ASHEBORO – Dale Lambert took part in his final meeting as CEO of Randolph Electric Membership Corporation on Friday night at Southwestern Randolph High School.
“I’m guessing most of us can agree on how quickly time goes by,” said Lambert, who spent more than 39 years total with REMC. “Life is short, but eternity is long. I’ve had to make thousands of decisions through the years as your CEO.”
The meeting’s theme was “Powering the Journey Ahead,” with 339 registered members attending and 581 registered online.
“As we celebrate our 86th anniversary, we are proud that our member-owners have ranked REMC amongst the highest in the nation for member satisfaction among electric cooperatives,” Lambert said. “Since 1938, Randolph Electric has kept our member-owners as our top priority. We appreciate the vital role they play in the life of the cooperative.”
Lambert, in what he called his final speech at an annual meeting, said he’s proud of the many challenges that REMC has addressed and also warned of “headwinds on the horizon” for the industry.
“Even with all these challenges, we’ve been able to keep rates more stable than some of our neighboring electric utilities,” Lambert said. “But the electric utility industry is in a rising costs environment.”
Lambert said REMC has pushed hard against some new regulations imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. He said the rules are unrealistic and there’s an unrealistic time frame for those to be in place.
“These final rules, if implemented, will jeopardize reliability and result in more blackouts, higher costs and greater uncertainty for Randolph EMC members, American families and businesses,” Lambert said.
The REMC board of directors has selected Dennis Mabe to serve as the next CEO. He takes the helm this week.
“Even though my career at Randolph EMC is coming to a close, I’m excited about the new chapter that’s unfolding,” Lambert said. “Your cooperative is blessed to have a highly experienced and strong employee and leadership team.”
Tammie Phillips, president of the REMC board of directors, said surveys completed by members across the past two years are critical to assessing the work of the cooperative.
“I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to all of our members who voluntarily participate in these surveys,” Phillips said. “This feedback is very important to us, so that we know how to meet and exceed your expectations. Thank you for entrusting us with your energy delivery and for providing valuable data so we can enhance our services to you.”
During the business meeting, the membership elected three directors: Delbert Cranford to represent District 5, Steve Harris in District 8, and Billy Maness in District 9.
Phillips recognized Colton Freeman, a rising senior at North Moore High School, as the REMC’s youth tourist.
