Journeyman line worker Cade Courtemanche at work in Bastrop, left, and lineworkers, circa 1945, outside the cooperative's headquarters, then located in Giddings.
Bluebonnet is celebrating 85 years of service. Join us as we honor our past and plan for the future.
Since 1939, Bluebonnet has provided safe, reliable and affordable electric service to its fast-growing membership. Throughout the year, join us in celebrating this milestone as we honor our past and plan for the future.
THEN: Before computers, databases and mobile apps, there were index cards. Every Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative member’s information was recorded on 4-by-6-inch pieces of paper. From membership certificates to payment records, a member’s history with Bluebonnet was on one of those cards. Payments were mailed, and employees opened envelopes by hand, processing one payment at a time. NOW: Brittany Machinsky, a member service representative working in Giddings, uses a computer to take care of member business today. With just a quick search and a few clicks of a computer keyboard, a member’s information is at the fingertips of a member service representative. Paper is the past, and today’s member services and billing specialists work with automated systems to ensure payments are recorded. More than 70% of Bluebonnet members use self-service options, online or by phone, to pay bills or request service. A member service representative’s role has changed with increasing numbers of members, improved technology and many self-service options. Bluebonnet’s commitment to its members, however, remains as strong as ever.THEN: Donald Bell and Bennie Bieberstein, at Bluebonnet’s Giddings headquarters in the mid-1970s, consult a map showing locations of poles and lines. For decades, Bluebonnet employees relied on paper maps. Crews tracked down outages and restored power using large books of maps carried in their service trucks. Engineers and technicians planning the growth of the co-op’s system worked from maps on walls. Representatives who took members’ calls referred to the maps to help resolve problems.NOW: Operator Bryn Janca monitors the cooperative’s electric system in the control center. Today, specially trained control-center operators use complex computer systems to identify power outages, manage restoration and constantly monitor our electric system. Line workers get information on laptop and tablet computers in order to repair and maintain more than 12,500 miles of line. Members can also use digital tools to track outages online and get text notifications on their phones. Bluebonnet’s control center operators are on the job 24/7 to ensure the cooperative provides safe and reliable power to its members.THEN: Bluebonnet employee Leta Dell Witte at work on member accounts in 1958. Since 1939, the employees of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative have worked to serve cooperative members. In the early days, member account information was processed on cumbersome business equipment. Members spoke to representatives on operator-assisted phone calls or visited Bluebonnet’s headquarters, then in Giddings.NOW: Member service representative Celina Flores works with member Marcos Cobos in Manor. Cobos has been a member for about five years. Today, Bluebonnet memberscan choose to take care of business by computer, mobile app or on our automated phone system. The cooperative’s member service representatives are here for you, ready to answer questions about billing, payments or other Bluebonnet business, in person at our five member service centers or by phone.
THEN: Line workers, circa 1945, outside the cooperative's headquarters, then located in Giddings. Before 1939, most rural Central Texas homes and farms had no electricity. That year, the electric cooperative that became Bluebonnet began to usher in a new way of life, bringing the invisible commodity of electricity to about 1,500 people across 14 counties. NOW: Journeyman line worker Cade Courtemanche at work in Bastrop. Today, Bluebonnet’s highly trained professionals use state-of-the-art technology to keep electricity flowing to more than 129,000 meters at homes, apartments and businesses. Safety and member service remain top priorities, alongside the co-op’s commitment to support the communities it serves.
