Edisto Electric Cooperative, Inc. President and CEO David E. Felkel completes term on the South Carolina Power Team Board of Trustees
June 21, 2023
David E. Felkel, President and CEO of Edisto Electric Cooperative, Inc., is concluding his second three-year term on the Board of Trustees for the South Carolina Power Team.
Since joining the Board in 2017, he has played a crucial role in driving the significant economic progress that South Carolina has witnessed in recent years.
“David brought an important vision to our Board that taught and reminded all our members how important our rural electric cooperatives are to our community, as a whole,” said James Chavez, President and CEO of the South Carolina Power Team.
Throughout his tenure, the electric cooperatives have consistently introduced new projects and employment opportunities to South Carolina. The Board set a new record in 2022 by endorsing 28 projects that produced 3,969 jobs and contributed $4.37 billion in new capital investment to the state.
The Board also expanded the Site Readiness Fund (SRF) in 2022, a Community Development and Preparedness initiative to create new, market-ready industrial sites, parks and buildings. Edisto Electric Cooperative in particular saw the success of the SRF with the recruitment and expansion of Volvo in Berkeley County.
Aside from the Board’s economic contributions, Felkel and the team introduced several programs aimed at investing in local communities and employees. The “Upskill Incentive” program provides grant awards to cooperative members to encourage them to invest in their existing employees’ skill sets and increase employee retention. In addition, Felkel was an advocate for kicking off the Cooperative Revolving Loan Fund, another program to support cooperative-served members and communities.
In addition to his work on the South Carolina Power Team Board, Felkel has served on numerous electric cooperative boards. Currently, he serves as a Board Member and Vice President of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation and as a member of the Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. Board of Trustees.
“My time on the Board of the South Carolina Power Team made an impact on me because it allowed me to spend time with so many dynamic members of our electric cooperative family,” said Felkel. “As a Board, we always strive to put our electric cooperative members first and I am confident that the South Carolina Power Team Board will continue to do so in the future.”
About SC Power Team
The South Carolina Power Team is powering growth in electric cooperative territory. It is a full-service, non-profit economic development organization representing the state’s 20 consumer-owned electric cooperatives. The South Carolina Power Team was created by and for its members. The services we provide and the role we play in preparing communities for growth, investment attraction and job creation have been carefully crafted to play a critical role in the economic development process.
