TVA Today:
Daily news for employees

Friday, September 12, 2003

Copier Changes To Lead to Significant Annual Savings
Information Services says it is making changes involving convenience copiers that will result in an estimated $200,000 in annual savings for TVA. Convenience copiers are available in TVA work areas for general employee use.

IS worked with Procurement to send out a Request for Proposal to 10 vendors for copier equipment, maintenance service and supplies such as toner. Based on the responses, IS determined the best value to TVA was to award a five-year contract for $4.5 million to Imagistics (formerly Pitney Bowes), says Karen Ward, IS Manager of Technical Contract Strategies & Resolutions.

The end result is that convenience copiers already provided by Imagistics in Knoxville, Nashville and Muscle Shoals and those at Watts Bar and Browns Ferry nuclear plants will remain in place. Copiers in Chattanooga, at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant and at most remote TVA locations will be replaced by the end of September.

Services Today and Tomorrow for Sequoyah Employee
Sequoyah Nuclear Plant employee Danny Douglas Carter died Tuesday, Sept. 9, from complications caused by infection from a recent surgery.

Carter, 55, was a Machinist in the Mechanical Maintenance Department. He had been employed by TVA for 11 years. Survivors include his wife, Sharon, and daughters, Rachel and Melissia.

The family will receive friends today from 6-9 p.m. at the Akins Funeral Home (423-496-5554) at 404 Tennessee Ave. in Copperhill, Tenn. Funeral services will be tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Mine City Baptist Church in Ducktown, Tenn.

Volunteer ‘Bigs’ Needed for Knoxville-Area ‘Littles’
TVA’s Employee Relations & Diversity group has invited Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tennessee Valley to set up an information booth in the Knoxville Office Complex on Monday, Sept. 15.

Representatives from the organization, which is supported by Combined Federal Campaign contributions, will be on hand from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Concourse level.

They hope to recruit volunteers willing to serve as one-on-one mentors and role models to area young people. Volunteers – or “Bigs” – must enjoy spending time with children and be able to devote at least 1-3 hours each week to their assigned “Little.” The volunteers are required to complete a screening process and training program, have an automobile with liability insurance and be willing to commit to serve for at least a year.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters group also needs volunteers for its “Bigs in School” and “Big for a Day” programs, as well as help in the office with mailings, special projects and agency parties.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tennessee Valley is a United Way agency of Anderson County, Blount County, Greater Knoxville and Loudon County.

Anyone wanting additional information can call Becky Goemaat with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Knoxville at 523-2179, ext. 21.

Allen and Cordova TSC Employees Support March of Dimes Fundraiser
Employees from Allen Fossil Plant and the Cordova Transmission Service Center in Memphis recently contributed time, effort and money to the annual March of Dimes Walk America event last spring.

The TVA efforts raised $2,308 for the March of Dimes. The funds came from T-shirt sales and employee donations. The “Support the Power of Life” T-shirt, sporting TVA and March of Dimes logos, was designed by employee volunteers.

The March of Dimes theme for this year’s campaign was “Prematurity…It’s a Bigger Problem Than You Think.” Organizers also staffed a TVA booth and tent for employees and family members who participated in the 5-mile walk.

Serving as Coordinators/Team Captains were Jacquelyn Cage from Cordova TSC and Marilyn Alexander and Wavine Isaac from the Allen plant. Event volunteers were Cordova TSC employees Sam Caviness, Chad Reed and William Robertson.

Knoxville Team TVA Effort Nets Clothes and Food for Area Agencies
Many employees and relatives of employees contributed generously to a Team TVA effort Thursday, Sept. 11, in Knoxville to collect food and clothing for area agencies supported by the United Way.

More than a hundred articles of women’s clothing were donated for the Career Closet. The agency provides professional attire for low-income women. Plus, enough clothes to fill about 20 boxes was collected for boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 18 who live in local group homes. The children’s clothing is being delivered to Child & Family Services. The effort also rounded up 736 pounds of food for the Salvation Army.

Team TVA volunteers also contributed their time and efforts to a maintenance project at the Tanasi Girl Scout Camp in Andersonville, Tenn.

In a prize drawing held in conjunction with the food-and-clothing drive, Bob and Mary Cherry Marks, Jan Kelly, Barbara Martocci and Erik Smith won $50 Wal-Mart gift certificates.

OPEIU Local 2001 Meeting Tuesday in Knoxville
Local 2001 of the Office & Professional Employees International Union will have its regularly scheduled meeting at noon Tuesday, Sept. 16, in Knoxville. The meeting will be in the West Tower, Room 8D 225.

All members are encouraged to attend. Those who do not work in downtown Knoxville can join the meeting via teleconference. Job stewards have been provided the phone number for the meeting.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

Monday, September 15

• Downtown Speaker’s Connection meeting (a Toastmasters club), 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., WT 9D-225, Knoxville. Contact: Greg Strach, 632-6953.
• Knoxville Chapter International Association of Administrative Professionals recognition dinner, 6:30 p.m., Foundry World's Fair Site, Knoxville. The event is to honor area administrative professionals who recently achieved certification/recertification of Certified Professional Secretary or Certified Administrative Professional status. Tickets are $25, payable at the door. Contacts: Mary Wilson; Regina Bevins with TVA.

Tuesday, September 16

• Chattermasters meeting (a Toastmasters club), 11:45 a.m., Missionary Ridge (MR 1 N403), Chattanooga. Club purpose: To develop skills and confidence in public speaking. Contact: Marie Colson, 751-2098; Chattermasters Web site: http://www.nonprofitpages.com/chattermasters.