WEAKLEY COUNTY MUNICIPAL
ELECTRIC SYSTEM

Congratulations to Paula Newbill on her retirement from WCMES after 25 years of service! Paula began her career as the Bookkeeper in 1999 then after several years became a Customer Accounts Clerk. We cannot thank her enough for her dedication and integrity. We wish Paula all the best for her future!

Join us in congratulating Randy Connell as he retired from WCMES after 40 years of service! Randy began working at WCMES on the Right of Way Crew in 1984. He advanced to Meter Reading then on to the Lineman Apprenticeship Program. After completing the Apprenticeship Program, Randy became a Lineman where he spent the past 28 years of his career. Randy graciously volunteered to travel every opportunity to assist fellow electric systems in restoring power after experiencing a catastrophic event. WCMES wants to thank Randy for being a loyal employee and serving our customers over the last 40 years! We wish Randy the very best!

WCMES would like to Congratulate Jeff Crouse on his retirement after 36 years of service! Jeff began his career at WCMES as a Right of Way Groundman and over the years advanced to the Line Construction Foreman where he spent the past 15 years. WCMES is extremely appreciative of Jeff for the many years of hard work and dedication. We wish Jeff the very best in his new adventure!

We had a fun morning at Dresden Middle School’s College and Career Day! The students, teachers, and staff enjoyed the wire cutting challenge. Thank you for inviting WCMES to participate in this event.

Congratulations to the students, faculty, and staff of Bradford High School, who were recently awarded $5,000 to enhance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at their school. These funds, provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and their retiree organization BVI, were offered in partnership with local power company Weakley County Municipal Electric System.  In total, $1.5M were awarded to schools across the Tennessee Valley through a competitive grant application process. Great job, Bradford High students. Keep up the wonderful work!

We enjoyed being a part of Martin Elementary’s Careers on Wheels! Thank you for inviting us to join you on your special days!

We enjoyed being a part of Sharon School’s Touch a Truck! Thank you for inviting us to join you on your special day!

Thank you, to Gleason School, for inviting us to participate in the College and Career Fair!

Congratulations to Diane Blake on her retirement from WCMES! Diane began working full time as the Switchboard Operator in December 1995 following working part time for several years.  In 1998 Diane was promoted to Engineering Secretary where she spent the remainder of her successful career.  We would like to express our gratitude to Diane for her 28 years of dedication to WCMES and her commitment to serving our customers!

Back left – Josh Ray – 10 years, Derick Williams – 30 years, Austin Gardner – 15 years, Zach Moss – 5 years, Jeff Crouse – 35 years, Jerri Jeanne Freeman – 25 years, Liz Worley – 5 years, David Nanney – 15 years, Jason Floyd – 25 years, Jerry Gallimore – 15 years.

Front left – Thomas Brewer – 25 years, Denver Davidson – 15 years, Steve Cooper – 25 years, Jacob Lewis – 5 years, Scott Stout – 5 years.

Congratulations to Pam Leyhue on her retirement after 17 years of service!  Pam began working at WCMES as a Switchboard Operator and soon after became a Cashier where she served the majority of her tenure.   We want to thank Pam for being a loyal and dedicated employee.  We wish her the very best!

WCMES Attorney, Lang Unger, retires after 17 years of service to the System. We appreciate his hard work and dedication and wish him the best for the future!

We want to thank our hard-working lineman and crews for the great job they do keeping the lights on. They serve our communities with such dedication. Please join us in expressing appreciation to them, they deserve it! If you see them out and about today, make sure to thank them!

WCMES enjoyed sharing job opportunities at the Dresden Middle School Career Fair. This event included students from Greenfield, Dresden, Martin, and Sharon. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this day!

WCMES was excited to be a part of Gleason School’s College and Career Fair! It was great to interact with the students and discuss career opportunities!

Thank you to Sharon School for inviting us to their Touch-A-Truck event! It was a fun morning displaying our service truck and equipment for Pre-K through 2nd graders to enjoy!

WCMES loves opportunities to help our local students! Egg Drop Competitions are always a fun way to see our students’ ideas! Thanks to the Gleason School for allowing WCMES to help in this competition. Congratulations to all the students on their awesome builds!

Sunday March 5th WCMES deployed crews to Carroll County Electric and Benton County Electric. On Monday, March 6th WCMES Crews were sent to Paris Board of Public Utilities. WCMES Crews were deployed to assist with power restoration due to the windstorm that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. Mutual Aid or “Helping our neighbors” is a critical part of the Public Power Model and which we are thankful!

On March 3rd, Weakley County Municipal Electric System Service Territory experienced a windstorm which caused fallen trees, broken poles, and downed power lines. As a result, around 7,700 customers were without power. WCMES Employees worked throughout the weekend to repair damages and to restore power to our customers. WCMES is very appreciative of our neighbors at Union City Energy Authority for sending crews to assist in power restoration! Thank you to our customers and community for your patience and support in events like these.

This week is National Engineers Week! WCMES wants to celebrate our Engineering Department and show our appreciation for the work they do everyday.

South Fulton Middle and High School has been awarded a $5,000 STEM grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority, in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc., a TVA retiree organization, to develop science, technology, engineering, and math education projects to help spark student interest in future careers in STEM-related fields. Congratulations on this accomplishment!

We would like to congratulate these WCMES Employees who were honored for their years of service during our 2022 Company Christmas party. 

Back left – Jeremy Kirk – 5 Years, Willie Parker – 25 Years, Chance Plunk – 5 Years, Keven Bruner – 30 Years, and Adam Killebrew – 25 Years. 

Front left – Shelly Bowers – 30 Years and Erica Scott – 10 Years.  Thank you for your service to WCMES! 

Mark Sampson recently retired from WCMES after 8 years of service! He started at WCMES on the Right of Way Crew, then worked as a Meter Reader for several years. Mark then became a Meter Serviceman and retired as a Right of Way Equipment Operator. Congratulations Mark and we wish you the best!

Weakley County Municipal Electric System recently recognized four employees for completing their apprenticeship programs. Jared Moore, Adam West, Denver Davidson, and Dwayne Evans all completed a 4 year – 8,000-hour Apprenticeship through WCMES, The Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, and The Department of Labor. The four apprentices began their journey in 2018 and went through a series of classwork units, labs, workshops, and testing to complete their apprenticeships. Congratulations to these WCMES Employees!

Congratulations to Lisa Woodruff on her recent retirement! She was employed at WCMES for 18 years. Lisa started with WCMES as the Switchboard Operator and eventually began working as our Plant Accountant. We have enjoyed working with Lisa throughout the years and wish her many years of happiness!

Barry High retired from WCMES after 41 years of service! He began with WCMES on the Right of Way Crew, then progressed to Meter Reading, a Lineman Apprenticeship, a Lineman and retired as a Line Foreman. Barry was a loyal and outstanding employee that will be greatly missed! Congratulations Barry!

WCMES was honored to serve as part of the Iris Festival Parade Grand Marshal group this year. When natural disasters strike our communities, WCMES’s Team is ready to step up and do what it takes to get the power restored. We are proud to serve our communities in an elite capacity of rebuilding and restoring power. Last December the WCMES Team worked many long, hard hours to help the citizens of Dresden and surrounding areas. Our Team not only restored power but also helped restore a more normal way of life after such a tragedy. WCMES is proud to be the Power behind the Iris!