The Walton EMC Blog

2010 Washington Youth Tour Delegates Chosen

 
Eight finalists competed for their spot to represent Walton EMC on the 2010 Washington Youth Tour. Pictured are (left to right) Simon David, Parkview High (alternate); Rachel Harrison, South Gwinnett High; Erin Springstead, North Oconee High (winner); Silvia Vaca, Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology (winner); Nikhil Ramesh, Gwinett School of Math, Science and Technology (winner); Hayden May, Parkview High (alternate); Davis Roper, North Oconee High (winner); Kyle Beckett, North Oconee High.  

Each spring, four delegates are selected to represent Walton EMC on the Washington Youth Tour, which takes place in June.  

After filling out an application, all participants receive a Walton EMC information packet. The competition begins with a written test based on the packet material. Students with the top eight scores on the test advance to the interview round, where they are narrowed to four delegates and two alternates.

For these four students, the award for hard work and dedication comes in the form of an all-expense paid trip and the opportunity to meet U.S. politicans while touring several of our nation's landmarks. In addition to Washington D.C., part of the tour will focus on our state government with a visit to the capital in Atlanta. 

If you know or will be a high school sophomore or junior during the 2010-2011 school year, look for information on the contest next January.  

Highlighting Walton EMC Commercial Customer: Oasis Bowl

Mike Stephens and Jim Self tell the story of golfing buddies turned business partners.

Using his extensive background in construction and real estate, Stephens decided to combine forces using Self’s bowling center startup experience to create what is now Oasis Bowl.

The first Oasis Bowl establishment opened its doors in Buford in 2004, followed by a second location in Loganville in late 2007. Both facilities house a snack bar, arcade, and 32 bowling lanes. Expanding with a third bowling center location in Covington is well underway.

“As a family-focused company, our main goal is to give our customers a clean, save and fun environment that they can all enjoy,” explained Self. “The great thing about bowling is that it doesn’t matter if you're 5 or 105, everybody can participate.” 

Like most entertainment venues, the weekend is usually the most profitable. For Oasis Bowl this is no exception, so when a storm interrupted power one Friday evening, a great deal of financial urgency was placed on management.

“Without power, we are not in business,” said Self. “It’s one thing for the power to go off on a Monday afternoon but a Friday night is an entirely different story.”

From the time Oasis Bowl contacted Walton EMC with the power outage until the power was restored was exactly one hour and 27 minutes, as timed by Self. 

“I was totally expecting for the employees at Walton EMC to tell us that they could get to it at some point on Saturday, so I was really impressed with the customer service,” said Self.

Oasis Bowl provides a number of deals and packages to accommodate every bowler. For the working adult, there is Monday thru Friday social and competitive bowling leagues and the packages for the kids include birthday parties, team parties, and day camps.

To learn more about what Oasis Bowl has to offer, visit their website.

 

Running a Marathon Without All the Work

Next to central heat and air, water heating is the second largest contributor to energy cost in your home, which means that your system should be efficient and economical. Whether you are replacing an existing unit or installing a unit in your new home, efficient and economical comes in the form of a Marathon.

Marathons are energy efficient, lightweight water heaters that are guaranteed to never leak and last as long as you own your home. Check out the diagram below to see what else sets Marathon apart from standard steel water heaters:

As the premier Marathon dealer serving the Atlanta and Athens area, Walton EMC can sell you a Marathon and then help you pay for it with financing and rebates.

Payment options include 90-day same as cash and 12-month financing at a prime rate. In addition to financing, we also offer rebates. To qualify, you must be a customer-owner installing a Marathon inside your home within Walton EMC’s service territory.

 Rebates:

• $200 – Replacing a fossil fuel unit with a Marathon.
• $150 – Installing a Marathon inside a new home.  

Upgrading your water heater is a budget friendly decision, but for evens more savings, pair Marathon with a solar water heating system from Power Partners Solar. Switching to solar power as a source of renewable energy benefits your budget and your environment.

To get more information on Marathon and Power Partners Solar, visit our website.

 

A New Calling for EMC Security

A new calling and monitoring center, that is.

EMC Security has recently installed a state-of-the-art monitoring center located at the corporate office in Suwanee, Georgia. In addition to the Suwanee location, EMC Security also utilizes another monitoring center located in Gainesville, Florida. With separate systems in two locations, EMC Security is honing in on the industry practice known as redundancy.

“With two monitoring center campuses, we are able to simultaneously observe all accounts,” explained Suzanne Farr, monitoring center supervisor. “If we have a blip in either system, we are able to continue without any interruption of service.” 

Equally owned by Walton EMC, Jackson EMC and Greystone Power, EMC Security currently monitors approximately 45,000 accounts.  The addition of the new monitoring center allows EMC Security to better serve their customers through advanced software capabilities.

“Customization is a huge factor when it comes to the new software used by EMC Security. We are able to input procedure preferences into each account based on what the customer wants,” said Farr.

Schools are different than warehouses, which are different than houses, which are different than car dealerships - hence the customization. With the new software implemented by EMC Security, customers are allowed to specify not only who they would like to notify, but also how to contact the person such as text message, email, or phone. Notifications for each account can be based on the signal (fire, intrusion, etc.) as well as the time of day.

EMC Security offers a number of security solutions including video surveillance, access control, fire and life safety, and intrusion detection. To find out more visit the EMC Security website by clicking here.