In 1938, a group of Quitman leaders decided their rural neighbors had waited long enough for electricity.

With help from the federal Rural Electrification Administration, they formed Wood County Electric Cooperative, signed up 1,100 members at $5 apiece and set the first poles May 28, 1938, between Quitman and Golden.

Eighty-eight years later, the cooperative has grown to more than 42,500 meters and 5,372 miles of line across East Texas. Through that growth, its focus on serving members and their communities has remained central to its operations.

Blake Moore became WCEC’s CEO and general manager 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 its founding, following Virgil Shaw (1938-1966), Juan D. Nichols (1968-1997), Debbie Robinson (1997-2020) and Teaff (2020-2026).

The leadership change marks another chapter for a cooperative that has served East Texas for nearly nine decades.

MORE THAN A POWER PROVIDER

Today, WCEC serves members in parts of nine counties: Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. As a not-for-profit cooperative, WCEC is owned by its members and governed by a seven-member board elected by the membership.

Rates are set to cover the costs of operating and maintaining the system. The cooperative employs 86 people, many of whom live in the communities they serve.

WCEC’s community involvement includes school safety and educational programs, scholarships, youth leadership opportunities and the annual Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.

The cooperative also supports 4-H agricultural competitions. Through its charitable program, WCEC contributes an average of $40,000 annually to local events and fundraising efforts.

Since 2017, Operation Round-Up, funded by member donations and administered by the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation, has awarded more than $1 million in grants to area nonprofits.

WCEC also hosts lineman training schools at its on-site facility, bringing crews from other cooperatives across Texas together for safety and construction training.

STEADY LEADERSHIP THROUGH CHALLENGES

Teaff had worked at WCEC for more than 23 years, including 17 as chief financial officer, when he was named CEO in April 2020.

During his years in financial leadership, he helped the cooperative adopt cost-saving technology, improve financial forecasting and conduct cost-of-service studies. Those efforts helped WCEC manage expenses and maintain financial stability.

“In all my years at WCEC, we never lost sight of the fact that as a non-profit, we are beholden to the member to keep rates as steady as possible and to ask for just what we need to run the cooperative. Because, at the beginning and end of every day, the member’s well-being is the greatest concern,” Teaff said.

Teaff’s transition to CEO came at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply chain disruptions followed, driving up equipment and material costs and delaying construction projects.

In 2021, Winter Storm Uri placed additional financial pressure on electric providers across Texas. WCEC managed those challenges while continuing to serve its members.

During his tenure, Teaff also negotiated a collective bargaining agreement and helped develop a strategic plan focused on members and the communities WCEC serves.

He served as president of Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative and on the board of East Texas Electric Cooperative, helping guide the merger of the two organizations. The merger was intended to reduce costs and improve power supply coordination for nine East Texas cooperatives.

Teaff joined WCEC in 1996 after working at South Plains Electric Cooperative. Over the years, he became involved in the Quitman community through school board service, youth coaching, economic development, church activities, the chamber of commerce and Rotary.

“This community has been good to our family. We’ve developed cherished friends and neighbors and raised our son here. Now, after college, he and his wife have returned to build a thriving business in a place we call home. That is a testament to what this region is like. It is true that I have devoted a lot of time working in and for this community, but I feel like I have gotten back so much more in return. I am very grateful for my time at the co-op, and leave knowing it is in good shape,” Teaff said.

A HEART FOR COMMUNITY

Like his predecessor, Moore comes to WCEC from West Texas with a background in electric cooperatives and community involvement. He brings 13 years of cooperative experience, most recently serving as general manager and CEO of Lamb County Electric Cooperative from 2021 through September 2026.

During his tenure, Lamb County Electric received a Texas Energy Fund grant of more than $8.8 million for projects aimed at improving electric reliability and helping manage costs for members.

Before that, Moore spent eight years as a member services adviser at Lyntegar Electric Cooperative, where he helped revive the cooperative’s Youth Tour program after a 30-year absence.

He also testified on pole attachment legislation at the request of Texas Electric Cooperatives and chaired the Governmental Relations Committee for Golden Spread Electric Cooperative.

Raised in Welch, Moore served on the Dawson ISD school board, including two years as president. He has been active in Rotary for more than a decade, serving as president of the Tahoka club. He also has been involved with Kiwanis and served on the Lynn County Appraisal Board.

Moore serves as vice president of the TANGO2 Research Foundation board of directors, an organization with a personal connection to his family. His daughter Ellie lives with TANGO2, a rare genetic condition.

Moore and his wife of 21 years, Laura, have three children: Denton, Reese and Ellie. Their move to East Texas also brings them closer to Laura’s family in Hillsboro.

As he begins his new role, Moore said he looks forward to becoming part of the cooperative and the communities it serves.

“What our industry calls the cooperative difference is alive and well at WCEC. What sets us apart from other utility providers is not just a slogan. It’s real. Our employees live and work in the communities that they serve. They care about their neighbors and our members. These dedicated folks participate in youth programs, serve as volunteer firefighters, and they willingly give their time to the community in many other ways, on and off the job. They are the best kind of neighbors, and I can’t wait to be a part of this family,” Moore said.

Nearly nine decades after the first poles were set between Quitman and Golden, WCEC has grown from a small rural electric cooperative into a utility serving thousands of East Texas homes and businesses. With Moore taking over as just its fifth leader, the cooperative begins another chapter while maintaining the community ties that have been part of its history since 1938.