LA GRANGE — Fayette Electric Cooperative opened the doors of the Knights of Columbus Community Center in La Grange to a flood of its members on July 17, eager - ly awaiting fellowship with their neighbors, news about their co-op and the chance to win some fun prizes at the co-op's 87th annual meeting.
One of the first-time attendees was also the co-op's general manager, Doug Lambert. But though he may be new to Fayette EC, he’s worked 32 years for electric coopera- tives, starting his career at Wharton Coun - ty Electric Cooperative, down the road in
El Campo. He most recently worked at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
“I’ve had the pleasure of walking into the doors of about 400 different rural electric cooperatives, and nothing brings me more pleasure to come back home, to be part of this community and to serve you," Lambert said to the attendees.
Lambert started July 1 in the position left vacant after Gary Don Nietsche announced his retirement. Nietsche could not attend
the meeting, but expressed his thanks to the membership, employees and community for
allowing him to serve for almost four decades.
As the members filed in, their first stop after greeting the FEC board of directors, was to register to vote. The 396 members put their voices to work in the democratic process, reelecting incumbent directors Gale Lincke, District 3, and Leo C. Henke, Dis -
trict 4, who both ran unopposed.
“Your board of directors has worked
very hard over the last year for you," said Karen Mahoney-Woods, FEC's attorney.
“They have been facilitating and overseeing the construction of our new building and very conscientiously keeping costs at the very minimum."
Lincke voiced her thanks for the vote of confidence.
“It has been my great pleasure to repre- sent you on this board," she said. "This is an exciting time in the life of the cooperative, with a brand new, state-of-the-art building that I can't wait for y'all to come see." The new headquarters, at 2111 N. Von Minden Rd. in La Grange, was completed after years of issues brought about by the pandemic and supply chain delays. It replac- es the undersized headquarters built in 1963. Lambert is excited about this investment in the future of the co-op.
The co-op also invests in the local community.
Concern for Community is a principle for all cooperatives.
At the annual meeting, Tracy Denton, marketing and training coordinator, award ed academic scholarships to local students Andrea Eckermann, Alivia Eindorf, Kelly McAfee and Brooke Wanjura. In 2022, FEC began awarding scholarships to students who planned to attend a trade or technical school or take classes for a certificate or an associ -ate’s degree in an applied science. Students who received this scholarship were Brigham Kelley and Nathan Olsovsky.
For the first time, the FEC board held a drawing for high school graduates who did not receive a scholarship from the regular contests. This contest, called the Luck of the Draw Scholarship, awarded $1,500 to a student in attendance at the annual meeting, with Teagan Branch hearing her name called for the prize.
Another way FEC supports local youths is through the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, sponsoring two students from the co- op’s service territory on the trip of a lifetime to Washington, D.C. Reagan Moreau of Fay etteville High School and Rylynn Thumann of Weimar High School represented Fayette EC along with 145 of their peers from across rural Texas in the nation's capital, where they visited monuments, met with congressional staff and forged lifelong friendships.
Another way FEC supports local youths is through the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, sponsoring two students from the co- op’s service territory on the trip of a lifetime to Washington, D.C.
“The Youth Tour strengthened my belief that, even as the daughter of two public ser - vants living in a small Texas town, I can be a doctor, senator or even the president with enough hard work and support," Reagan Moreau said. "Fayette Electric Cooperative, Texas Electric Cooperatives and the Nation al Rural Electric Cooperatives Association are moving America forward in a variety of ways, and we were small, yet fortunate, ben -
eficiaries of these efforts." Another group that benefits from Con - cern for Community is local nonprofit orga nizations.
In his video, Nietsche provided his final update to the membership, discussing the history of the cooperative as well as its fi nancial health.
Operating revenues for 2023 were $38.4 million, up $3.6 million from 2022. Opera -
tion expenses also increased, totaling $32.1 million in 2023, up from $29.3 million in
2022.
The co-op realized profit margins of $803,051, which will eventually be returned to members as capital credits.
