The Next Greatest Thing
The Next Greatest Thing” is a podcast powered by the Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative Corporation. This podcast is a place where we come together with electric experts, and dedicated operators to discuss current co-op events, leading-edge technologies, and communicate with AVECC members. We are Arkansas Valley Electric, changing the communities we serve.
Episodes
113 episodes
Employee of the Year- Cindy Bowman
Cindy Bowman talks about her reaction to winning Employee of the Year, her passion for plants, love for cattle, and much more on today's episode of The Next Greatest Thing!
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Season 5
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Episode 23
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22:08
Answering the Call: AVECC Linemen Share Their Perspective on Hurricane Helene Relief
Three AVECC Linemen share their experiences traveling to Florida and Georgia in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. They talk about the damage they worked through, living conditions, the challenges of leaving loved ones behind, and the cooperati...
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Season 5
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Episode 22
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30:41
Getting to Know Kenneth Wilbanks
Staking Superintendent Kenneth Wilbanks shares his role in the staking department, his privilege of working with cooperative members, and his passion for sports.
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Season 5
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Episode 21
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16:04
Getting to Know Kendall Ward
Serviceman Kendall Ward knew his career at AVECC would last a lifetime. Kendall shares his journey becoming a lineman, and much more in this month's Getting To Know episode!
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Season 5
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Episode 19
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15:24
Cyber Safe with Your Co-op
Want to keep your co-op account safe from hackers? Join us as we discuss essential cybersecurity tips with AVECC's IT experts. Learn how to create strong passwords, spot phishing scams, and discover what your co-op is doing to protect our emplo...
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Season 5
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Episode 20
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12:55
Getting to Know Stacie Howe
Stacie Howe was recently named the AVECC Human Resources Supervisor. We talk with Stacie about her new role, her history with the cooperative, and why fall is her favorite season of the year.
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11:46
Talking with Multimedia Interns Kendell and Ruthie
Kendell Friemel and Ruthie Qualls share their experiences as Multimedia interns for the cooperative, their plans for their future, and their dream podcast guest to interview.
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Season 5
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Episode 16
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26:56
Getting to Know Matt Larimore
This month, lineman, Matt Larimore celebrates 25 years serving his local community as a cooperative lineman. In today's episode, Matt shares how he started as a summer intern three days after graduating high school, and ultimately turned that e...
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Season 5
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Episode 15
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10:45
A FREE trip to D.C.? Tell me more!
Drayke Boen, Katherine Wright, and Tegan Stimac join us to unveil their newfound insights into electric cooperatives, Tegan’s sweet tea depravity, the girls’ quest to collect trading pins from every state, and the life-changing moments that mad...
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Season 5
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Episode 14
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26:24
Getting to Know Sierra Cowens
Sierra Cowens is now in a new role at the cooperative. Learn about her new position, how it affects cooperative members, and whether or not she prefers tacos or BBQ!
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Season 5
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Episode 13
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10:17
REPLAY: How Rights of Way are Doing Us Right
Right-of-Way Superintendent Chris Tedford talks about how ROW benefits members, how ROW crews are trained and why linemen crews use chainsaws in bucket trucks.
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Season 5
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Episode 13
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29:43
Electrical Safety with Master Electrician Shawn King
Pools, barns and yards. What do they all have in common? They all use electricity! It's important to ensure that you are staying safe when working with electricity. AVECC System Coordinator (and past employee of the year) Shawn King sits ...
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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24:55
Getting to Know Larhonda Melton
Executive secretary, Larhonda Melton reminisces about her years in service to the cooperative, and shares some exciting news.
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Season 5
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Episode 11
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14:11
Getting to Know Kevin McGuire
AMR Coordinator, Kevin McGuire joins the podcast to talk about his time working in dispatch and with meters at the cooperative, AND his passion outside of work. And you'll never guess what it is!
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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10:07
How an $18 million grant will change the communities of the River Valley
AVECC Engineering Manager and AVECC Systems Engineer, Samantha Renard discuss the recently awarded $18 million smart grid grant and how it will ultimately change the rural River Valley communities for the better.
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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14:43
Getting to Know Garon Taylor
Garon Taylor is a lineman for the Van Buren District who has a passion for all things outdoors. We talk with Garon about his position at the cooperative, his love of hunting, and how he felt about being named AVECC 2023 Pole Top Rescue Champion...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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12:06
Women In Power
Women's roles in cooperatives and society have drastically changed over the past 86 years. Those roles continue to evolve as moure women encourage others to pursue roles that inevitably shape the future of rural electric cooperatives and commun...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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4:37
Getting to Know Audreia Qualls
Member Services Representative, Audreia Qualls loves the cooperative and everything it stands for. She grew up hearing about the co-op from her dad, who served as a linemen for 35 years. Now, she's serving her community. Audreia talks about her...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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19:23
REPLAY: Behind the Scenes of an Outage
Brandon Fisher sits down with AVECC engineering manager Chris Howe, Dispatch Manager, John Yates, and former Operations Manager, Don Easom to discuss the behind-the-scenes of an outage. This episode was originally a two-part series...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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49:06
Getting to Know Braxton Ketter
Braxton Ketter has served AVECC as an Outside Plant Fiber Technician for 8 months. Braxton shares how he's felt about his position over the last year and shares his passion for hunting, including his trip to Colorado last fall to hunt elk in th...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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12:53
Preparing for a Winter Storm
Fingers crossed, the weather stays mild this year. Regardless, it's always good to go into winter weather season prepared, just in case!
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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34:49
Getting to Know Ryan McClure
Director of Human Resources, Ryan McClure is all about safety and making sure the culture of the cooperative is positive and family-oriented. Learn more about Ryan's role in HR, his background in the cooperative, his love of Coke-Cola, AND a on...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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20:05
Talking with the 2023 Teacher Appreciation Award Winners
Barbara and Brandon talk with the 2023 Teacher Appreciation Award winners, Cheryl Ivey of Paris School District and Lana Muncy of Hector School District.
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Season 4
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Episode 24
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32:20
AVECC Employee of the Year- Karen Stovall
If you've called into the AVECC office, there's a good chance you've talked to Member Services Representative Lead, Karen Stovall who was named the 2023 Employee of the Year by the AVECC employees. She sat down with us to talk about her time at...
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Season 4
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Episode 23
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15:34
Feeding America: How Butterball is Passing Love on in the River Valley and the World
Did you know that there are only two Butterball whole turkey production plants in the United States and both are located in Arkansas? One in Huntsville and the other in our hometown of Ozark? We sit down with Andrew Lewka of Butterball's Ozark ...
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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18:56