2006 Year In Review

January
DEMCO was among a group of electric utilities and public tree care professionals who took part in a community service project at the Sweet Olive Cemetery in mid-town Baton Rouge in conjunction with the 2006 Arbor Day celebration in the Capital City.  DEMCO partnered with other arborists teams during a project organized by the East Baton Rouge Tree and Landscape Commission to provide long overdue tree care and clearing at the historic cemetery.

February
DEMCO's board of directors begins a nationwide search following an announcement by CEO & General Manager Henry Locklar announces he will retire December 1, 2006.

March
Local high school students Matthew Albright of Parkview Baptist High School, Matthew Blanchard and Rachel Carlino, Redemptorist High School, and Gabrielle Sanchez, the Maurepas School each won an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.  The four were the winners in the DEMCO 2006 Youth Tour Essay Contest.

April
Ascension Parish director Clarence Brock, East Baton Rouge director Ann Samuel, Livingston director Leslie Falks and St. Helena director Joe Self  returned to the DEMCO board of directors for a new three-year term, as each were unopposed in their re-election effort as the 2006 annual membership election process began.   

May
Eight Louisiana students were recognized as Louisiana Public Broadcasting's 2006 Louisiana Young Heroes May 3 at the Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge. The winners and their families were honored at a luncheon provided by DEMCO. Governor Kathleen Blanco greeted the children and read a proclamation declaring May 3 as Louisiana Young Heroes Day in Louisiana.

June
Amid much fanfare, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of the previous year, the 2006 hurricane season officially begins.  While forecasters predict a very active season no major storms enter the Gulf of Mexico and DEMCO members are spared the events that devastated much of south Louisiana in 2005.

July
DEMCO was recognized at the 53rd annual meeting of the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives (ALEC) in Baton Rouge July 23-25 when it was presented the Co-op Statewide Safety Trophy by ALEC Director of Loss Control Mike Bergeaux for having the best accident record among Co-ops in the state. DEMCO posted over 565,621 man-hours without a lost time accident since February 2005.

August
DEMCO member Arleen Petersen and her daughter, Heather, of Maurepas won a early morning ride in the Touchstone Energy hot air balloon on August 5 and took part in the Louisiana State Championships with pilot Shane Robinson of Springfield, Mo. The Touchstone Energy hot air balloon is a goodwill ambassador for electric cooperatives and DEMCO sponsored the team's trip to Baton Rouge.

September
Greystone Golf & County Club founder Mike Scurria declares that the Baton Rouge Metro area's newest 425-acre development is a lot more than a history making, championship golf facility in Livingston Parish. "Greystone offers the superior quality of life, excellent schools and scenic beauty that Livingston Parish has always been noted for and it offers the advantage of reliable and economical underground electric service from DEMCO."

October
After a nationwide search, DEMCO's  Board of Directors selected Jeff Kilpatrick, General Manager and CEO of Washington-St. Tammany Electric Cooperative (WSTE) serving the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain and based in Franklinton, La., as the new DEMCO chief executive officer, effective December 1, 2006.

November
DEMCO's Board of Directors, at its November meeting, voted unanimously to honor CEO & General Manager Henry D. Locklar for his 35 years of service to DEMCO by renaming its headquarters building, located at 16262 Wax Road, the Henry D. Locklar Headquarters Building.  Locklar served as the cooperative's CEO for 22 years.

December
Jeff Kilpatrick takes over as CEO and General Manager promising that the passion and professionalism of the most experienced employees is passed on to the next generation; intensify consumer awareness and educational programs to enable members to fully participate in the democratic process that sets cooperatives apart from other business models; and meet the expectations of a society more reliant on electricity than ever before.