More than 1,000 members and guests attended Habersham EMC’s 85th Annual Meeting on Thursday, September 28, at the HEMC headquarters in Clarkesville.
The evening featured a free barbecue meal and HEMC crew demonstrations showing how they deal with different scenarios in the field, including rescues, high voltage and sky trim work, solar power, and fiber splicing.
HEMC President and CEO Bryan Ferguson gave members an overview of the past year. He said the electric cooperative grew in 2022 by 766 meters, 541 members, and added 22 new miles of line. According to Ferguson, HEMC is growing nearly twice as fast as the state and national averages for number of consumers and electric service use.
Approximately 76% of Habersham EMC’s 2022 revenue came from residential services, compared to 16% from commercial services and 8% from other services. HEMC is on track to surpass these numbers in 2023, Ferguson said.
In his remarks, Ferguson highlighted service improvements. He shared that HEMC’s reliability has improved 14% over the last year due to investments in Right of Way and technology. The cooperative has also made it easier to do business through online service applications, a more user-friendly SmartHub app, and online chat.
Members elected Billy Cantrell, Dallas Taylor, and Rick Wood to the Habersham EMC Board of Directors. The Board met immediately following the business session and elected the following officers: David Wall, Chairman; Dustin Hulsey, Vice-Chairman; and Billy Cantrell, Secretary-Treasurer.
HEMC members who registered to vote in the Board of Directors election were entered into the door prize drawings, including the $850 cash grand prize. Craig Warwick of Lula won this year’s grand prize.
Habersham EMC is an electric cooperative based in Clarkesville, Georgia. It serves more than 27,000 members in six Northeast Georgia counties.
