IN THIS MONTH’S MAGAZINE, YOU WILL SEEseveral pictures of employees receiving serv-

ice awards. It is with great pride that I acknowledge thesehighly dedicated employees this month. In fact, we have awhole company of dedicated employees here at San BernardElectric Cooperative. That’s not just my opinion—it’s ourmembership’s as well.

Every quarter we conduct a random phone survey askingour members, “How is San Bernard Electric Cooperative doingas a company, and what can we do better?” The reports wereceive from the independent survey company show that ouremployees get the highest marks—every single time.

Knowing we provide excellent customer service is espe-cially comforting to me as the general manager, as there arethings I wish to change but cannot at this moment. I’m nothappy about the price you pay for the wholesale power portionof your monthly bill. We remain under the same conditionsthat I have explained previously in this column: underachiev-ing on our kilowatt-hour sales as compared to our contractualcommitments to our suppliers. When we signed those con-tracts, SBEC was in a period of growth. We purchased powerfutures to accommodate this growth and left a little bit of roomto grow into as well. However, in the last two and a half years,we have sold fewer kilowatt-hours than we did in previous

years—which isn’t good when you have contracts signed for alarger amount. But we do see some light at the end of the tun-nel toward the end of the year. We have been contacted bysome individuals who are planning substantial projects, andhopefully they will break ground soon. The completion ofthese projects and their potential kilowatt-hour usage will helpconsume the excess wholesale power we currently have undercontract.

On another note, I have received some correspondence con-cerning capital credits payments for 2017. One member wasdispleased to not see a credit on their bill this year. The reasonis plain and simple: As previously stated in this column, wedidn’t have a great year in kilowatt-hour sales. While the costof wholesale power has nothing to do with how much moneythe co-op made in margins, the amount of kilowatt-hour saleshas a direct impact on our margins. So, the board and I optednot to retire capital credits in 2017. Any retirement would haveforced the co-op to borrow money to make the capital creditspayments, thus increasing our interest payments and overallcost to the membership. It didn’t make sense to burden ourmembers with increased debt at this time. Hopefully, you willunderstand that decision, and we are optimistic we will be ableto retire some capital credits at the end of 2018.

Until next time, take care.

SAN BERNARD ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

sbec.org18 Texas Co-op Power SAN BERNARD EC February 2018

Co-op News

Dedicated Employees Power SBEC

MESSAGE FROMPRESIDENT/GENERAL MANAGER BILLY MARRICLE

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Happy Valentine’s Day | February 14

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San BernardElectric Cooperative

P R E S I D E N T/ G E N E R A L M A N A G E R

Billy Marricle

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R SGus H. Miller Jr., Chairman, District 6Bruce Pilcik, 1st Vice Chairman, District 3Karl N. Micklitz, 2nd Vice Chairman, District 2Sammy Condra, 3rd Vice Chairman, District 5Charles Matula, Secretary-Treasurer, District 7Norm Kiecke, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer,

District 4Lori Walker, District 1Colt Haack, District 8John Allen, District 9

Contact UsHEADQUARTERS—BELLVILLE

(979) 865-31711-800-364-3171 309 W. Main St. • P.O. Box 1208Bellville 77418

COLUMBUS SERVICE CENTER

(979) 732-83464285 Highway 71 South • P.O. Box 309Columbus 78934

FIELDSTORE SERVICE CENTER

(936) 372-9176 or (936) 372-917729244 FM 1488 • P.O. Box 1367 Magnolia 77353

HALLETTSVILLE SERVICE CENTER

(361) 798-44931686 U.S. Hwy. 90A East • P.O. Box 610 Hallettsville 77964

PAY BY PHONE

1-844-201-7199

FIND US ON THE WEB

sbec.orgfacebook.com/sbecoop

IN 2018, SAN BERNARD EC WILL TRANSITION FROM BLUE SHIRTS TO GRAY SHIRTS. This change will not happen right away, so our crews will be out in the field wearingboth colors throughout the year.

New Uniformsfor SBEC Crews

From left, Aaron Henke, Alan Chester,Brent Westbrook, David Tomczak, KevinDvorak and Curtis Kendrick model thesoon-to-be-retired blue shirts.

Donning the new gray uniform shirtsare, from left, David Tomczak, KevinDvorak and Curtis Kendrick.

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SAN BERNARD ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE HELD ITS EMPLOYEEaward ceremony December 2, 2017, in conjunction with itsChristmas party at the Austin County Fair Association Con-vention Center in Bellville.

Several employees received service awards. Kevin Dvorak,Isabell Cavazos and Dana Schomburg received five-year serv-ice awards. Barbara Meyer, Jason Beaman, Shawn Fisbeckand Aaron Henke received awards for 10 years of service.John Richardson and Darren Pfeffer were honored with 15-year service awards. James Jouett, Craig Engeling and Ken

Wied were recognized for 20 years of service. Dennis Faldynreceived a 25-year service award, and Carl Greenstein wasrecognized for 30 years of service to SBEC. Sammy Condrareceived his 10-year director award, and Charles Matula was presented with his 20-year director award.

General Manager Billy Marricle and Chairman of theBoard Gus Miller acknowledged these employees by presenting each with an award. Congratulations to all the employees for their dedication over the years to SanBernard EC!

San Bernard EC Recognizes Employees

5 YEARS: ISABELL CAVAZOS, KEVIN DVORAK, DANA SCHOMBURG 10 YEARS: JASON BEAMAN, SHAWN FISBECK, AARON HENKE 1 S

15 YEARS: DARREN PFEFFER, JOHN RICHARDSON 20 YEARS: JAMES JOUETT, KEN WIED, CRAIG ENGELING

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10 YEARS: GENERAL MANAGER BILLY MARRICLE ANDSAMMY CONDRA

20 YEARS: CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD GUS MILLER, CHARLES MATULA,GENERAL MANAGER BILLY MARRICLE

25 YEARS: CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD GUS MILLER,DENNIS FALDYN, GENERAL MANAGER BILLY MARRICLE

30 YEARS: CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD GUS MILLER, CARL GREEN-STEIN, GENERAL MANAGER BILLY MARRICLE

35 YEARS: MIKE BRAU AND ROBERT HROMADKADIRECTOR AWARDS

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THE SAN BERNARD ELECTRIC SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE IS MONDAY, MARCH 5. ALLapplications must be postmarked or delivered to the SBEC offices by 5 p.m. onthat day.

SBEC is awarding a $2,500 scholarship to one student at each of the 12 schools inits service territory (Bellville, Columbus, Faith Academy, Charlottesville, Hemp-stead, Magnolia, Rice, Royal, Sacred Heart, Sealy, Waller and Weimar high schools)and one home-school student. Scholarship applicants should be 12th-grade stu-dents and must have plans to attend a college, technical school or other postsec-ondary educational institution.

In a joint effort with Prairie View A&M, San Bernard EC will provide an addi-tional 10 scholarships for students to attend Prairie View A&M for the first twosemesters of college attendance. These scholarships shall be established in the sumof $1,250 per student per semester, for a total of $2,500. The scholarships will bepromoted to high schools in the SBEC service area.

For more information or to download an application, visit sbec.org and lookunder the My Community tab, call the San Bernard EC Member Service departmentor contact your school counselor.

San Bernard ScholarshipDeadline Coming Up

Did You Know? February 12 is National Clean Out Your ComputerDay. The second Monday in February is a perfect time to delete junk and duplicate filesalong with folders and programs you no longer need. Show your computer some love!

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WHAT TO DO IF . . .

You Encounter aDowned Power LineEVEN IF EVERY HOME IN YOUR NEIGH-borhood loses electricity during a storm,a power line hanging loose could verywell be “live” and electrocute you if youtouch it.

Just because the electricity is outdoesn’t mean power lines are dead. So ifyou see one, follow these tips to staysafe:

a Don’t touch a power line with yourhand, body, a stick, a broom—not withanything. Stay as far away from it aspossible.

a Call 911 and your electric cooperative.a If your car or another person is

touching a downed line, don’t touch yourcar or that person. The power could flowthrough them and into you.

a Don’t drive over a downed wire.a If a line falls on your car while

you’re in it, stay inside. The groundaround your car could be energized, andif you touch it, you could be electro-cuted. Warn others to stay away and call911 for help.

a Teach children about the dangers offallen power lines.

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Value inYour WalletSAN BERNARD ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE’Scommitment to you goes beyond provid-ing safe, reliable and affordable electricity.We’re always looking for ways to providevalue to our members and our community.

The Co-op Connections card is amoney-saving tool we’re proud to offerour membership. The card connects youwith discounts on everything from hotelstays to prescription drugs.

A wide variety of merchants onlineand throughout our community acceptthe card, so be sure to present the cardat the register to receive your discount!

Online, you’ll find discounts at nationalretailers such as Hertz rental cars, Barnes& Noble, Best Western Hotels and Resorts,and ProFlowers. You can check out thesegreat national discounts at sbec.org.

One of the most valuable features ofthe Co-op Connections card is the phar-macy discount. While it is not insurance,the discount can mean savings of 10–60percent on prescription drugs at morethan 60,000 pharmacies.

The pharmacy discount has beenwidely used by members of TouchstoneEnergy co-ops across the country, result-ing in combined savings of more than$100 million on prescriptions.

San Bernard EC strives to serve ourmembers according to four core values:integrity, accountability, innovation andcommitment to community. Our Co-opConnections card is one of the ways welive up to those values.

We’re eager to answer any questionsyou have about the card and how to takeadvantage of the discounts it provides.Visit sbec.org or call our member servicesdepartment for full details to start saving!

FIND ALL THEWAYS TO SAVE AT

SBEC.ORG

San BernardElectric Co-op

San BernardElectric Co-op

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USED CATTLE PANELS OR USED COR-RAL PANELS—Call (979) 877-7257.

TRADE—5 month blue India peahen foranother blue India peahen 3 years oryounger. Call or text (281) 389-5407.

S E R V I C E S

FREE WILD HOG REMOVAL—Use dogs,well experienced, willing to travel. Call(832) 715-1130.

F R E E

VARIOUS—¾-inch poly irrigation hosesand 19-strand aircraft cable. Call (281)658-8896.

A D V E R T I S E I N T H E T R A D I N G P O S T

SBEC members are invited to submitads for the Trading Post to P.O. Box1208, Bellville, TX 77418, or to lsam-ford@sbec.org. However, no com-mercial business ads will beaccepted. Ads are placed on a first-come, first-served basis, and wereserve the right to refuse any ad.Please submit your ad by the 20thof each month. (If you submit an adby February 20, it will appear in theApril issue). Your ad will be pub-lished in two consecutive issues,then deleted. If you want the ad torun another two months, you mustresubmit the ad. The ad will notexceed four consecutive months.

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TRADINGPOST

F O R S A L E

VINTAGE 2-MAN SAW—$75. Call (979) 877-7257.

MOWER—John Deere Z225 EZtrak ZeroTurn Mower, 51 hours, 42-inch deck, runsgreat. Call (281) 773-5011.

HARLEY DAVIDSON LEATHER JACKETS—1 XXXL, 1 XXXLT, $200/each. Roll of 1900–1908 Indian pennies and Indian head nickelswith date. Call (979) 877-7257.

55-INCH TV—$45; 27-inch TV, $10, not flatscreen. Call (979) 877-5361.

3-TIER CONCRETE WATER FOUNTAIN—$125, pick up in Bellville; antique pedestaldining table and six chairs, $250. If inter-ested, call and will send pictures. Call(979) 877-8135.

GRINDERS—Rare “Made in Czechoslovakia”poppy seed grinder, $95; Spong No. 2 cof-fee bean grinder, made in England, 1910,$125. Hempstead area. Call (281) 639-4049.

TRAILER—5x10-ft. tandem-axle bumper-pull cattle trailer, sliding ½ rear gate with fillswing rear gate. Barn kept. New treatedwooden floor and overhead pipe enclosed.Call (979) 992-3866.

HORSE SLANT TRAILER—2 horse, S&Hbumper pull trailer, high walls. Call (979)877-9908 for more info or pictures.

WRECKED MOTORCYCLE—2000 KawasakiVoyager 1200, 31K miles, selling as fixer-upper or for parts. $750. Pictures available.Call (979) 398-9046.

EXERCISE ITEMS—Cardio bike/machine,$75; weight bench, $55; Detecto scale, new,$12. Columbus area. Call (979) 733-9816.

OFFICE ITEMS—4-drawer lateral file cabi-net, $99; 5-drawer file cabinet, $129; book-case, $30; roll around file rack, $75; misc.chairs, $5–$50. Columbus area. Call (979)733-9816.

MEDICAL ITEMS—Electric hospital bed withmattress, $300; 28-inch-wide wheelchairwith detachable armrests and footrests,$250; folding walker, $20; trapeze bar, $75.Columbus area. Call (979) 733-9816.

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS—Admiral washingmachine and gas clothes dryer, $100/pair;enhanced HDTV booster 25 mile, $5; Tom-cat mole trap, $5; bedside cabinet, $15;stinger bug/insect zapper (new), $15.Columbus area. Call (979) 733-9816.

TRACTOR—1952 8N Ford with box blade,great condition, $3,000 or best offer. Call(713) 922-5986, leave message.

VARIOUS—Jenson stereo, record player,cassette and CD player, $40; 4 big dirtbikes, need tube or stints in tire, $40 for allfour; like new, used once tile cutter onstand, $40. Call (979) 826-6563.

ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES—CatSpring. Call (281) 744-8245.

10-ACRE HAY MEADOW—Off of Hay Rd. inBellville, $6,000/acre. If interested, pleasecall Andy (979) 885-9670 or Cody (979)277-4704.

W A N T E D

OLD/ANTIQUE GAS PUMPS—Please callRichard at (979) 865-3098.

OLD/ANTIQUE CARS, TRUCKS, CAMPERS—Any condition. Send photos to (713) 899-0999.

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SCAMMERS ARE TARGETING UNSUSPECTINGcitizens with greater frequency—andincreasing creativity. Crooks nowthreaten victims with everything fromlegal action involving the IRS to turningoff power to your home. Or they pretendto help victims avoid complications withutility, cellphone, video streaming, bankor other accounts.

But there is good news: Scams arebeing recognized and reported moreoften. And all it takes to thwart one isawareness and vigilance.

A Few Common ScamsStaying alert and cautious every day canhelp you avoid these common scams.

The Utility Scam: An individual poses asan employee of your electric cooperative,telling you that your power will be turnedoff for nonpayment of your bill. Thescammer says you can avoid disconnection by giving themmoney via prepaid credit or debit card.

The Something-for-Nothing Scam: A con artist claims to rep-resent a government program that helps pay utility bills. Theysay your bill can be paid with stimulus money; all you have todo is “verify” your bank account, credit card or Social Securitynumber. No such government program exists. Sharing thisinformation puts you at risk for identity theft and financialdamage—and for electricity disconnection when the bill isn’tactually paid by the bogus program.

The Netflix Scam: This email scam targets subscribers of theNetflix video streaming service, warning that their account isbeing canceled. The objective is to steal personal and credit cardinformation. The professional-looking, personalized emailoften bears the subject line “Your suspension notification” andincludes a link to a fake Netflix page, where you are promptedto enter your login information and credit card number.

Avoid Being ScammedDespite differing tactics, all scams share one objective: to getmoney or sensitive information from you. Never provide pass-words or PINs, nor your Social Security, credit card, bank orother account numbers, unless you initiated the contact andtrust the person with whom you are speaking. No legitimatebusiness should ever contact you to ask for personal financialinformation.

a If someone comes to your home claiming to be a coopera-tive employee and demands to collect money or inspect parts of

your property, note the person’s identification, then make themwait outside your locked door. Call the co-op immediately toverify whether the person is, in fact, an employee. If not, calllocal police and do not let the individual into your home.

a If you receive a call from someone who pressures you forimmediate payment or personal information, do not respondto their requests. Instead, hang up. Call the company theyclaimed to represent, then local authorities.

a Think before you respond to an email. View with suspi-cion any emails that push you to click on links or otherwise actimmediately. If you want to change settings for any account,never click on links in an email. Instead, independently navi-gate to the site in your browser.

After a ScamIf you suspect you’ve already been the target of a scam:

Be proactive. If you already have provided financial infor-mation to someone you later suspect as fraudulent, immedi-ately contact your bank.

Report the incident. Notify the organization that the scam-mer claimed to represent and the police. They might not beable to do anything, but every report helps build a body ofinformation to identify and stop these scams in the future.

Do not fall for a “recovery” scam. Don’t give anybody anymore money on the promise that they will get your lost moneyback. It’s just another scam.

Inform others. Share this information with friends and fam-ily so they do not fall prey to scams.

Scammers Ramping Up Slow them down with skepticism, vigilance

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