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April 27, 2005 | AECI recognizes employees who excel
Contact : Nancy Southworth Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. presented its prestigious Excel awards April 14 in a ceremony at its New Madrid Power Plant in southeast Missouri. Two individual and two team awards were given to AECI employees at the New Madrid plant for their outstanding work in 2004. These employees were nominated by their peers for the Excel awards, which recognize the outstanding contributions employees make to the cooperative and their communities. Jeff Swilley named Employee of the Year in an Operational FieldAssistant Control Room Operator Jeff Swilley demonstrates a positive attitude, the initiative to learn and a safety conscious work ethic that earned him recognition as the 2004 Employee of the Year in an Operational Field. Swilley works with a smile and takes the initiative, said his nominator. Before anyone can ask, he helps others and takes the time to train them. Because he does things right the first time, with safety and efficiency, Swilley's supervisors and co-workers said they have come to rely on him at the New Madrid plant. In his work there have been many times when Swilley's ability to solve problems has served AECI well. For example, when the plant switched from the south fly ash silo to the north silo, an intensive labor process, Swilley worked with the instrument shop, electricians, operations, maintenance and coal yard to get the system running. When the system would not run in automatic mode, he managed to get the system to operate in manual mode while another department worked on the auto programming. Swilley has taken the initiative to acquire the skills that make him a valuable member of the team of employees at the power plant. He started in December 2000 as a general utility and immediately embarked upon two years of training that allowed him to advance to auxiliary operator. He continues to learn and recently finished training that enabled him to progress to assistant control room operator. Rick Gunnels recognized as Employee of the Year in a Technical FieldMaintenance Planner Rick Gunnels has worked at Associated nearly 27 years. His continued performance and his work last year on selection and implementation of a new computerized maintenance management system earned him the Excel Award for Employee of the Year in a Technical Field. Rick began as an engineering aide/draftsman at New Madrid Power Plant, where he and another co-worker started the engineering department. When the maintenance planning department was formed in 1982, Rick was chosen as one of the first planners, a position he has retained for more than 20 years. Rick participated in the selection of Associated's first computerized maintenance management system in 1992. He handled the initial loading of information, set up the equipment filing system, trained all other employees and served as the coordinator for all maintenance functions within the system. He uses the system proficiently for all plant maintenance. In 2003 and 2004, Rick became the key New Madrid representative for investigating, selecting and purchasing the new computerized maintenance management system. In addition, Rick worked closely with consultants in deciding which best business practices would be most effective for Associated to adopt. Although these activities required him to spend much of his time at Headquarters, he also worked to fulfill his duties back at the plant, said his nominator. When New Madrid becomes the first to go live with the new system in June, Rick will become one of the trainers and coordinator for the new system. When Thomas Hill Energy Center goes live about three months later, he will help them as well. In 2003 and 2004, Rick beRick's in-depth knowledge of the mechanical maintenance needs of plant equipment has been an asset to Associated during his entire career. Thoroughness and a positive attitude have also characterized his handling of numerous challenges, his nominator said. New Madrid employees garner Innovative Action Team Award for falcon projectThe Innovative Action Team Award in 2004 went to a group of employees who used teamwork and individual skills to help the once-endangered peregrine falcon and develop a creative solution to the pigeon problem at the New Madrid plant. Last year, six volunteers representing five departments developed a plan to expand the range of the falcon -- reputed to be the No. 1 predator of pigeons. Maintenance planner Dennis Meier, a lifetime birder, got others excited about the possibility of bringing the peregrine falcons to the power plant, located along the Mississippi River. Kevin Ivy and Jacques DeLisle, both journeyman instrumentation technician specialists, joined the team, as did Principal Environmental Coordinator Rusty Rice and Journeyman Mechanic Tim Pinnell. It took a group effort to ensure all critical aspects of the project were in place to improve the likelihood of the falcon chicks' survival, said the nominator. Materials management supervisor David Childers did most of the correspondence required to obtain the federal permits and the proper food for the chicks. Team members traveled to Iowa to learn from an expert how to handle the birds, then located a breeder who could provide the falcons. Meanwhile, the team built a "hack" box to specifications, then picked up the four chicks -- three males and one female -- at the St. Louis airport. Falcon "hacking" required daily trips up 10 stories to the top of emissions reduction equipment for more than a month. The team tried to keep things as natural as possible so the birds would become attached to the location, but not to their human support system. The team ultimately released the birds, which will have no interest in settling down until two years of age. Some falcons have been sighted cruising the area, and team members said they hope the birds are those released from the power plant. Next February, when the falcons choose their mates, team members said they hope a nesting pair will return to the plant where a nesting box has been placed on the stack. Life is tough in the wild: a 50 percent survival rate would be considered good. To try to beat those odds, the team is working to get additional hatchlings this spring to expand the project. New Madrid employees recognized for courageous responseAssociated presented both an individual and a group of employees with a Commendation for Courageous Response for their trained response when a co-worker was in need of help. The team of Associated employees at New Madrid Power Plant receiving the Excel Commendation for Courageous Response is comprised of Les Brown, material handling supervisor; Larry Swilley, yard operations superintendent; Chris Couch, yard equipment operator; Kevin Coffer, yard equipment operator; Alice Swilley, safety coordinator; Larry Morris Jr., protective services officer I; Lynn Sullenger, journeyman electrician specialist; and Mike Merideth, yard equipment operator. This group of employees demonstrated superb training and teamwork when a co-worker had a serious accident before dawn last October. The team's quick and appropriate action ensured that the injured employee arrived at the hospital within the "Golden Hour" so crucial for treatment. A Commendation for Courageous Response also was presented to Roy Shaw, who has diligently improved his life-saving skills and has been willing to help others throughout his career. His courageous response to a choking emergency last year earned him the Excel award and the honor of 2004 Safety Person of the Year at the New Madrid Power Plant. Last spring, Roy was having lunch with a co-worker. The two of them were alone in the breakroom, so when his friend began to choke, turning purple and red, Roy did not hesitate to respond. Roy performed the Heimlich maneuver to free his co-worker's airway. This was not the first time Roy had used the technique - he had also used it on his 2-year-old daughter when she was choking on food. Roy joined Associated in 1993 as a general utility at New Madrid Power Plant. He progressed to utility operator first period and then to yard equipment operator. In 2000, he transferred into maintenance and became a journeyman mechanic in 2003. Roy first studied life-saving techniques in the military and then in training seminars for Associated's emergency response teams. Roy volunteers as an emergency responder for hazardous materials and is a member of the confined space rescue team at the power plant. Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, northeast Oklahoma and southeast Iowa that serve more than 800,000 customers. AECI's mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members with the vision of being the nation's lowest-cost wholesale power supplier. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative. Released: 27 April 2005
Electronic copies of article and photographs available. |
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