Vol75-6 June 2025
Member newsletter for Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
About the cooperative • Rising costs, smart choices • Reliability you can count on • Investing in our people • Powering community, not just electricity • Powering forward • Financials • SOS tracker • Community calendar
INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE
We believe a reliable grid starts with a strong team. In 2024, we invested in training and cross-skilling opportunities to keep our workforce sharp, safe, and engaged. Recognizing the importance of continuity, we also strengthened our succession planning, ensuring that as key employees near retirement, we have knowledgeable and prepared individuals ready to step into those roles.
Lineworkers are the backbone of an electric utility. One of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, utility linework requires extensive training and strict safety protocols to work near high-voltage electricity in all types of weather. In 2024, SMECO’s groundman internship program celebrated its first two graduates through an arrangement with the Apprenticeship Maryland program. High-school seniors studying electrical wiring worked mornings as interns alongside SMECO crews, and after graduating, joined the cooperative’s workforce as full-time groundman trainees. Four new students joined the internship program in the fall.
Apprentice Group 23 also finished their four-year apprentice journey in July, completing more than 8,000 hours of training to become SMECO’s newest journeyman lineworkers. This group faced unique challenges as a result of the COVID pandemic but completed their training with a 94.5 percent grade-point average and zero injuries.
Working for an electric cooperative comes with unique demands—and a deep sense of purpose. Employees often serve as both utility professionals and community stewards, navigating long hours, challenging weather conditions, and the ever-present need for reliability and safety. Whether it is restoring power after a storm, upgrading infrastructure, or supporting members with energy solutions, cooperative employees are expected to respond quickly and effectively, often in high-pressure situations. It is a job that requires technical skill, strong teamwork, and a commitment to serving neighbors and rural communities with integrity and care.
National Night Out
Installing new barn owl box
Groundman field day
On-site employee blood drive
Amid these challenges, SMECO understands that maintaining both mental and physical health is crucial for employees so that they remain equipped to meet the demands of their job and continue serving their communities with excellence and heart. As part of these efforts, three cooperative team members became certified Mental Health First Aid instructors. Adding mental health first aid to our established safety training programs will equip employees—members of this community—with the knowledge and skill set to recognize and provide resources for struggling individuals.
Our sustained commitment to healthy employees was recognized when SMECO received the gold level 2024 Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation. When we support our team, we strengthen the foundation of our entire operation—and better serve our members.
