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SECO Energy Achieves Impressive ACSI Score for 2023

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SECO Energy, the leading not-for-profit electric cooperative serving over 240,000 homes and businesses in seven Central Florida counties, proudly announces the successful completion of its annual member-wide customer satisfaction survey. Over 1,700 members actively participated in providing valuable feedback that has once again positioned SECO Energy as a leader in customer satisfaction within the utility sector.

  

The member responses were evaluated by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®), a company specializing in measuring customer satisfaction across diverse industries throughout the entire United States. For 2023, SECO Energy received an ACSI score of “89” on a 100-point scale [1], reflecting the cooperative’s unwavering commitment to excellence in service.

Curtis Wynn, CEO of SECO Energy, expressed his enthusiasm about the outstanding achievement, stating, “At SECO Energy, one of our top priorities is to ensure our members receive exceptional service. This remarkable ACSI score of ’89’ underscores our dedication to providing reliable and innovative energy services. We are proud to surpass all publicly measured investor-owned utility scores, cooperative utility scores, and municipal utility scores, establishing SECO Energy as a leader in customer satisfaction.”

  

CEO Curtis Wynn

SECO’s ACSI® score of “89” not only surpasses the average investor-owned utility score of 72 but also exceeds the average municipal utilities score of 71, according to the 2023 ACSI Utility Sector Report. Additionally, SECO Energy outperforms the average cooperative utility score by an impressive 15 points.

 

ACSI is the only national cross-industry measure of customer satisfaction in the United States. It plays a crucial role in providing science-based insights across the complete arc of the customer experience. SECO Energy is honored to be acknowledged for its commitment to outstanding member satisfaction and engagement.

 

Curtis Wynn expressed his gratitude to SECO Energy members, stating, “Thank you, members, for recognizing our commitment to outstanding member satisfaction and engagement. We are 100% committed to engaging with you and ensuring SECO, along with its 400+ employees, fulfills our mission to provide reliable and innovative energy services. Earning your trust is an accomplishment like no other.”

 

“Like” SECO Energy on Facebook and follow @SECOEnergy on Twitter for prize drawings, news releases, and severe weather alerts affecting SECO Energy’s service territory. Manage your outage notification preferences at StormCenter. To see when SECO Energy crews/contractors are working in your area, visit our new System Improvement Map. To learn more about SECO Energy as a not-for-profit cooperative, visit About SECO Energy.

 

[1] Compared to publicly measured energy utilities in the ACSI® survey of customers rating their own energy utility. Results based on data provided by SECO Energy, collected between December 4 and 8, 2023. ACSI did not regulate the survey administration or sample size. ACSI and its logo are registered trademarks of the American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC. For more about the ACSI, visit www.theacsi.org

Trustee Completes Advanced Education Certificate

SECO Energy congratulates District Four Trustee, Richard Dennison of Ocala, for earning his Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) Certificate.  Mr. Dennison became a SECO member in 1999 and began his Board service in 2015.

 

The CCD courses, provided by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), are designed to provide cooperative board members with knowledge on basic governance and the essential skills needed for a cooperative director.  SECO’s Board of Trustees use this knowledge to guide the fiduciary duties of the board and to serve as elected officials on behalf of SECO’s membership.

 

Ray Vick, Board of Trustees President, stated, “Education, Training and Information is a key cooperative principle and I applaud Mr. Dennison’s efforts to learn more about electric cooperative governance and cooperatives themselves.  As a Board member, Mr. Dennison provides oversight and sound financial judgment that is instrumental in SECO’s continuing success.  I am proud of the commitment Mr. Dennison has made to SECO’s Board of Trustees and to its members.”

 

Mr. Dennison enjoys his role as a SECO Energy Trustee, “It is a pleasure to serve as a SECO Trustee and be a voice and a representative for its members.  The energy industry is changing and by continuing my education, I can keep abreast of industry advancements and continue to work for our members.”

 

SECO’s Board of Trustees, CEO and senior leadership celebrated Mr. Dennison’s accomplishment during its November Board Meeting.

 

“Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Extends Gratitude to Hurricane Matthew Partners

In early October, Hurricane Matthew – an extremely powerful Category 3 hurricane – traveled north along Florida’s east coast bringing strong winds and rain gusts to SECO Energy’s service area. SECO enacted its emergency restoration plan to prepare for and recover from Hurricane Matthew successfully – due in part to the assistance from additional contractors and vendors. Their speedy response and willingness to help were truly awe-inspiring.

 

 

SECO proactively organized an army of additional line crews, tree contractors and hospitality-related vendors to aid in its restoration efforts before, during and after Hurricane Matthew. It took an immense collaborative effort to restore power to over 28,000 SECO members in under 36 hours. The average outage was only 129 minutes. SECO members would have been without power for much longer without the willingness and dedication of its employees, contractors and vendors.

 

SECO Energy CEO Jim Duncan stated, “Florida’s Governor, Rick Scott, was engaged and encouraging before, during and after the event. SECO appreciates the thousands of hard working utility workers who joined forces to restore power to millions of Floridians. Without question, SECO is Storm Ready and willing to lend a hand to assist our fellow cooperatives, as well as state municipal and investor-owned utilities during times of crisis.”

 

Members can “like” SECO Energy’s Facebook page and “follow” the company on Twitter for cooperative updates and the latest news releases.

Severe Storms Crossing Service Area

A line of extremely severe thunderstorms crossed Central Florida. SECO has activated additional crews and has called in more contractors and tree crews. The good news is all the feeders are intact and substations are operational. The not-so-good news is the winds/tree damage to laterals has caused nearly 100 individual pockets of outages – affecting, thus far, about 600 members. Many of these outages are in wooded areas where trees made contact with lines and may have brought lines down altogether. Please stay away from downed lines. Call 911 if your safety is at risk. 

Most important, if you are in doubt as to whether SECO is aware of your outage, use Storm Center (select the Report Outage tab at the top) and report with your last name and house number. Check the box for a callback and provide a phone number please. Even if you reported it once already, do it again and provide a callback number so that we can confirm when things are coming back on.

Just click the image below.

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Severe Weather Downs Trees, Lines and Poles in Ocala

Overnight, severe storms swept through SECO Energy’s service area and parts of Ocala were hard hit – including Marion Oaks.  Crews reported 40 separate outages in the Ocala area alone.  Feeders supplying power to more than 2,200 members from the SummerGlen substation were both disrupted. Fire departments immediately began reporting numerous trees, poles and lines down.twisted tree Ocala

 

Crews worked to restore the largest feeders affected first to most quickly impact the largest number of members. The first feeder was restored at 9:30 p.m. and the second at 10:24 p.m. – resulting in nearly 2,200 of the more than 3,000 members affected to have power again.

 

Overnight, additional crews and tree contractors were called in.  Conditions remain challenging with trees down that caused major infrastructure damage – meaning many spans of line were down and numerous broken and downed poles.  The SECO Energy crews and contractors have not stopped working to restore the remaining services.

 

At 6 a.m. Sunday morning, 425 members remain without power – all in the Marion Oaks area.  All outages have been investigated and there are ten outages either with crews already at the location or awaiting trees to be cleared to restore power. Three of the remaining outages require pole replacements and those will take some time this morning. Now in the light of day, it appears there may have been tornado activity, as the tops of trees are twisted in the area.

 

SECO Energy thanks its members for their patience and understanding during this significant weather event.  Many members stayed up-to-date on social media, many used its online map on secoenergy.com to report outages and the company encourages members to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest details.

SECO Sponsors Community Action Luncheon

SECO Energy representatives attended the Central Florida Community Action Agency’s (CFCAA) Annual Awards Luncheon. As a Diamond level sponsor, SECO joined community leaders in honoring the CFCAA board members, staff and area residents who dedicate their time to enrich the lives of Alachua, Levy and Marion county residents.

 

City of Ocala Mayor Ken Guinn opened the program with praise for the CFCAA. Guinn stated, “It’s great to know this organization is here to help those in need.”

 

Caroone Rush, CFCAA Board Member and the audience recited, “The Promise of Community Action – Community action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”

 

The entire audience was inspired by guest speaker Herman Washington’s personal story. Herman was named CFCAA’s “Self-Sufficiency Success Story” for 2016. A former troubled youth, Herman was determined to find the right path for him and his family. He received assistance through the CFCAA to attend barber school and now he is the owner of his own barber shop. Herman thanked the CFCAA, his wife and family, his pastor and his church family for their support.

 

Honorable Senior Judge Sandra E. Champ, keynote speaker spoke about the importance of elevating lives in a striving community. Champ said, “There are times individuals need elevating from homelessness, public housing and poverty to becoming self-sufficient and financially stable. Providing temporary assistance for individuals to become self-sufficient is how CFCAA elevates the community, one household at a time.”

 

CFCAA Chief Executive Officer, Charles J. Harris Jr., presented the Freddie L. Warmack Community Partner of the Year Awards to: Corey Harris, Executive Director – Neighborhood Housing & Development Corporation; Beverly Goodman, Manager – Tri-County Community Resource Center; and Ramona Williams, Customer Service Supervisor – City of Ocala Utility Services.

 

Harris closed the ceremony by thanking Judge Champ and the audience, as well as a final congratulation to all award recipients.

 

To learn more about SECO Energy’s commitment to community, visit www.secoenergy.com. SECO members can partner with SECO to help fellow members in need by rounding up their bill to the nearest dollar through its Pennies from Heaven program. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” SECO on Twitter for cooperative updates and news releases.

SECO FUN-Raises $1,181 for Red Nose Day

At SECO Energy’s five Service Centers located across its Central Florida territory, employees and members joined the FUN-raising by donating to Red Nose Day, a charitable movement that encourages us to, “Laugh. Give. Save a Kid.” Wearing big, red noses may be funny, but Red Nose Day is serious support for many global charities.

 

SECO Energy, its employees and members brought the laughs and raised over $1,181 to support children through Red Nose Day. Donations contribute to meals for children in homeless shelters, antibiotics to treat pneumonia, eye exams, medical supplies and support homeless shelters for children.

 

SECO Energy Employees raise money for Red Nose Day

 

Vice President of Corporate Communications and Energy Services Kathryn Gloria states, “As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO believes in responsible corporate citizenship by supporting the communities it serves. We are all part of the global community and SECO is proud to support children in need all over the world. A thank you to the employees and members who came together for such a worthy but fun cause.”

 

In the last 25 years, Red Nose Day has raised over $1 billion to help kids all over the world. Visit www.rednoseday.org for more information about the global charities supported through laughter.

 

SECO Energy Employees raise money for Red Nose Day

 

Find more information about SECO Energy’s commitment to community online at www.secoenergy.com. Members can join SECO in supporting local communities by enrolling in its Pennies from Heaven program. Pennies from Heaven automatically rounds members’ bills up to the nearest dollar. These extra pennies are distributed locally to SECO members for bill payment assistance.

 

SECO Energy Employees raise money for Red Nose Day

 

 

SECO Stands Storm Ready

With hurricane season beginning on June 1, 2016, and afternoon thunderstorms on the horizon, SECO Energy is assuring members that the cooperative and its employees are “Storm Ready.”

 

SECO remains Storm Ready by focusing on preventing outages throughout the year, not only during storm and hurricane season. Storm Ready is designing, building and maintaining a reliable system that delivers power to SECO members rain or shine. In 2015, SECO maximized its outage prevention efforts by inspecting almost 20,000 pieces of equipment, upgrading fiber optic lines to improve data communication and trimming or removing trees that could endanger overhead power lines.

 

When thunderstorms are approaching, SECO’s member services employees are ready to answer calls and assist members. SECO’s Corporate Communications department delivers updated storm and outage information to members via the website and social media channels.

 

SECO Stands Storm Ready

 

SECO’s System Operations Center is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week and uses advanced weather tracking to predict weather patterns affecting the area. They are ready to assist members outside of normal business hours and dispatch a cavalcade of employees and trucks to restore members’ power. SECO Operations employees work diligently to restore power quickly and safely – they are the good guys in the white hats.

 

Kathryn Gloria, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Energy Services encourages members to be Storm Ready as well. “As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, we are dedicated to helping our members’ prepare for storm season. Now is the time to assemble your emergency supply kit and update your contact information with SECO. SECO is committed to being our members’ first source for accurate storm communications and updates.”

 

To review a comprehensive emergency checklist, visit www.secoenergy.com. Bookmark SECO’s website in your desktop or smartphone browser to quickly report an outage through SECO’s Storm Center. Members who “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” us on Twitter have instant access to updates on storm activity, news releases and restoration efforts.

Nature’s Reflections – Stinging Caterpillars

Curious? Stop! Severe pain follows just a touch

 

Beware of beautiful caterpillars packing a powerful and painful sting. Four of Florida’s seven stinging caterpillars are common to this area. These caterpillars do not have stingers, but irritating hairs or bristled spines connected to poison glands that produce the stinging sensation, swelling and severe pain. Reactions experienced are sometimes so severe that people often seek medical attention thinking they may be having a heart attack or life threatening event.

 

The Io moth caterpillar (Automeris io), photo above, is a light green caterpillar with yellow and red stripes. It’s about two inches long. The nettling spines are usually yellow with black tips. They are often seen in groups raising the onlookers curiosity as to what it may be.

 

The Puss caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis), inset photo gets its name from its resemblance to a pussycat. At just one inch in length, it’s covered with light brown hairs. When touched, these hairs, attached to poison glands, and break off in the skin causing severe pain. It is commonly found in oaks and citrus trees, but may feed on a variety of broadleaf trees and shrubs.

 

Nature's Reflection Stinging Caterpillars

 

The Saddleback caterpillar (Sabine stimulea) is brown and green with a brown oval on its back that looks like a saddle on a green horse blanket. It is also about an inch long with a stout body. Stinging spines and hairs that inflict pain to the unwary.

 

The Hag caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium), is light-to dark-brown also with stinging hairs. Three less common stinging caterpillars in Florida are the Buck moth caterpillar (Hemileuca maia), the Spiny oak-slug caterpillar, (Euclea delphinii), and the Flannel moth caterpillar, (Norape ovina).

 

If stung, remain as calm and quiet as possible. Notify a companion in case assistance becomes necessary. According to the Poison Control Center, apply adhesive tape over the affected area and pull off to remove the spines from the skin. Ice packs, followed by a paste of baking soda and water may help reduce the stinging, or burning. If you suspect a serious reaction, then it is advisable to seek medical assistance right away.

 

Column & photo by: Sandi Staton