Year in Review

Rapphannock Electric Cooperative

Beyond Face Value

The 2011 Annual Report was designed to share

member’s experiences and perspectives on REC

and to show that they recognize REC is more than

their electric service provider. Six members from

all corners of the service territory volunteered

to be interviewed to provide their take on REC’s

role in the community, reliability, affordability,

customer services, economic development and

the environment. 20 pages, plus cover.

You are a member of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC).

REC employees are looking out for you and your best interests.

We are your energy experts, neighbors, friends and a part of your

community. We are here for you – to help prevent problems before

they occur and to resolve them if they do. We are your Cooperative.

The following six member’s want to share their perspective

on what is important to them as an REC member. We hope you

can relate to their experiences, which demonstrate many of the ways

your Cooperative goes Beyond Face Value every day to enhance

your life and improve the communities in which you live.

Community

“REC is a local business that steps up to assist volunteer organizations...” – Brad Thomas, Chief, Bowling Green Volunteer Fire Department, Caroline County

Reliabil ity

“I know that I can count on my cooperative...” – Beth Waller, Warren County

affoRdabil ity

“Our energy costs are very important to us...” – Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arnold, Culpeper County

CustomeR seRviCe

“I think REC’s customer service is excellent...” – Pat Smith, Caroline County

eConomiC development

“REC has been extremely responsive...” – Raul Arbelaez, Vice President,The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Greene County

enviRonment

“We should all try to participate...” – Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Dubee, Hanover County

rappahannock e lectr ic cooperat iVe i s Beyond Face Value .

COmmunITY

RELIABILITY

AFFORDABILITY

CuSTOmER SERvICE

ECOnOmIC DEvELOPmEnT

EnvIROnmEnT4 5

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“ REC is a local business that steps up to assist volunteer organizations that exist to support the community.”

REC and its employees are committed to the communities they serve. Their commitment shows not only through their efforts to deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity, but also in their support through volunteer work, donations, participation in fundraisers, and mem-bership in charitable and civic organizations. Being on the receiving end of that com-mitment is a good place to be, according to REC member Brad Thomas. “REC is a local business that steps up to assist volunteer organizations that exist to support the community,” says Thomas, chief of the Bowling Green volunteer Fire Department. “Last year we received a grant from REC to purchase a fire hose specifically for attack lines that are used in any fire we respond to. This grant funding is allowing us to help the community and REC’s members.” Each year REC awards grants to local non-profit organizations and charities through the Literacy, Education and Rural networking (LEARn) program. Grants are awarded for education, community and emergency services initiatives. REC also awards local scholarships through the LEARn program to students through-out the service territory.

“During these difficult economic times, county, state and local governments are cutting budgets, which means volunteer organizations’ budgets are also being cut,” says Thomas. “Donations are down, so it is great when larger businesses can offer support. In our case, funding from REC helped us purchase a fire hose. We have to have fire hoses to put out fires. But it’s great when businesses can also offer scholarships for area kids to go to school and whatever non-profit organizations may need.” Employees at REC are committed to serving area communities as volunteers. In 2011 employees from each district office participated in the united Way Day of Caring. They also served as coaches for youth sports, mentors to area children, leaders in fundraising campaigns, board members for civic organizations and other roles for numerous organizations. Employees contributed monetarily to the united Way campaigns for the Rappahannock united Way, Piedmont united Way, Front Royal and Warren County united Way and the united Way of northern Shenandoah valley.

“Over the years we have had multiple REC employees who have stepped in to support our organization as volunteer firefighters,” says Thomas. “That’s always a plus to have a local business that supports volunteer activities as well.” As an electric cooperative, REC is indirectly helping other organizations and groups provide additional support to their members. Thomas hopes that is a continuous trend. “We hope to see continued support from REC through grants and donations, as well as from their employee volunteers. The funds they put back into the community are used for vital equipment and supplies we need to do our job and effectively provide our services.”

In 2011, REC and its employees participated in hundreds of events and sponsored numerous organizations. REC is committed to supporting the communities it serves through volunteer work, donations and educational programs.

community

300PARTICIPATIOn In COmmunITY EvEnTS

200

REC SPOnSORED COmmunITY EvEnTS, ORGAnIzATIOnS AnD CHARITIES

+

+

Brad Thomas, Chief, Bowling Green Volunteer Fire Department, Caroline County

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“ I think REC’s customer service is excellent. Whenever I visit the local office or call to speak with a representative, everyone is so nice.”

REC prides itself on delivering outstanding customer service from caring people. That is the Cooperative’s signature statement, and one that its employees keep in mind during every interaction with their members. Pat Smith, a member from Port Royal is happy about the service she receives. “I think REC’s customer service is excellent,” says Smith. Whenever I visit the local office or call to speak with a representative, everyone is so nice. They are quick and efficient in answering my questions or connecting me with the people who can.” more than 72,000 visits were made to REC’s four local offices in 2011. Customer service representatives assisted members in Blue Ridge, Bowling Green, Culpeper and Fredericksburg in the member lobbies. Representatives in the Contact Center also answered nearly 350,000 phone calls last year as members called to transact business.

“Having a local electric cooperative with employees that I can count on is so important to me,” says Smith. “I also appreciate the programs and services REC makes available, like the monthly member magazine and the Co-op Connections Card program. The variety of information available in the magazine is useful, and I look forward to it every month. With the Co-op Connections Card, I am able to use it at local stores in my community. It feels good to know they are looking for ways to help me save.” It is essential to everyone at REC that members recognize that they are more than just customers. To understand its members’ expectations and to find out how it is doing, REC routinely conducts surveys by phone, email and mail. The information is gathered and analyzed to improve the service employees are providing and to enhance the overall member experience.

customer serVice

“Every year when I receive my Capital Credits from REC, I really feel like a member and like my Cooperative is working for my best interest,” says Smith. “I am able to use the money I saved through the credit on my bill to treat myself to something that I will enjoy. It’s additional money from my budget that I am able use for fun or for other things. It is also important to me that I have a voice in my Cooperative and can vote for the Board members who represent me. It feels good to me to be an REC member.”

REC has four offices conveniently located in Blue Ridge, Bowling Green, Culpeper and Fredericksburg staffed by local employees. Members can find answers to their questions by speaking with customer service representatives over the phone or in person or by visiting the Cooperative’s website.

140,000+mEmBER vISITS TO LOCAL OFFICES

2.5MILLIon +RETuRnED In CAPITAL CREDITS

350,000+mEmBER CALLS AnSWERED

Pat Smith, Caroline County

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REC is an electric cooperative that can support the needs of all of its users−large or small. REC delivers reliable service to its residential members and also meets the large power demands of commercial and industrial members located throughout its service area. Electricity is a necessity for members to enjoy their day-to-day lives, and, for the businesses served by REC, it is essential to their daily operations. “The electricity we receive from REC is extremely vital to the work we do here,” says Raul Arbelaez, vice president for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) vehicle Research Center in Greene County. “It powers everything from our laptops to testing our dummies for operations during crash tests and to our lights that support high speed motion photography for research.”

Like many of the commercial and industrial members served by REC, the IIHS depends on large amounts of electricity to operate important functions for its business. REC’s strong electric distribution network allows the Cooperative to meet these demands for electricity. Knowledgeable employees at REC also offer energy expertise and support to the businesses they serve to enhance the relationship between the two companies. “REC has been extremely responsive to us,” says Arbelaez. “Whenever we have questions, they have helped us resolve any issues regarding our facility infrastructure and suggested energy improvements that we can make. Having that relationship is important because it allows us to pick up the phone, get questions answered quickly, and to make decisions to improve our future operations.”

By being able to provide for the needs of large commercial and industrial members, REC is able to support the local economies it serves. From providing the means for companies to expand and develop more jobs for local residents to supporting local vendors, REC’s economic development efforts further demonstrate its commitment to the communities it serves. “Our business benefits the local economy through the supplies and equipment we purchase from local vendors, but we also influence not only the safety of the population around us but the entire country,” says Arbelaez. “As a direct result of the work we do here, the vehicles and occupants in them are safer. If REC can continue supporting us through reliable service, then they are indirectly doing good work for the nation as a whole.”

REC’s ability to support the needs of business members of all sizes is important to enhancing our communities. Many of the businesses served by REC, like the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center (left) and the Virginia Inland Port (above), are providing much needed services and benefits to REC members.

economic deVelopment

66nEW BuSInESS COnnECTIOnS In 2011

THROuGHOuT THE 22 COunTY REC SERvICE REGIOn

“ If REC can continue supporting us through reliable service then they are indirectly doing good work for the nation as a whole.”

Raul Arbelaez, Vice President, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Greene County

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