GVEC Strey, Melvin - July 24, 1987
Interview with Melvin Strey
Interviewer: Karen Yancy
Transcriber: Karen Yancy
Date of Interview: July 24, 1987
Location: Mr. Strey’s Home, New Berlin, TX
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Begin Tape 1, Side 1
Karen Yancy: This is Karen Yancy. Today is July 24, 1987, and I’m conducting an oral interview with Mr. Melvin Strey, director of Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative [GVEC] at Gonzales, Texas.
Why did you become a director?
Melvin Strey: I had been involved in a number of public service-type things with our community here, including the New Berlin Community Club, fire department, and church activities. It was just a natural transition to go on into a wider area of service than just the local area.
Yancy: What experience did you bring to the board of directors?
Strey: As I mentioned, I was on the church council and served there for a number of years and helped incorporate the City of New Berlin. I was instrumental in organizing the fire department and rural water system here in the community, so all of those things helped me be interested in the services that GVEC could provide.
Yancy: How many years have you served as a director?
Strey: I just received a pin for ten years’ service. I’ve been on the board for ten years.
Yancy: What kind of time commitment is involved in being a director?
Strey: Well, there is a monthly meeting, of course, which involves all day, one day a month, and in addition, we spend a lot of time preparing materials and reading materials for the board meetings. We get those usually on Thursday or Friday preceding the board meeting. In fact, I just have mine here today, and we spend several hours preparing for that. We get very adequate materials from our management staff who keeps us abreast of all the activities. Of course, there are special meetings of the board that we have occasionally along with member information committee meetings twice a year and annual meeting once a year.
Yancy: What are your responsibilities as a director? What are the week-to-week commitments?
Strey: The overall responsibilities are to set the policies under which the organization operates along with the overall organizational goals and the long-range planning and commitment that [have]to go into a utility of this type.
Yancy: I know you get a stipend, but what kind of personal satisfaction do you get as a representative of the Co-op members?
Strey: I guess the most would be the idea of service to the community in a several-county area; being able to bring my abilities, whatever they may be, to serve the organization.
Yancy: Do the Co-op members contact you about policy changes or problems they encounter?
Strey: Occasionally, they do. I get questions on a billing problem or a line extension and things of that sort, and usually I immediately call one of our key management people and let them handle the situation since I usually do not know the specific details of that problem. I get the information that I can from the member that may call me, and then I relay that and try to get the member together with management.
Yancy: How often do members contact you about such problems?
Strey: Oh, several times a month. It’s not really all that often.
Yancy: Are you more willing to contact the general manager and the division heads with electrical problems?
Strey: I would say yes. I have a good relationship with all of them, and I don’t hesitate to call them if a problem comes up. I suppose that’s an indication of the importance of members knowing the key people because if you are better acquainted with them, you’ll be more open and more freely discuss the problems.
Yancy: What are the aspirations of the board for the Co-op?
Strey: I would sum it up by saying that we want to provide as much service as possible to the members beyond electricity. Recently, we completed a refinancing so that we can get away from the REA [Rural Electric Administration] restrictions. As a result, the door is more or less wide open as to what we can get involved with, provided, of course, that it be of service to the members.
Yancy: Other co-ops tend to have very argumentative board meetings, but GVEC doesn’t. In your opinion, why doesn’t GVEC experience these problems? Is it the relationship you have with management?
Strey: I’m sure that’s one of the key factors, but we must include also the ability of management and board members to communicate well with each other and the feeling that they are on secure footing. Generally, talking things over in detail before specific action is taken helps to cut down on later problems, questions, and misunderstandings. I think that’s a key factor.
Yancy: GVEC has a good consumer relationship. To what do you contribute this goodwill?
Strey: I think it’s an overall attitude of wanting the membership to be as informed as possible. In my opinion, the member service department that we have is much better than average and involves more people than in the average cooperative. It pays off with the member relationships that we have. The monthly newsletter that’s published, the special programs that we have going on, and generally keeping the members informed must be key factors for any organization.
Yancy: In talking with GVEC employees, the Co-op seems to be one big happy “family.” What do you think of this word in describing the relationship?
Strey: I think it’s a very good word. Family, to me, carries with it some close relationship concepts, and I think those kinds of concepts and relationships are prevalent throughout the entire employee family, as you said of GVEC. It’s a rather close-knit organization in the sense of one goal and working together and getting along well.
Yancy: What do you see as the future of GVEC?
Strey: I would say it’s unlimited. It can be anything that the members want it to be! In the way of additional services, the possibility that we have right now, of course, is the service of satellite TV. Television reception is not readily available to some of our areas, and cable is certainly out of the question because of the scarce population. If the Cooperative could provide this service to its members, I think that would be a very good project. The rural water situation that we are working on presently is another very important aspect of daily living in our service area. It’s a key to the future! Other possibilities are things like garbage pick-up of some sort and perhaps sewage somewhere down the line. If it involves the utilities area, I think that GVEC needs to be involved to make sure that members receive not only electric service but all the other utilities that go with it, too.
Yancy: That’s all the questions I have. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Strey: Just that I’m very proud of GVEC; I’m proud to be a part of it. I feel that GVEC over the years has been very instrumental and involved in a number of improvements in the service area including not only electricity but things like industrial development and water system development. All of these have contributed to a better way of life for our members in the counties that we serve. I think that this needs to be continued, and I’m confident that it will.
Yancy: Thank you for taking time to talk to me.
End of interview