Claiborne Electric Lineman Ryan Beach completed module IV of the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives’ (ALEC) Lineman Training School, which brings to completion his four-year line worker training.

This school is held in Baton Rouge at ALEC’s office. The complete program consists of four modules, with participants completing one module per year. The program requires more than 150 training hours of classroom instruction, independent study, and hands-on education.

Module IV includes advanced education and training in Level 4 Safety, Communication Systems, Special Elements 2, Vegetation Management, System Operation, System Automation, Overhead Line Design, Underground Line Design, Trouble Investigation, and Crew Leadership.

We congratulate Ryan on four years of dedication and hard work in completing this rigorous educational program in order to serve Claiborne Electric’s members.

In response to the growing threat of phishing attacks targeting services that accept online payments, including the electric utility industry, Claiborne Electric’s software developer is taking proactive steps to enhance the security of its SmartHub billing and payment system.

SmartHub has implemented optional two-factor authentication as an added layer of protection for your account.

Nationwide, the number of recent phishing scams are increasing at a concerning rate. Phishing attacks are a common tactic used by cybercriminals to trick account holders into revealing personal information. These attacks often involve fraudulent emails or text messages that appear to be from a legitimate organization, luring account holders to click on a malicious link or provide sensitive information.

Safeguarding account information is important, and we are committed to providing a secure online experience. Implementing two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to help prevent unauthorized access to your SmartHub account.

With two-factor authentication, members must provide two forms of identification before gaining access to accounts. This typically involves entering a username and passcode, then entering a unique, single-use code sent to a mobile device or email address. Many industries require two-factor authentication, including banks, credit card companies, email platforms, and retails establishments. This added security measure makes it significantly more difficult for cybercriminals to compromise accounts.

While this added security measure is optional, we encourage all members to enroll in two-factor authentication to further protect accounts from unauthorized access. This will allow us to increase our commitment to protecting your account while giving you the trusted confidence of secure transactions.

Find more information about SmartHub here.

Members with questions or concerns about the addition of two-factor authentication are encouraged to contact a Member Services Representative by calling the Homer (318-927-3504) or Farmerville (318-368-3011) office.

In May, Capital One finalized its acquisition of Discover Financial Services. As with any commercial merger, some changes were inevitable.

Claiborne Electric was recently made aware that Capital One is transitioning current cardholders from Visa or MasterCard to its new Discover brand. When we received this information, Claiborne Electric was not able to accept Discover cards for payment. We recognized this created an inconvenience for many of our members who routinely pay with a credit card in person, online, or through our SmartHub app.

Our office staff immediately began working diligently to add Discover cards as an accepted form of payment. We understood the importance of this issue, and were able to expedite the process. We are glad to let our members know we have finalized that process and can now accept Discover card payments. Members can now pay with Discover in person, online, or through our SmartHub app. We are glad to offer this new option to our members.

We appreciate our members for their patience and support as we worked as quickly as possible to add Discover cards as a payment option.

In May, Capital One finalized its acquisition of Discover Financial Services. As with any commercial merger, some changes were inevitable. Claiborne Electric has been made aware that Capital One is now transitioning its current cardholders from Visa or MasterCard to its new Discover brand. Unfortunately, Claiborne Electric does not currently accept Discover cards. We recognize this has created an inconvenience for many of our members who routinely pay with a credit card in person, online, or through our SmartHub app.

Our office staff is working diligently to add Discover cards as an accepted form of payment. We understand the importance of this need, and we are doing everything we can to expedite the process. We appreciate your patience and support as we work as quickly as possible to add Discover cards as a payment option.

Beginning October 1, Claiborne Electric’s offices will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., with offices closing from noon until 1 p.m. for lunch.

This change will bring consistency to office hours in both the Homer and Farmerville locations. It will allow our employees to have a consistent lunch break schedule and will streamline our end-of-day processes for Member Service Representatives and other employees in our Billing Department. We appreciate our members’ patience in adjusting to this change.

At the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives (ALEC) Annual Awards Banquet, held in late July in Baton Rouge, Claiborne Electric and its employees were honored with a safety award.

Claiborne Electric employees were presented a plaque for working more than 691,000 work-hours without a lost-time accident.

Pictured: General Manager and CEO Michael Marcotte accepted the award on behalf of Claiborne Electric’s employees from ALEC safety trainer Mike Bergeaux.