Excellence Recognized

His plan for the evening didn’t involve winning the Lineman of the Year Award.

For Line Crew Chief Payden Henderson, the awards ceremony on Dec. 6 provided a chance to spend time outside working hours with his colleagues and an opportunity to cheer on the winner of two awards given out by United Cooperative Services every year.

Then, he heard his name called as this year’s winner.

“It was a pretty big surprise,” Henderson said. “It was exciting, and I was a little nervous to get up in front of everybody and talk. It’s an honor to win that award, especially considering all the other people before me who’ve won it.”
Henderson began his 12-year career at United right out of high school as a groundman. He currently works out of the Granbury office.

Senior Foreman Jerry Scott praised Henderson for his work ethic, attitude and professionalism in his dedication to the cooperative.

“Payden is a very humble man, and he waves the co-op flag like you wouldn’t believe,” Scott said. “He is an outstanding young man and employee. He always finds a way to get things done. He’s exactly who you want on your crew. He comes in when you need him. He’s very dedicated and dependable.”

United’s Lineman of the Year Award symbolizes a United lineman’s commitment to safety—whether in hazardous work environments or routine daily work—and the proud heritage of service and dependability the cooperative’s operations crews provide daily to United members.

As the 22nd recipient of the award, Henderson joins previous winners Ed Nuñez, Mike Fergason, Mark Buckner, Robert Rejcek, Jeremiah Esquell, Gary Sims, Jerry Don Robinson, Jeff Pannell, Travis Ashworth, Joe Ponce, Jim Young, Arick Wienecke, Carlos Martinez, Josh Koopmann, Ben Perry, Trey Carper, Thomas Smith, Bud Boenisch, Rygh Fullagar, Mark Samuel and Bradley Morrow.

In addition to the Lineman of the Year Award, United employees gathered to learn the name of this year’s Volt Award winner.The honor is bestowed upon the employee who demonstrates the co-op’s continuing commitment to safety, leadership, productivity, innovation and teamwork, and who portrays a professional representation of the cooperative in his or her daily work.

Chris White, this year’s recipient,  said he tries to attend the award ceremony every year. The award came as a surprise to him, as well. Once he realized he had received the honor, White said nervousness briefly overtook him at having to speak in front of an audience unprepared. But he said gratitude quickly replaced any fears he had.

“It’s very humbling to be thought of in such regard,” he said. “A lot of people have won that award, so there’s a lot of great company that I’m in now. It’s an honor to have my peers and supervisors take the time to nominate and vote for me. I take great pride in my job, and it’s great to win and all, but it’s also part of what we do each and every day at the co-op to provide exceptional service and value to our membership.”

White joined the co-op in 2013, starting as an overnight dispatcher. In his career, he’s held positions in the engineering department and the metering department before moving on to work on United’s high-speed internet project. He currently serves as the internet subscriber services manager for the cooperative.

In his current job, he said he has many late nights, talking to and helping members with internet issues. Taking the time to help individual members have a better experience with United’s internet fulfills him, he said, and that there are always opportunities to overcome new challenges.

Chris MacIntyre, vice president of internet services, lauded White for his dedication to handling difficult situations. He said White is always ready to help.   

“Chris epitomizes exceptional service to his colleagues, direct reports and, most importantly, United’s members,” MacIntyre said. “He is a great team player and jumps in to handle some of the most challenging situations without hesitation. Chris is always willing to go above and beyond to ensure our members walk away knowing they are valued by United.”

White joins previous winners Jason Dillard, Patty Mangum, Jerry Scott, Johnny Hazzard, Robert Bernhoft, Seth Rosser, Robert Sherman, Cory Menzel, Wes Burton, Denise Robertson, Michael Huston, Mark Dixon, Patti Wagner, Heather Wigington, Clay Turner and Gary Sowders as the 17th winner of the Volt Award.

United CEO Cameron Smallwood emceed the ceremony and presented the awards while also discussing the year in review and the cooperative’s plans for 2025.

“The winners of this year’s awards are United through and through,” Smallwood said. “They represent the very best of what the co-op stands for. We join together every year to celebrate and recognize excellence, and this year’s winners are exceptional individuals who have stood out in their respective areas. We congratulate them on their service to our membership.”