Four County Electric Membership Corporation held its Annual Membership Meeting on Monday, October 6, 2025, at the Duplin County Events Center in Kenansville.
The business portion of the meeting focused on the election of three seats on the Four County EMC Board of Directors, along with reports highlighting the cooperative’s financial performance, key projects, and continued investments in reliability and member service.
This year’s election results are as follows:
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East Bladen District – Kenneth Thornton, Jr. (uncontested)
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At-Large – G. Clayton Hollingsworth (uncontested)
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East Pender District – Chris Rimel, who was newly elected to the Board following a contested race.
Four County EMC is proud to announce and extend its congratulations to Chris Rimel, our new East Pender District Director.
Rimel, the son of an electrical lineman and a high school English teacher, describes himself as an “energy nerd” and works for GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear in Castle Hayne. A U.S. Army veteran with 22 years of active and reserve service, he became a company commander on September 9, 2001, and has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations. He is also a member of American Legion Post 167 in Hampstead. Rimel holds an MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has completed post-graduate nuclear studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A total of 575 members were registered for the meeting, including 558 members attending in person and 17 by proxy. Of those, 537 votes were cast.
“Your participation matters,” said CEO Don Gatton. “Each vote represents the member voice that guides our cooperative forward. We thank everyone who took part in this year’s election and annual meeting.”
Four County EMC extends sincere appreciation to all members who attended and participated in the 2025 Annual Membership Meeting.