West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc.

CEO'S Corner - A message from WFEC Executive Vice President and CEO Bill Rimes

I was privileged to represent West Florida Electric Cooperative at the recent gathering of over 900 electric cooperatives from across the nation at this year's National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association's annual meeting in St. Louis, Mo. The speakers were senators, congressmen, CEOs and national celebrities. However, the most impressive was an 18-year-old high school senior from Grand Ridge, Fla. - Jeremy Branch.

As you might recall, Jeremy was sponsored by WFEC at NRECA's National Youth Tour in Washington, D. C., last summer and went on to become Florida's delegate on NRECA's Youth Leadership Council. Among all the members on that council, he was chosen to be the national spokesperson.

The following is excerpted from his remarks before an audience of more than 12,000 at the 59th NRECA annual meeting. As he received a standing ovation at the close of his speech, I beamed with pride because, in that moment, I knew Jeremy Branch will be one of this country's future leaders. Here are his comments:

"I was honored to be chosen to attend the Washington Youth Tour 2000, to represent my state this year, and to be tapped to speak to you this morning. These events were more than an honor; they were an opportunity.

As Mark Twain once said, 'What we learn with pleasure we never forget.' Any my new friends and I found much to enjoy and learn in Washington. I discovered that Washington is not only a repository for the accomplishments of the past, but also a microcosm of the problems of the present.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about Washington is its diversity. It is a city of the powerful and the powerless, ranging from the commander-in-chief in the White House to the beggar on the street.

I stood in awe of this diversity and its sharp contrast to my own heritage. I am a country boy who is very proud of his Southern roots. I grew up - and still live - on a farm in the Florida Panhandle, the same one that belonged to my parents and grandparents before them.

But this is what is so amazing about this country - We are a diverse melting pot of urban and rural, rich and poor, pro-life, pro-choice, Jew, Christian, Muslim and atheist. Yet we all share in that common experience that is the American dream - a land of equal opportunity and unlimited possibilities.

But what made the biggest impression on me as we toured the Capitol and the Smithsonian is that the sharp contrasts did not disappear. The problems outside on the street were still real and pressing, yet the drugs, crime, violence and poverty did not crush our unbridled optimism or rob our attendion from the opportunities at hand.

My generation is not only ready to grasp opportunities now, we are also creating opportunities for generations to come. Faced with challenges and opportunities, we must go forward with the glory of our past, the faith and hard work of our forefathers, and those core values that we hold dear - God, family, co-op, country.

Let us lead this nation with the vibrancy that you know we possess, with the values that you know you have instilled in us. Let us lead . . . and we shall not fall short of greatness."

Back to Current Light Flashes