In February of this year Wood County Electric Cooperative (WCEC) began serving members from the new headquarters building that has been in construction since May of 2012. The new building is on the cooperative’s existing property at 501 S. Main Street in Quitman. Since that time, work was ongoing to demolish the remaining portions of the old buildings, outfit the interior, construct the double lane drive-thru, and complete landscaping and signage.
To show off the complete structure, as well as to give members and locals a behind the scenes look, an open house was held on Tuesday, June 25, 2013. All were invited to tour the facilities and learn about the design and build process as well as the work flow and energy efficiencies that the building affords.
In addition to the incorporation of current technology, the building is well-suited to accommodate current and future technology growth. The design also makes use of many of the latest materials and equipment to offer enormous gains in energy efficiencies over the older building. While the facility is built with clean lines and has a modern feel, it also stands as a testament to the rich past of the cooperative with historic photographs mounted throughout. Additionally, the celebrated 1950’s neon sign was refurbished and placed prominently in the landscaping to preserve that heritage.
Debbie Robinson, CEO and GM of WCEC said, “For over a year, we’ve anticipated the day when we could show our members and the community this new building. The community has offered overwhelming support throughout our building process and so we are pleased to have an event to express our thanks to them, and to also inform them about all of the efficiencies gained. This will be a building that our employees can use to serve them well for decades to come.”
Wood County Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a not-for-profit electric cooperative with the mission of providing member-customers reliable electric service at a reasonable rate. WCEC serves over 33,000 meters in parts of nine counties throughout northeast Texas, including Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood.