Three employees with a combined 118 years of service retired at the end of 2024 after a lifetime of dedication to Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative. Senior Vice President of Marketing Denise McCormick and Customer Service Representatives Dianne Lyles and Mike Keasler started a new chapter in their lives in January. “In this day and age, it is almost unheard of to work at one company as long as Denise, Dianne, and Mike have. This is a testament to their service, loyalty to our members and the culture at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative,” President and CEO Jim Lovinggood said. “This is an exciting time for Denise, Dianne, and Mike. I can’t thank them enough for their decades of contributions to the co-op, and I wish them all the best.”

McCormick began working for the cooperative in 1988. Among other community contributions, she is active in Westminster Rotary and has represented the Westminster area on the Oconee County School Board since 2004.

Lyles joined Blue Ridge in 1989. Over the years, she has interacted with tens of thousands of members face to face and over the phone during regular work hours and outages.

Keasler had been with the cooperative since 1977. Despite being completely blind since 1987, he has worked in various roles for Blue Ridge in the field and dispatch.

Quotables

“I think I’ll have enough to keep me busy. I don’t want to just go home and sit. I want to still be very active. And it was a hard decision to make to retire, it really was, but it’s the right one. It’s just a great place to work.” — Denise McCormick, Senior Vice President of Marketing

“I’m going to miss Blue Ridge so much. I’m going to think about this place every time a storm comes. Somehow, I’m going to have to figure out a way not to come into work. I just love Blue Ridge so much.”— Dianne Lyles, Customer Service Representative

“I’ve enjoyed my lengthy career at Blue Ridge Electric. I’ve made a number of friends with fellow employees and our members. I trust that I’ve done my best to help our members when they called on me for a particular need. I’ve made my share of mistakes, but I hope the positive things that I’ve done outweigh any mistakes I’ve made. With God’s hand upon me and a great group of employees to support me, I’ve given it my best effort to continue doing a good job.” —Mike Keasler, Customer Service Representative