Matthew C. Deaton

Director elections, entertainment by Kirby Stailey, briefings from the directors and employees of Orange County REMC and drawings for door prizes were on the agenda for the cooperative’s annual meeting on June 8.

Nearly 800 people attended the meeting at Paoli Junior-Senior High School. The feedback we continue to get on the venue is overwhelming positive, and we truly appreciate being able to partner with Paoli Schools to host our annual meeting there. All feedback related to how we can improve or change the meeting is welcome.

Based on your comments, the meal, catered by Schnitzelbank, was enjoyed by all. And how about those desserts? The desserts were catered by The Sweet Life here in Orleans, and they were certainly fantastic.

Nearly 800 members attended the annual meeting and enjoyed a meal catered by Schnitzelbank.

Orange County REMC Directors Danny Easterday, District 3, and Brian Hawkins, District 6, were re-elected in their respective races. Hawkins won a contested election over petitioner Julie Hopper. I want to congratulate the incumbent directors on winning re-election to another three-year term. I also want to thank Julie for running in the election and showing interest in the cooperative’s affairs.

The REMC’s seven-member board of directors serve staggered, three-year terms with the next two years having two directors elected each year. This year, 316 Orange County REMC members voted in person at the annual meeting. The business meeting included updates from Hoosier Energy and me, highlighting how the cooperative strives to go the extra mile for our members. I also shared that Orange County REMC has started another division that will focus on bringing high-speed broadband internet service to all our members. This project, occurring over the course of the next four years, will initially deploy a fiber ring to all of our eight substations while deploying up to a 1 gigabit per second fiber optic connection to our members.

Orange County REMC continues to make improvements related to business efficiency, expense management and enhancements to the services we provide. We are always just a phone call away, so please never hesitate to contact us if you have a question.

Matthew C. Deaton
General Manager/CEO