Associated Electric Cooperative presents Excel awards to four employees in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, MO – Four employees from Associated Electric Cooperative’s Springfield headquarters were among those honored this week at the member-owned, wholesale power supply cooperative’s 23rd annual employee recognition awards ceremony in Springfield.

The recipients of the awards are Donald G. Frederick of Springfield, for 2016 Excel Distinguished Service Award; Stacy G. Jackson of Nixa for 2016 Excel Award for Employee of the Year in an Administrative Field; Linda R. Putman of Nixa for 2016 Excel Award for Employee of the Year in a Professional Field; and Tina M. Wilson of Billings for 2016 Excel Award for Supervisor of the Year. They were nominated by their peers and co-workers.

Don Frederick, purchasing supervisor, was honored for his 40-year career, which continues. He manages the purchase and delivery of the goods and services for the cooperative’s coal and gas plants and its headquarters. “His knowledge of plant operations helps with providing the purchasing service to the plants,” said the nominator.

He joined Associated’s Thomas Hill Energy Center in 1976 in the entry-level general utilityman position. Before transferring to headquarters in 2009, he worked in material handling, operations and the electrical shop where he became a journeyman electrician specialist. He later became an electrical/instrumentation planner and subsequently was promoted to planned maintenance coordinator, responsible for planning outages at the Thomas Hill power plant.

During his Thomas Hill years, he earned an associate’s degree from Moberly Area Community College and later completed a bachelor’s degree from William Woods University.

Frederick noted that “Relationships with vendors are very important.” His buyers and purchasing agents cultivate trust among the scores of vendors they work with, including hosting a vendor gathering in Springfield for about 150 representatives of 75 companies.

Reflecting on his job and award, Frederick said the best part has been “being part of a company that has strong values and truly cares for the customers we serve and the employees we have. It is great to be personally involved with the people at the plants and the people at Headquarters. I am honored to be involved with about every division and employee throughout the company. I have a great team of co-workers that are fantastic to work with.”

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Stacy Jackson, administrative assistant in the information services department, was honored for her organizational, communication and creative skills. One nominator said, “Stacy has extraordinary skills in planning and improvising, with collaboration being her strongest suit. She has been nothing short of amazing … making requests for items, meetings and events easy and seamless.”

Another nominator praised Jackson for organizing a department retreat at a location that encouraged out-of-the-box thinking and family involvement. She also shaved thousands of dollars from the budget.

With a degree in hotel and restaurant management, Jackson is adept in executing such events. She also is a strong communicator, saying, “As someone who has a passion for and is really good at making personal connections, I have been blessed to be able to work in an environment that lets me use that strength for the benefit of my team.”

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Linda Putman, managing editor and communications coordinator, was described by her nominator as “a driving force behind well-executed and finely written communication pieces for Associated. She is the go-to expert on all environmental issues; is a champion for concise, transparent employee communications; and one of the best writers and editors around. She’s able to take a complex subject and ensure the final product has easy-to-understand material focused on the main points for either members or employees.”

Putman earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism, specializing in magazine writing and photojournalism, from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Before joining Associated in 1995, she worked for the Branson Tri-Lakes Daily News. Her journalism background and standards meshed well with Associated, where she has communicated with employees and cooperative members about Associated’s mission of delivering reliable, affordable power.

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Tina Wilson, plant accounting supervisor, works with financial analysts, accountants and clerks at Associated’s two coal plants and at its headquarters in collecting and analyzing a variety of financial and operational data for planning, budgeting and benchmarking purposes. Her team also works closely with project managers to bring an accounting perspective to their work.

Wilson’s more than 30 years of accounting experience includes working for a certified public accounting firm and as a controller.

 Her nominators praised her for her skill in coaching and championing her co-workers and fostering collaboration. One nominator said, “She asks for and encourages our opinions, thoughts and ideas. She truly believes what we do happens based on our team effort. She champions each one of us to do our best by helping us out whenever we need it but also empowering us to be successful individuals.”

Wilson said she has cherry-picked her supervisory skills from her own excellent supervisors. Speaking of her team, she said, “I want to work together as a team, not me versus them. I want it to be us. … We don’t do it my way all the time. It’s clearly a collaborative effort because that’s where we get the best product.”

 Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve more than 875,000 customers. Associated’s mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members, including the “Take Control & Save” energy efficiency program, www.TakeControlAndSave.coop. Associated is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.

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