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March 11, 2010 | Seven Associated Electric Cooperative employees receive Excel AwardsContact : Nancy Southworth 417.885.9246 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Associated Electric Cooperative presented its prestigious Excel Awards during its annual employee recognition awards ceremony March 10 to these employees who work at its Springfield headquarters: Bradley L. Austin, Brent W. Bossi, Rhonda E. Day, Kevin A. Hopper, Cheri L. Metscher, Lacie L. Shook and Todd A. Tolbert. The recipients of these awards were nominated by their peers for excelling in their work for the cooperative, which provides wholesale electrical power in three states. Austin, manager of procurement; Day, risk analyst III; Hopper, manager of transmission planning; and Murray, inventory supervisor, received the 2009 Innovative Action Team Award for their roles on a team that responded to the January 2009 ice storm in southeast Missouri. The team was recognized for overseeing the replacement of more than 50 miles of high-voltage transmission line in the almost impossible time of 17 weeks. Austin was responsible for contracts for demolition and debris removal and for procurement of replacement materials. Day processed insurance claims and worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in securing reimbursement for 75 percent of repair costs. Hopper was responsible for construction. Murray accounted for inventory and made salvage arrangements. A nominator said, “This group of folks worked like a team is supposed to work. They stayed focused on the objective of rebuilding the system by June 2009.” Bossi, manager of information systems, was honored with the 2009 Excel Award for Supervisor of the Year. He was recognized for the effective leadership he displayed in implementation of several major financial software packages in 2009, as well as interfaces, upgrades and improvements to other software systems. As a nominator said, “Brent is good at setting the vision for a project or for the department overall. He is able to keep the team on track by casting the vision and then keeping us focused on it when we tend to swerve away.” Metscher, manager of payroll, received the 2009 Excel Award for Employee of the Year in a Professional Field. In 2009, she was a key player in implementing time/attendance and human resources/payroll software programs. As a nominator explained, “Cheri was pulled in many directions at the same time throughout the entire year and always provided what was needed. She made sure the plants received a solution that met their needs. She explained payroll issues and needs that could be easily understood by developers. She made sure payroll did not miss a beat during this process.” Shook, corporate compliance counsel, Jefferson City, and Tolbert, environmental analyst II, Springfield, received a 2009 Excel Innovative Action Team Award for their roles on a team of headquarters and power plant employees. The team arranged for tests at Associated’s two coal-based power plants in which refined coal was used to reduce mercury emissions by about 90 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by about 20 percent. Shook and Tolbert worked through difficult legal and regulatory challenges to complete the project. A nominator praised the team for finding an innovative and low-cost way to improve environmental performance while maintaining Associated’s position as an affordable, reliable provider of wholesale power for the rural electric cooperative members it serves. “Were it not for their perseverance and willingness to think out of the box, this opportunity would never have been realized,” the nominator said. Note: Photos of Austin, of Ozark; Day, of Springfield; Hopper, of Springfield; Murray, of Springfield; Bossi, of Nixa; and Metscher, of Republic, available electronically. 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 875,000 customers. AECI’s mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members, including its “Take Control & Save“ energy efficiency program, www.TakeControlAndSave.coop. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V Released: 11 March 2010 |
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