CEO

Four County EMC

Burgaw, North Carolina

The Board of Directors invites applications for the position of CEO. The current CEO has announced his plan to retire and the Board has engaged Holmes Executive Search LLC to facilitate the search process. Four County is a member-owned and focused Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) that plays a vital role in the quality of life in the communities it serves.

Four County was established in 1937 by a group of community leaders working together to bring electricity to the rural areas. The first lines were built in 1938 with a loan from the U.S. Rural Electrification Administration. Today we provide services which include residences, farms, businesses, industries, churches and schools. As a Cooperative, Four County operates on a not-for-profit basis, with the Co-op members as its owners.

Through a member-elected Board of Directors, each person is given a voice in how the Co-op is operated. This Board of Directors is elected in staggered three-year terms at the annual meeting, with each member having one vote.

MISSION: To provide highly reliable electric services, innovative energy solutions and outstanding service to our Members and Communities.

The CEO position reports directly to the Board of Directors. Experience and an understanding of the CEO/Board relationship and cooperative governance is highly valued. The successful candidate will have a strong commitment to cooperative principles and to the core values of innovation, accountability, commitment to the Community and integrity in order to serve the energy needs of our members today and in the future.

The successful candidate must have excellent people, listening, and communication skills, a history of demonstrated leadership skills, management responsibilities and the ability to work effectively with a board. The capacity to think strategically while promoting cohesion and team building within the staff is paramount. The board expects the CEO to be able to build on current and establish new relationships with the capability to impact and influence others within the cooperative, business arena and community. Keeping abreast of all pending and current industry changes and legislative issues impacting the cooperative in order to purposefully plan is vital.

Experience with and a comprehensive understanding of all core business practice areas and processes within an electric distribution utility is expected. Five years of related utility senior management experience, preferably in a rural electric environment, is required. A degree from a four-year college or university is strongly preferred or equivalent education combined with relative work experience and an upward career progression.

Four County is a winter peaking system at approximately 225 MW, with density of 6.5 meters/mile, 96M revenue and modest growth. A full-time staff of 96 employees provides electric service to over 33,000 consumers. Four County has three district offices servicing more than 5,000 miles of overhead, underground and transmission lines, with 32 substations, providing reliable electric services in Bladen, Duplin, Pender and Sampson counties. The co-op also serves a small number of services in Columbus and Onslow counties.

The cooperative is a member of the North Carolina Electric Membership Cooperatives (NCEMC) and is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative; ACSI score of 89. The CEO and one board member sit on the NCEMC board.

Nestled in the heart of Pender County, Burgaw is a small town known for its friendly people and picturesque surroundings. So much so, several films and television shows have been filmed here. Burgaw is conveniently located 25 minutes from Wilmington and area beaches. Burgaw offers a wide variety of shopping and casual dining. The rich farmlands, festivals and historic architecture of the town have helped Burgaw grow tremendously over the years. Our fields have produced plentiful crops of corn, tobacco, soybeans, cotton and several berries. One of Pender County’s largest crops is the blueberry. Burgaw is home of the North Carolina Blueberry Festival, held annually on the third Saturday in June. Get your walking shoes ready and take a stroll through our shady streets to see for yourself the unique characteristic that make Burgaw “A Charming Town Year-Round.”

Four County is a strong partner in economic development. Check out our web site at www.fourcty.org.

The Cooperative offers a comprehensive benefits package and a salary structure commensurate with qualifications and representative of the market. Interested parties should direct their inquiries to Holmes Executive Search LLC and submit the following electronically: cover letter, resume, contact information for at least three references. All applications must be received by March 15, 2021 and submitted to:

Ken Holmes, CEO, Holmes Executive Search LLC

Ken@HolmesExecutiveSearch.com

785-452-0495

Four County Electric Membership Cooperative is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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