Cooperative Living July 2019 - 8

TrainingTracks | by Steven Johnson, Acting Editor
Snakes Just a Bad Memory as
New Training Center Opens
Ron Campbell knew his lineworker training
class wasn't going exactly as he planned when
a snake fell on him from the ceiling.
" It was a black snake, but it was still a
snake, " Campbell recalls with a shudder.
" And it definitely stopped me from doing
what I was doing. "
Flash forward to May 2019, when
Campbell, retired vice president of safety
& training for the Virginia, Maryland &
Delaware Association of Electric
Cooperatives (VMDAEC), flashed a broad
smile during the dedication of a $1.5 million,
state-of-the-art training
center for co-ops in a
three-state region.
" This is my dream
Ron Campbell
here, " says Campbell,
part of a crowd of 120
that included officials
from Fluvanna County,
Virginia, co-op and
community leaders,
businessmen and elected officials.
For years, VMDAEC had conducted
lineworker training in a 15-by-15-foot
patchwork classroom next to an aging
vocational-technical center in Culpeper.
" You'd look out the window and see what
we called Lake Culpeper, " Campbell quips. " It
was a septic tank. The guys would go in the
bathrooms and the snakes would be hanging
from the ceiling, looking for the rats. "
In 2013, training moved to three modular
structures in Palmyra on land that Central
Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) leased
to the association. In time, CVEC sold the land
to the association at a favorable rate, paving
the way for the 9,600-square-foot building on
9 acres adjacent to the co-op's district office.
" This building is a great investment in a
number of ways, " says Gary Wood, president
and CEO of CVEC. " It's a deposit on the
continuing investment co-ops are making in
Fluvanna County. It's an investment in all the
instructors and trainers because you now
The Palmyra VMDAEC Training Center and the
Storm Soldier statue that stands tall outside.
have a great tool to deliver your messages.
And it's an investment among co-ops in our
relationship because our strength comes from
the partnerships we share. "
The building has three classrooms - one
each named for Maryland, Virginia and
Delaware. The rooms employ state-of-the-art
video technology with a touchpad system to
control lighting and A/V equipment. The
building also offers a full-service kitchen with
a catering window, a break room, and showers
in the men's and women's restrooms. A large
garage bay provides space for equipment
demos and training in inclement weather. The
outdoor area includes a mini-substation and
practice poles and wires. An outstanding
feature is the bronze Storm Soldier statue,
developed by Arkansas sculptor Ron Moore,
that stands 20 feet above the ground.
Richard G. Johnstone Jr., president and CEO
of the association, said the completed project
represents the best of the cooperative spirit.
" Every single one of our 15 member
cooperatives contributed financially and
contributed to the planning because they saw
the need for such a facility. "
In time, thousands of cooperative
employees and directors will pass through
the center's doors, he adds.
" In addition to lineworkers, we'll be
providing training to engineers, accountants,
customer service representatives, and the
elected directors who serve on the boards of
our member cooperatives, " he says. " This is a
red-letter day for us. We are realizing a dream
that we've had for decades with a facility that
we've planned for years. " n
Richard G. Johnstone Jr., president and CEO
of VMDAEC, delivers remarks at the dedication
ceremony of the VMDAEC Training Center.
6 | Cooperative Living | July 2019
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Cooperative Living July 2019

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