for candidates in my own district every third year.”

Proposed bylaw changes for York Electric

York Electric Cooperative encourages members to review the proposed bylaw changes that will be voted on at the Annual Meeting of Members. The full document showing these material changes, along with some additional typographical corrections, is available for download here.

 

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[PDF] 2020 Proposed bylaw changes

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A strong, ready workforce

As a proud partner in economic development, YEC has a strong tie to industries in our area. Did you know skilled workers are in demand? A ready workforce is not only coveted by industries currently in our area, but also those looking to relocate. Whether you plan to go to a four-year school or are looking at other alternatives, I urge you to consider technical college. I can promise that after attending a technical college, job placement will be easier, and your salary will be higher when you enter the workforce. Having these skills pays off. College isn’t for everyone. Like your teachers, we encourage our students and their parents to think outside the box when it comes to their futures.

There are many opportunities available right at your backdoor at York Technical College and their partnerships with local high schools. It’s amazing to be able to graduate with a leg up on your future career through simultaneously completing college-level course work while you are still in high school. That’s why YEC is proud to sponsor the $1,000 Technical Advantage Scholarship for the third year. Applications for the 2019-2020 school year will open next month, so keep an eye out!

Clover Superintendent Sheila Quinn (left) and York Superintendent Kelly Coxe mark the beginning of construction for the lineworker training program. Coxe said, “We are excited to partner with Clover School District to offer this program, which we understand to be the first high school program of this kind in South Carolina! The program is a win for students and for both our communities.” Photo: Erin Powell

This month, we would like to highlight and commend Clover and York School Districts for their work incorporating a new program into their curriculum that engages and prepares students, helping to build a ready workforce. Together with York Technical College, Clover and York Schools have partnered to provide South Carolina’s first lineworkers training program at the high school level. Clover Superintendent Sheila Quinn looks forward to the opportunities this program will provide students. She said, “Authentic partnerships between public schools, the technical college system, and business and industry give our students the best opportunity to make a seamless transition into the workforce. This program has the potential to become a model of that strategic alliance.”

Students can learn technical and safety skills for line work like they are on-the-job, preparing them for future careers supporting the infrastructure in our area right out of school. More importantly, they will know early on if this field is the right fit for them, allowing them to make more educated decisions about their career path. Community partners, including Duke Energy, Comporium, American Safety, Williams Electric, S.C. Forestry Commission and your co-op, have come together to create a training area that will be shared by both school districts.

YEC is proud to have played a small part in this innovative learning experience, and we look forward to many other similar programs developing in the coming years. We’re more than just a power company, we’re locals looking out for you, your students and your future.

Paul Basha, CEO, York Electric Cooperative

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

Member Comfort Update

We are excited to announce that YEC now offers mobile device payments for walk-in members at our office locations! As part of the Member Comfort Initiative, we wanted to make it as easy as possible for our members to make their electric bill payments and thought we should incorporate some of the latest technology. Forgot your wallet? No problem! Now you can just tap and go! Device support information

Shred it!

YEC’s 7th annual Member Appreciation Shred Day set Saturday, October 5, 2019

To kick off our Member Appreciation Month in October, your cooperative is hosting its seventh annual Shred Day from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, October 5. We’ll shred at our main office, 1385 East Alexander Love Hwy., York, and at the Carolina Shred office, 1682 Katy Lane, Fort Mill. YEC members can use this safe, secure way to dispose of confidential or sensitive documents. Plus, all shredded material is recycled, making Shred Day both safe and environmentally sustainable. Remember, we’re locals looking out for you and your safety!

Member Service Representative DeDe McDaniel helps a member dispose of important documents. All members are invited to take advantage of this free service as a token of our appreciation. Photo: Erin Powell

Do:

  • Bring your sensitive documents for safe disposal
  • Bring your documents in a box and be prepared to take the box back with you
  • Limit the amount of documents you bring – we want to have enough room for everyone’s documents

Don’t:

  • Add anything other than paper to your stack – trash, especially batteries, could start a fire
  • Bring your documents in plastic bags – they will clog up the machine
  • Forget to visit us on Saturday, October 5 from 9 am to 12 pm!

Questions? Call (803) 684-4248

 

Related Topics:
Renewables

 

Successful membership at all ages

Growing up is hard to do. You are suddenly responsible for choosing the right path for your future and paying your own bills. As a young member, you were able to enjoy safety demonstrations, career fairs and magic shows. As a young adult, you might have your first real account. That’s okay—we’ve got your back. Membership at your local electric cooperative is made for any age because we have the resources and programs to support you and your journey. Whether you need help budgeting your bill for the first time, tips on saving energy, learning how to access your account from your cell phone, or a way to connect with your community, YEC is here to help, working with you so that you are successful.

Speaking of success, we all define the term differently. For some members, success means paying their bill each month in exchange for reliable service.

Success to you could mean recognizing a familiar voice when you call your co-op or seeing a familiar face when you enter the office each month. Others see success as a way to connect on various platforms, actively seeking ways to save energy to make a difference. That’s what is great about YEC—our diversified membership. We are here for all of you and to support each of your needs, even those who are feeling the growing pains of leaving home to achieve a degree in higher education for the first time.

Nothing is better than seeing our youngest members become young adults and achieve their dreams. YEC is proud to find innovative ways to support our communities, our youth and you. What does success look like for you?

 

Paul Basha, CEO, York Electric Cooperative

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

Member Comfort Update

Who enjoys the ease of sending a text? The good news is your co-op does, too! Just by texting JOIN to 352667, you can communicate with YEC through text messaging. After entering the START command, you can check your balance by texting BAL, pay your bill by texting PAY, report an outage by texting OUTAGE, or call the office by texting CALL. This part of our Member Comfort Initiative is about keeping it simple and empowering our members. Save our number to make conducting your business a breeze!

A yearlong celebration

Two years ago, some of us at YEC started directing our focus toward arriving at the 75th year of our founding. It was our intent not to allow that milestone to go by without paying proper recognition to its importance.

Members of our employee team and I hadn’t advanced too far in our celebratory plans before we reached a conclusion: a single-day observance simply wouldn’t be adequate for spotlighting this notable event. In order to do justice to YEC’s history, we believed we should take an approach that would expose as many persons as possible to our story. It was also our desire to establish some markers that would serve to inform future generations about YEC and our accomplishments.

We settled on some specifics we thought would fulfill those aims. One idea was to seek a resolution of the S.C. General Assembly that would call attention to this anniversary. With the enthusiastic support of her fellow lawmakers, Representative Raye Felder took this project in hand. Ultimately, they garnered unanimous votes for the resolution in both houses of the legislature. I was honored to accept this legislative resolution during our annual meeting from state Senator Wes Hayes.

Another thought was to produce a video. The result was a 10-minute film that skillfully mixed individual recollections with images from 1941 to the present. This video was premiered before thousands during our annual meeting, and it received a warm reception. It’s now available for viewing.

“High Voltage Heroes” is an additional anniversary feature that was launched earlier this year. This initiative was designed to recognize 75 people who have big hearts and embody the spirit of the co-op program. The recipients of this award were recognized at a reception and received a cash prize. We are extremely proud of their outreach and the positive difference they continue to make.

More to come

Save space, protect yourself from identity theft, and help the environment at YEC's onsite member appreciation Shred Day event on Saturday, October 5.
Save space, protect yourself from identity theft, and help the environment at YEC’s onsite member appreciation Shred Day event on Saturday, October 15.

On Saturday, Oct. 15, our celebration will continue with our Member Appreciation Shred Day. The onsite event, which will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at both of our offices, offers YEC’s members a free service to provide a secure way to properly dispose of any confidential documents.

We also plan to honor our veterans who are members of YEC on Veterans Day. Veterans who come into our offices, with proper identification from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 11, will receive a $20 YEC bill credit and a special gift.

We’re using all of 2016 to commemorate our anniversary in hopes that all of our members will have an opportunity to take part in helping us celebrate our 75th birthday.

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

York Summerfest LogoCOME SEE US

Stop by York Electric’s booth during Summerfest, Saturday, Aug. 27, in downtown York, SC for the 33rd year of York’s celebration of summer. Festival Hours & Information: 9 a.m.–5 p.m., (803) 684-2590: www.yorkscsummerfest.com

 

Related Topics:
YEC 25th Anniversary Video
High Voltage Heroes