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August 4, 2006 | Gipson retires after 37 years at Thomas Hill Contact : Nancy Southworth Photo available electronically. Contact lputman@aeci.org. The title of longest-term employee at Thomas Hill Energy Center passed to another with the recent retirement of Bill Gipson, senior office associate in the warehouse. Gipson joined Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. in 1968, just as the cooperative was preparing to bring on line its second unit at Thomas Hill. Only one other current employee at AECI, who works at headquarters in Springfield, has been with the cooperative since 1968. Gipson started at the plant Nov. 13, 1968, as an electrician helper first period. In 1970, he became an assistant storeroom clerk in the warehouse, where he spent 36 years. He progressed to senior office associate, where he remained until retirement. In more than 37 years at the plant, Gipson said he’s seen many changes. “When I went to work there, they were getting ready to put Unit 2 on line in the spring of ’69. You knew everybody, most of their spouses and most of their kids,” he said. “Now, there’s people up there I haven’t even met. That was one of the big changes,” he said. Today, the plant has three units and about 250 employees. In the warehouse, changes included moving from a paper card system to computers, more parts and more people. Gipson was one of only two employees in the warehouse when he started. Now there are about 14, he said. The change he’s enjoying most these days is not having a schedule and having time to do the things he enjoys, like spending time with his family and helping out with church activities. Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma 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.
An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V Released: 4 August 2006
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