Senate Resolution 812
By: Senators Anavitarte of the 31st, Bearden of the 30th, Brass of the 6th and James of the
28th
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing and commending GreyStone Power Corporation for 90 years of making life
better in the communities it serves; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, GreyStone Power Corporation is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric
cooperative that serves more than 135,000 members in Bartow, Carroll, Cobb, Coweta,
Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, and Paulding counties; and
WHEREAS, GreyStone Power Corporation was founded as the Farmers Electrical
Association on August 24, 1936, in Douglas County, Georgia; and
WHEREAS, the communities the Farmers Electrical Association served did not have
electrical service due to the estimated cost of $1,500 per mile for construction of power lines
in rural areas; and
WHEREAS, the Farmers Electrical Association secured an $83,000 loan from the federal
Rural Electrification Administration in September 1936 to construct 83 miles of power lines,
connecting 320 members in the original four-county service area; and
WHEREAS, the board of directors officially changed the name of the cooperative to Douglas
County Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) on June 30, 1937; and
WHEREAS, cooperative employees became experts in the use of new electrical appliances
in order to teach members how to use electrical appliances; and
WHEREAS, the cooperative's infrastructure became another important facet in ensuring
success does not depend on one's zip code, with the signing of a contract with Bell Telephone
Company in 1952 to bring telephone service to rural areas; and
WHEREAS, in continuing the mission to better serve its employees and members, Douglas
County EMC worked with Georgia EMC, the statewide EMC association, to form a
statewide federal credit union in the late 1960s; and
WHEREAS, the EMC moved toward system automation in 1983 with the use of the new
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system in order to restore power more quickly
after outages and increase safety protocols for employees; and
WHEREAS, the membership voted to change the name of the cooperative to GreyStone
Power Corporation on October 4, 1988; and
WHEREAS, in conjunction with Jackson EMC and Walton EMC, GreyStone Power founded
EMC Security to provide security and fire protection in 2006; and
WHEREAS, the cooperative recognized that the digital divide in west Georgia needed to be
addressed and founded GreyStone Connect, a broadband subsidiary, to bring high-speed
internet access to its members in 2024; and
WHEREAS, as of January 2026, GreyStone has energized more than 7,800 miles of line,
serving more than 155,000 meters and 135,000 members; and
WHEREAS, GreyStone Power's goal is to make life better in the communities it serves,
which has been accomplished through millions in charitable giving, $205 million returned
in capital credits to its membership, and volunteer efforts of its employees in the eight-county
service area.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body
recognize and commend GreyStone Power Corporation for 90 years of making life better in
the communities it serves.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to GreyStone Power
Corporation.