Wood County Electric Cooperative, or WCEC, has named Blake Moore as its CEO and general manager. He took the post Oct. 1, succeeding Trey Teaff, who retired after 30 years with the cooperative, including more than six as its chief executive. Moore is the fifth person to lead WCEC since it was founded in 1938.
The cooperative was formed in 1938 by Quitman leaders with help from the federal Rural Electrification Administration. It now serves more than 42,500 meters over 5,372 miles of line in parts of nine East Texas counties. WCEC is owned by its members and governed by a seven-member board they elect. It employs 86 people.
The cooperative says it supports school safety and education programs, scholarships, youth leadership and the annual Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. Since 2017, its Operation Round-Up program, funded by member donations, has awarded more than $1 million in grants to area nonprofits. Teaff said in a statement that the cooperative must keep rates as steady as possible and ask only for what it needs to operate.