Service Awards

George Reel / 45 years

George Reel, Director of Customer Relations, recently celebrated a big milestone - 45 years of service with Greenville Utilities. He currently oversees 41 employees in Energy Services, Customer Service, Billing, and Credit/Revenue Protection. “As long as I feel that I can continue helping our customers, then I’ll keep doing it,” he said. “Having grown up in this community, I look at everybody as friends and neighbors. I’m also proud to work with employees who always put our customers first, and honored to have had an excellent mentor in former General Manager Charles Horne.”

George began his career at GUC in 1973 managing the former Gold Medallion Program that promoted “all electric” homes. Not long after George came on board, the Oil Embargo caused both oil and electric costs to climb, and George’s job shifted to promoting energy savings to customers. “It was around this time that we began hiring employees to help us focus on customer relations,” he said.

George has a lot of GUC stories to share and has seen many changes at GUC over the last 45 years. Here are just a few tidbits he shared with us about how things were done when he started his career at GUC:

• Meter employees hand wrote the meter reads.
• Office employees only had pen, paper, and a few typewriters.
• Customer bills were mailed on postcards.

In his spare time, George enjoys cooking and reading. He and his wife, Sandy, have been married for 15 years and have two miniature schnauzers, Cooper and Gabby. George has a grown daughter and five grandchildren in South Carolina. Congratulations, George, on 45 years with Greenville Utilities!

Jeff Bland / 20 years

Jeff Bland, Maintenance Mechanic II at the Water Treatment Plant (WTP), recently celebrated 20 years of service with GUC. Jeff, along with the rest of the WTP maintenance team, is highly-skilled and responsible for keeping the instrumentation and equipment in top working order and performing any necessary mechanical repairs. He’s certified through the NC American Water Works Association and Water Environment Association’s Maintenance Technologist Certification program. “I like the challenges of my job,” he said. “It’s always something different. I also work with some great guys.” Jeff and his wife, Fran, have been married for 28 years. They have one daughter, Taylor, who will soon graduate from Pitt Community College. In his free time, Jeff likes to hunt, fish, and target shoot.

5 Years

Eban Kea, IT Support Specialist II

10 Years

Todd Cannon, IT Senior Server/Security Analyst

15 Years

James Forrest, Electric Line Clearing Coordinator

Promotions

Michael Dunn, Electric Engineer Assistant II
Jason Gaskins, Electric Troubleshooter Crew Leader
Lee Eakes, Customer Contact Representative II

Sympathies

Our sympathies go to Water Resources Systems Superintendent Troy Perkins on the recent death of his mother, Ms. Ruby Brady Perkins.
Our condolences are extended to Water Resources Systems Maintenance Crew Leader Jordan Godley on the passing of his grandmother, LeVerle Mills Godley.
Our condolences also go to Electric Overhead Lineworker Earl Harris on the death of his father, Charles Earl Harris Sr.

Thank You's

Bonnie Mabry called to thank everyone involved in getting her power restored so quickly and that she really appreciated it. Those who helped were Overhead Construction Crew Leader Mike Ashley, Troubleshooter Crew Leader Jason Gaskins, and Overhead Lineworkers Casey Jones, David Bunch, and Matt McLawhorn.

Chris Richardson called to say how thankful he was for Patrick Sherrod, Water Resources Systems Maintenance Crew Leader, and Cody Cratt, Pipe Layer, for helping him out with a recent sewer blockage. “The guys were very helpful and eager to help me out,” he said.

Candice Overcash called to tell us about the excellent customer service she received from Customer Contact Representative Gretchen Maloney. She was especially impressed that Gretchen called to assist her with an online account issue. “This was the best utility experience I’ve ever had,” she said.

Jay Kotz with Continental Builders sent a thank you message to Customer Contact Representatives Sandy Woolard, Cindy Burke, Lynette Smith, and Tonya Roebuck for all of their help on the Pitt Greene Connector Project.

Melissa Eakes and Ashliegh Minton with the Junior League of Greenville sent an email thanking the GUC employees who assisted with the group’s Touch A Truck event in April. “We are so thankful for the partnership and to each of those who guys are always so nice to work with,” they wrote. “We can really tell they each enjoy being there, and for that we are so thankful!” Those who helped at the event were Electric employees Billy Owens, Calvin Whitehead, Ervin Hardee, and Walt Gaskins, along with Gas employees William Morning and Roger Waterfield, and Gas employees Gregg Lyons (Water Resources).