YEARLY REVIEW

There have been several new faces added to the Daviess-Martin County REMC family since our last annual report with the hiring of four new employees — Meter Technician Seth Kell, Certified Staking Technician Nathan Kellams, Journeyman Jesse Swartzentruber, and Maintenance Technician Logan Wheelock.

Daviess-Martin County REMC employees are dedicated to their roles at the co-op. In 2023, many attended meetings and trainings to further their skills and provide our members with the best service possible.

SAFETY

DMREMC completed 2023 with 389,711 hours without a lost time accident. In addition, DMREMC employees have ongoing safety training programs by instructors from Indiana Electric Cooperatives and skill improvement training by instructors from Hoosier Energy.

CAPITAL CREDITS

A $545,000 capital credit retirement was paid in December for DMREMC members who had electric service from 1995–1996. Capital credit checks or a bill credit refund amount was based on how much each member contributed to the co-op’s margins during those years.

Members received a check if their retired amount was above $250. If it was below $250, the retired amount was applied to their account. If the account had an outstanding balance at the date of retirement, the account received a bill credit up to the balance amount. Inactive accounts received a check if the retired amount was above $50. If it was below $50, the retired amount will remain on the inactive account until it reaches $50 or more, unless it’s the last retirement year.

RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE POWER

DMREMC continued a focused distribution maintenance plan alongside a thorough right-of-way management plan that keeps vegetation away from power lines. These proactive efforts increase the reliability of our distribution system and ultimately help control expenses.

The number of member outages continues to decrease. The duration of these outages, especially major storm-related outages, also continues to decrease.

OPERATION ROUND UP

A total of $23,000 was awarded in 2023! Since the 2004 inception of the Operation Round Up program, a total of $605,465 has helped improve the quality of life for many, with funds being distributed back into our communities. These funds come from participating DMREMC members who allow their electric bill to be rounded up to the next dollar each month. A big thank you to the REMC members who participate in this program! Also, thank you to the volunteer Operation Round Up board members for their service in meeting quarterly to review the applications and decide on how to distribute these funds. These funds have helped to assist with several community organizations and projects.

YOUTH, COMMUNITY, AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

DMREMC continues to be community-focused and community-driven. Each year, we strive to be more involved. We continue to support local 4-H programs with monetary donations, purchasing livestock, and employee participation in project judging for electrical projects.

Employees participated in two volunteer days, United Way Day of Caring in May and Indiana Electric Cooperative Community Day in October.

Linemen continue to be present in local schools. This year, linemen were sent to two career fairs, touch-a-truck, Martin County Farm Fair Day, and multiple classroom safety and career presentations.

Linemen weren’t the only ones influential on youth this year. The office staff hosted the Daviess County CEO students to present co-op history and different career opportunities available to them right here in our community.

Two Daviess-Martin County REMC employees attended Camp Kilowatt this summer to volunteer their time as chaperones for students attending the camp.

Through the holiday season, we hosted a non-perishable food drive where 200 food items were collected and donated to local food banks. We also had a decorated truck in the Washington and Loogootee city parades.

Other community events attended included Martin County Ag Day and a member appreciation event where all members received lunch, a t-shirt, and a chance at bill credits.

CYBERSECURITY AND NEW TECHNOLOGY

DMREMC continued to focus on new and emerging cybersecurity trends to keep all systems and data secure. Cyberattacks are increasing nationwide so additional hardware, software, and monitoring were added to further protect DMREMC from threats.

DMREMC received the Rural Cooperative Cybersecurity Capabilities (RC3) certification. This program partners with the U.S. Department of Energy to enhance cyber defense. The certification process requires coops to meet a series of criteria to be considered secure.

Faster network infrastructure equipment was installed to increase the efficiency of systems within the office. Reliable communication is always critical, so advanced cellular and radio equipment was installed to improve communication between the office and field crews.

These technologies help DMREMC operate efficiently and keep our portion of the power grid secure.

TRAVIS SUMMERS
Board President

RYAN DANT
Chief Executive Officer