JONESBORO, Ark. — A significant power change has happened at Craighead Electric Cooperative Corporation (CECC), but the company apparently doesn’t want anyone to know about it.
Mel Coleman has been appointed as the interim chief executive officer of Craighead Electric. He confirmed this to NEA Report on Friday, August 2, before asking us to wait to report it until he could check with the board. He stopped answering calls a short time later.
On Monday, August 5, Terry Rorex, chairman of the board of directors, confirmed to a reporter that Coleman was the new interim CEO.
This leadership change comes on the heels of the sudden departure of former CEO Jeremiah Sloan. Two sources, speaking to NEA Report on the condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation, said Sloan was removed as CEO by a board of directors vote on July 26. The vote was reportedly not unanimous. The reason for the decision has not been disclosed.
Unlike previous changes within the company’s management, this one was not announced publicly. Furthermore, the interim CEO told NEA Report that no press releases about the matter would be issued. Coleman and others were evasive to multiple media outlets when asked about the subject throughout the week, which led to an unsourced report by Trey Stafford revealing the news first.
When NEA Report asked board chairman Rorex about why the former CEO was no longer with the company, he simply responded, “Mel Coleman is the new interim CEO.”
Sloan had been with Craighead Electric since 2016, serving in roles such as Engineer, Manager of Fiber Assets, and Chief Operating Officer of empower, delivered by Craighead Electric, according to a 2022 news release. Before joining CECC, Sloan served for six years as an officer in the United States Air Force.
“I look forward to the opportunity to serve the member/owners of Craighead Electric, and it is very exciting to be able to lead an exceptional group of employees into the future.”
– Jeremiah Sloan, 2022 news release
However, the ‘future’ only lasted two years and four months before Sloan’s unannounced departure.
Sloan succeeded Brian Duncan, who retired in March, 2022. Duncan had held the position of CEO since 2007, a significantly longer tenure than his successor. NEA Report reached out to Sloan but he was not comfortable giving a comment related to this story. He spoke positively about the company and wished them well.
Craighead Electric will hold its annual membership meeting at 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 22 at the headquarters in Jonesboro. Although it is unknown if this topic will be discussed, business will include the election of a director to the board for a six year term.
Annual meetings are only announced in the Arkansas Living magazine, a publication by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. They do not appear to be posted anywhere online, despite the company having significant online resources including bill pay, outage reports, and an online blog. The company also allows members to complete their annual surveys online.
The board’s newest members, Bill Elliott, Jr., and Bobby Wade, were elected in 2015. Other board members include Chairman Terry Rorex (since 2004), Vice Chairman Keith Mosbey (since 2005), Secretary-Treasurer Len B. Nall (since 2009), Dwight England (since 2007), and Steve Kueter (since 2010).
The leadership change is not the only challenge Craighead Electric has faced this year.
In January, a real estate agent began efforts to contact owners of pets buried at the Thelma Holford Memorial Pet Cemetery so they could retrieve their headstones and, in some cases, the remains. The reason was Craighead Electric bought the property for $800,000 and planned to pave over the graves to build a new office. At the time, Sloan issued a statement saying the company had the utmost respect for pets buried at the location.
Since then, that news release has been removed from their website.
Craighead Electric Cooperative employs 100 people and serves more than 32,000 members across eight counties in Northeast Arkansas, the company website states. Founded in 1937, the member-owned, not-for-profit electric company operates offices in Jonesboro, Walnut Ridge, and Paragould. As a distribution cooperative, Craighead Electric purchases electricity wholesale and distributes it to its members rather than generating its own power.
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Does this have anything to do with the massive wind farm scam in NEA? Reportedly the local utilities will be buying it. Since these things begin their life costing more than the energy they provide is worth and go downhill from there some people don’t think much of them. I hear some local farmers bragging about how much they’re making because they own land in the right place. My enquiring mind would like to know.