AFTER FOUR DECADES of dedicated service, Lyntegar Electric Cooperative CEO Greg Henley will retire in January. Henley began his journey with Lyntegar EC on August 1, 1985, as an energy adviser, bringing with him a strong commitment to member service and community. Over the years, he steadily advanced through the cooperative, serving as member services adviser in 1989, manager of member services in 2003, and assistant manager and operations coordinator in 2005.

In 2009, Henley was named CEO, becoming the third person to hold the position in Lyntegar EC’s 87-year history.

Throughout his career, Henley has led with integrity, vision and a steadfast dedication to the cooperative’s mission. His leadership has left a lasting mark on Lyntegar EC and the communities we serve.

As Henley prepares for retirement, we sat down with him to reflect on his time in the electric cooperative world and the lessons learned along the way.

Can you tell us how your journey with Lyntegar EC began?

I was employed as an assistant county agent of agriculture; it was a two-year training program which started in 1983. In August of 1985, I was contacted by the cooperative to become a member service representative to meet with area farmers to discuss new, more efficient irrigation practices and a new method of irrigating crops called a circle pivot system. Also, at that time Lyntegar was providing service to 63 cotton gins, and I met with them to discuss energy efficiency improvements with their operations.

What inspired you to stay with Lyntegar EC throughout your entire career?

I realized that electric cooperatives were excellent places to work and that they provided valuable services to their members. They also had excellent pay and benefits, especially in rural Texas, which is where I grew up and wanted to continue to live. It did not hurt that Tahoka was only 30 miles south of Lubbock, the home of my and my wife’s alma mater, Texas Tech University. The longer I stayed, the more opportunities I had to advance, and Tahoka was a great place to raise a family. And next thing you know, I had spent 42 years in Tahoka and 40 plus at Lyntegar.

How has the cooperative evolved during your tenure—from operations to technology to culture?

Technology has evolved to levels I honestly never thought would occur. Meters were read monthly by six meter readers and took about 13 to 15 eight-hour working days to complete if it did not rain or snow. Now we are able to read all our meters in one night with automated meter reading. Supervisory control and data acquisition has allowed for the remote operation of breakers and reclosers without having to dispatch service vehicles, and we are now able to remotely backfeed substations to restore service to most locations in minutes, not hours. Our culture is one of our great strengths, and I have worked hard to maintain it. Safety, honesty and service are three things we have always focused on. My predecessor CEO told me one time, “We only have one thing to sell—service.” I learned early in my career that if we were truthful and respectful with our members, they would respond in kind; at least the vast majority of them would, the others we just had to offer them grace.

What are some of the biggest challenges you faced as a leader, and how did you overcome them?

For me, the biggest challenge was going from a peer to becoming a supervisor and the CEO. I didn’t really feel any different, but obviously, everyone else did. The employees were patient and supportive, but that didn’t last very long. The other great challenge for working at Lyntegar was attracting talented employees who were willing to live in a small town in rural Texas. Thankfully, it was quite common for employees to work 30-plus years at Lyntegar, so if we could convince them to go to work here, we usually were able to keep them. We have also been fortunate to attract local talent who already live in the service area or are willing to move back and therefore be more likely to stay at the cooperative.

When you look back on your career, what are you most proud of?

Simply hoping I left Lyntegar Electric Cooperative in at least as good of shape as when I started there, and hopefully some will believe we made it better.

What advice would you give to your successor or to the next generation of cooperative leaders?

Do not ever forget why we came into existence and what we believe in. We are member-owned and not for profit, and no matter how our service areas have grown and changed, we are not as large, rich and politically powerful as the investor-owned utilities that would like to take us over and do us harm. Our strength lies in our united voices, the people we serve. Our strength in Texas is the 75 rural electric cooperatives working together.

As you step into retirement, what are you most looking forward to in this next chapter of life?

My wife, Becky, and I will be moving to Littlefield in Lamb County, where we own some pastureland. We plan to watch our three granddaughters do whatever they are participating in and cheer like it is the Olympics. I also plan to spend my days, as Gus McCrae of Lonesome Dove once said, “Watching my cows eat and crap.”

Lyntegar Electric Cooperative extends its heartfelt gratitude to Greg for his outstanding service to our co-op and community. Upon Henley’s retirement, Ross Aten, chief operating officer, will step into the role of CEO, continuing Lyntegar’s enduring commitment to its members and the communities we serve.

Greg Henley's retirement will be celebrated with a reception on Friday, January 9, at 3:00 pm. The event will be held at Lyntegar Electric Cooperative, located at 1701 U.S. Hwy 87, West Access Road, in Tahoka.