Service Awards

15 Years 

Jeremy Page, Electric Tree Trimmer II 

10 Years 

Zachary Hamilton, Water Treatment Plant Operator III 

Jay Wetherington, Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Inventory & Parts Coordinator 

Promotions 

Brooks Nobles, Water Treatment Plant Operator III 

Congratulations 

Congratulations to Water Resources Systems Maintenance Crew Leader Keith Clark and his wife, Crystal, on the birth of their daughter, Kinsley Mae. 

Accomplishments 

Congratulations to Mashan Author, HR Staff Support Specialist II, on her graduation from Fayetteville State University with a Master of Business Administration.  

Help us also congratulate Juan Herrera, Building Maintenance Co-Op, on his recent graduation from Pitt Community College with a degree in Industrial Systems Technology. 

Congratulations also to Tracy Hodges, Electric Staff Support Specialist III, on her graduation from North Carolina Wesleyan College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.  

Please join us in congratulating Communications Specialist Karin Fullington on receiving her Remote Pilot License from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). To obtain this certification, Karin studied for and passed the Aeronautical Knowledge Exam. She was tested on subjects such as flight regulations/operations, airspace, weather, aerodynamics, airport and flight communication, decision-making and judgment, and how to read aeronautical charts. Karin obtained this certification to fly a drone for GUC to shoot aerial video and photo footage of our facilities and projects. 

Please also join us in congratulating E-Learning Instructional Designer/Trainer Carrie Peed on completing Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion for Human Resources Certification. The online program involved six courses, each lasting two weeks and covering topics like fostering an inclusive environment, countering bias in the workplace, and driving engagement for HR, to name a few. Each course had multiple writing and discussion assignments where Carrie was able to share with and hear from other diversity and inclusion professionals. Each course also had a cumulative project that students completed and were graded on as new material was covered. In addition, Carrie received a Facilitator Certification from Totally Responsible Person (TRP) Enterprises. Because of the pandemic, Carrie participated in TRP’s first-ever virtual certification process, which included a three-day “train the trainer” course via Zoom. Carrie is now able to share TRP’s training materials with GUC employees. TRP’s learning objectives are recognizing moments of choice and exercising courage and self-control in the face of adversity.  

Sympathies

Our condolences to the friends, family, and co-workers of Rita K. Johnson, Wastewater Treatment Plant Staff Support Specialist II, who recently lost her hard fight against cancer. We will honor Rita with a tribute page in the September Spotlight. 

Condolences to Cashier Matthew May on the death of his Grandmother, Ethel Little. 

Our sympathies are extended to Electric Substation Lineworker Mono Jones on the death of his father, William Woolard.  

Our condolences also to Water Treatment Plant Operator Gary Shelton on the death of his father, William T. Shelton. 

Our sympathies are extended to the family of former Board Commissioner Henry Ferrell, who recently passed. 

Thank You's

Carrie Mittelsteadt wrote a note of appreciation to Gas Systems Crew Leader I Paul Bunch and Gas Systems Technician II Christopher Wallace for providing professional customer service while responding to a gas leak at her house. “The gentlemen who responded to the gas leak were extremely pleasant, polite, and professional,” wrote Ms. Mittelsteadt. “They quickly repaired the problem and then ensured that my gas was working properly.” 
 
Our customer, Sherri Randell, sent a private Facebook message complimenting the crew that worked on her outage during Hurricane Isaias. “It was amazing,” she wrote. “We saw the trucks come into the big transformer on Greenville Blvd. Service was restored quickly. Extremely impressive. Thank you all.” The following employees are to be commended on this job:  Troubleshooter Crew Leader Casey Jones, Overhead Lineworker Third Class Brian Stallings, Substation/Communications Supervisor Lee Ausbon, Substation Control Engineer Ken Wade, Protective Relay Technician II Justin Morris, Control Room Operator I Cathy McGowan, and Control Room Operations Supervisor Russ Carson.   

Angela Johnson called to express her appreciation of Meter Technician Ernest Overton for giving her one of his cold bottles of water. She said that Ernest was there to do a new service connection for a neighbor, and happened to see her filling her used soda bottle with water from the outdoor faucet while mowing grass. She was very appreciative and overjoyed by his gesture.  

Isaias Storm Appreciation 

When Hurricane/Tropical Storm Isaias started to move out of the area, our crews were out in full force restoring power to approximately 10,000 customers. Our hardworking staff worked around the clock, assessing damage and clearing lines and roads, and restoring power as quickly and safely as possible. During this challenging time, our amazing customers posted many kind words of encouragement on GUC’s social media accounts. Be sure to browse through those. In the meantime, here is a snapshot of some messages and comments:   

Debbie Hoover Jones -  Thanks to the best lineman in N.C. I know we are in good hands! 
Wendy Proctor - Thank you to all the linemen for working so hard! 
Leanne Pitts -  Thank you GUC employees. Your dedication is very appreciated! 
Carlynn Knott -  GUC is great! Thanks for being there for all of us! 
Elizabeth Dixon Martin -  You are awesome! Thanks for always working hard for us! 
Cathy Baker Gordon -  Thank you for all the hard work! 
Becky B. Pawlak -  Thank you always. 
Troy Dreyfus -  Thank you all for your hard work!  
Nora Williams -  Thanks for getting our power restored!  
Alise George Rowan -  Thanks for responding so quickly to our outage around midnight last night. 
Ashley Pollard Hudson -  Thank you GUC for all your hard work. You guys sure have been working hard all night in the storm and all day in the heat. We appreciate you! 
Jackie Williams -  That you linemen for all the dedication and hard work. 
Lacey Nicole -  We are so thankful for GUC!!! 
Barbara Wortman Dail -  Thank you for your hard work at restoring our power! You are MOST APPRECIATED!!! 
Natalie Kelley -  You are amazing! Thank you and your employees for working so hard! 
Lynnette Mills -  Huge THANK YOU to everyone at GUC for your hard work in restoring power to so many people so quickly! We APPRECIATE you. 
Eric Graham -  Appreciate you all for getting our lives back to normal this morning! 
Terry King -  Thank you for all your continuing hard work GUC! We are blessed to have you serving our community daily!