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Livingston Academy junior Dalton Stout and Gordonsville High junior Breanna Boyd were in Nashville March 13-15 for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association’s annual Youth Leadership Summit. The juniors were chosen and sponsored by Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation.

While in Nashville, delegates visited the State Capitol Building, where Secretary of State Tre Hargett and members of the Tennessee General Assembly welcomed them. Summit attendees held a mock legislative session in the Senate Chambers, debating and voting on a bill they developed. In addition to lawmakers, students heard from leaders like Miss Tennessee’s Outstanding Teen, Jane Marie Franks, trooper Shane Moore and K-9 Officer Sumo with the Tennessee Executive Protection Detail.

The Youth Leadership Summit also included a leadership training day at the Joe C. Davis YMCA Outdoor Center and a behind-the-scenes tour of Bridgestone Arena before a Nashville Predators game. Delegates to the Youth Leadership Summit are encouraged to be leaders in their hometowns and use their talents to improve rural Tennessee. “The Youth Leadership Summit gives the brightest students in rural and suburban Tennessee the opportunity to expand their leadership skills,” says Todd Blocker, Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association vice president of member relations and director of the Youth Leadership Summit.

“These young people will be the next generation of leaders in rural Tennessee, and I commend electric co-ops for supporting this effort to prepare young people for the future. These students will soon be our community leaders — and electric cooperative member-owners,” says UCEMC General Manager and CEO Jennifer Brogdon. “We want them to share our passion for the Upper Cumberland, so it is an honor for UCEMC to help prepare them for the opportunities ahead. The future of our rural communities depends on a new generation of strong leaders like these.”

     The UCEMC Outage Management System (OMS)  is a user-friendly way for members to report outages and get real-time, up-to-the-minute information on outages in their area. The OMS will enable you to report your outage in four ways:

• You may report your outage through our Integrated Voice Response System (IVR) by calling 1-800-261-2940. The IVR will walk you through the steps to report the outage. It notifies us immediately, and we can begin the process of repairs. You can request a call to let you know when power is restored. 
• You can report the outage on our SmartApp.
• Report here at ucemc.com on the bill pay portal.
• You can text us about the outage from the mobile phone listed on your account. After you've reported the outage, check out the Outage Map here on the website by clicking the Outages menu at the top. All reported outages will be marked in red. Please make sure you have an up-to-date phone number in our system. That number is tied to your account and simplifies bill paying, managing your account, and accurately reporting outages. A mobile number tied to your account is required for texting UCEMC with your outage.

 The events of Friday and Saturday, Dec. 23 and 24, were highly unusual.

Winter Storm Elliot brought record-cold temperatures to much of the country in what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called a "historic arctic outbreak." Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation and our power supplier, the Tennessee Valley Authority, set new winter records for energy demand. Most unusual, though — for the first time in its 90-year history — TVA issued a call for rolling blackouts.

While bundling up this winter, don't forget a blanket for your furry friends.

We all have our favorite season. Some people love crisp, cool weather and bundling up under a favorite blanket, while others prefer the warm temperatures summer brings and all the outdoor activities that go with it. 

Sub-freezing temperatures and the winter bills that come with them are never fun. UCEMC is here to help you find ways to manage your home energy use and keep winter bills in check.

The holiday season is finally here. Some call it the most beautiful season of all. That's because we associate it with family traditions and gathering with friends and loved ones. It's a time of giving and spreading joy, reminding us of the good things we have right here in our community. It's essential to spread the blessings as far as possible, especially to the most vulnerable in the Upper Cumberland area.

We're also reminded of how wonderful our community is and what a significant impact we can have when we work together.

When you are a member of Upper Cumberland EMC, you help us spread the good throughout the year. Through our Project Help program, your donations help local families and individuals in need by providing financial assistance with their energy bills.

 Fall is a busy time, and October is a particularly eventful month with a full swing of school, community, and sports activities. It’s also when all cooperatives celebrate National Co-op Month.

When we say UCEMC celebrates Co-op Month, we are celebrating you! After all, our co-op wouldn’t exist without you, our members.

Our core business purpose is to serve as your electricity provider, but the larger mission of the co-op is to help make our corner of the world a better place. “Concern for community” is one of seven guiding principles that all co-ops share.

Similar to how our wires run through our service territory, our concern for community flows through all of our decisions––because being a co-op means being a responsible partner and good neighbor.

UCEMC works to help our community thrive through initiatives led by our employees and a local board comprised of neighbors who live in our community. Because we’re local, we understand our community’s unique needs and strive to help meet them.

 At UCEMC, we're growing with technological advancements and working to keep safe, reliable power flowing to your home. Take a look:

Make preparations to keep you and your family safe during severe weather events.

With severe weather events occurring more frequently, now more than ever, it makes sense to be prepared. A prolonged power outage or another emergency means having enough food, water, and supplies to last at least a few days.

UCEMC wants to remind members of our community about the power of preparation. While you don’t have to achieve a “doomsday prepper” level of preparedness, you can take several practical steps to keep yourself and your family safe.

Even at a modest level, preparation can help reduce stress and anxiety and lessen the impact of an emergency event. We recommend starting with the basics.

The results are in for the 2022 Directorate Election. Thanks to all members who voted!

District 1,  consisting of Smith, DeKalb, Macon, and Wilson Counties:  C.D. (Digger) Poindexter,  unopposed, received 500 votes.

District 3, Overton, Clay, Fentress, and Pickett Counties:  James West retains the seat with 499 votes. Opponent Stormy Halsell received 460 votes. 

District 4,  Jackson County Jim Brown, unopposed, received 525 votes.

The idea is to save money on their electric bill and “go green,” but according to these Tennessee homeowners, they’re spending more than ever before.

Check out their stories at the links below and remember - prior to signing any solar agreement please contact UCEMC’s Member Services advisors for help at 1-800-261-2940.

• The dark side of solar power: A Middle Tennessee couple’s warning for others (watch on wsmv.com) 
• Solar woes: Knoxville-based power company draws customers' ire, state's attention (watch on news10)

A record turn-out joined us at the Cookeville district office on April 26 for the annual Member Appreciation Day celebration. UCEMC members and their families dropped by to enjoy fresh-from-the-grill hamburgers and hot dogs cooked and served up by UCEMC's Cookeville office employees. A tasty selection of homemade pies rounded out the menu. The UCEMC Safety Demonstration Team conducted a live, high-voltage demonstration emphasizing the importance of electrical safety. Each member in attendance left with small tokens of appreciation and other free giveaways as a thank you for their membership. Want to join in the fun? Be sure to check here regularly for the scheduled Member Appreciation Day in your district. We're happy to be YOUR electric cooperative!

Where Power and Opportunity Meet

Amazon recently announced that it plans to build a new operations center in Nashville. This is big news for the entire state as the project is expected to bring more than 5,000 jobs and millions of dollars in investment to the region. Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis have recently made headlines for industry announcements as well.

All of this attention on the state’s urban centers makes it easy to think that opportunity can only be found in a big city. Here in the Upper Cumberland, we know better. Opportunity and growth are all around us. 

Getting Your Power Back with UCEMC

Two destructive hurricanes in the southeast, only weeks apart, took a numbing toll on our neighbors in Florida, southern Georgia, and the Carolinas. Many lives were lost. Homes and businesses, obliterated. As we have seen so many times following storms of such epic scale, heartbroken survivors return to their devastated communities, only to find their way of life altered for many years to come.