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SE's
People: Tino Tovar
 Florentino
("Tino") Tovar has just celebrated 25 years of employment with Salem
Electric. Born in the central highlands of Mexico (Zacatecas) in 1944, Tino is
the oldest of seven children. At 6'2", Tino is above average height.
"Zacatecas is 8200 feet above sea level. I tell people I’m so tall because
there was less air pressing down on me," he joked.
Tino’s family moved to southern
California in 1952 as part of the migrant circuit picking fruits and vegetables
year-round. Early the next year, Tino’s father got a job as a greens keeper at
a Costa Mesa golf course, but it was short lived. The family was deported for
lack of proper immigration documents. Six months later, with papers in order,
the Tovars moved back to Costa Mesa. Dad went back to work at the golf course,
they bought a house (in which they still live) and the children enrolled in
school.
After graduating from high school in
1962 and 2-1/2 yearsof college, Tino was
drafted into the Army. After a tour of duty in Vietnam, he returned to southern
California in 1969 and took flying lessons. "My goal was to become a
pilot," he said. "I acquired private, commercial, instrument, and
multi-engine licenses and began flying charters out of Orange County
Airport." But with the Vietnam War having produced an inordinate number of
pilots, the market was flooded with others who had lots more experience.
"I became an apprentice lineman
with Southern California Edison in 1969 and received my journeyman's license in
1972," said Tino. After more than two years working for them - battling
commutes as long as one and a quarter hours each way - he decided it was time
to move on. An ad placed by Salem Electric in the Los Angeles Times gave him
the opportunity he sought. In January, 1975, Tino, his wife and two children, moved to Salem, where he began working as a lineman.
"When I joined Salem Electric,
there were about 7000 customers. Working outside in the elements (a dramatic
change from southern California) was a challenge, but you learn to grin and
bear it," he said with a laugh. "I like the distinctive four seasons
in Oregon," he added.
The lineman turned foreman in 1995
and then line superintendent in 1998. "Line superintendent is like being
the administrator for the line department," Tino said. "As partof
a team, with the operations manager and engineers, I assign work to the crews,
work with the team to make sure the work is completed, and also have contact
with customers tosolve problems."
Tino’s daughter, Tanya, 31, lives in Salem, and has made Tino a grandfather.
"I really enjoy being with my grandson, who’s six now," Tino said.
His son Tino, 26, lives in Costa Mesa and attends college, and daughter,
Alyssa, 17, is a senior at South Salem High School.
Travel has been a consistent source of enjoyment for Tino and his wife,
Barbara. Together, they’ve been to Europe six or seven times - Spain, Portugal,
Germany, Italy, France, Austria and Switzerland. They’ve also visited Hong
Kong. Aside from travel, Tino has enjoyed playing golf for 20 years and is a
member at Creekside Golf Course.
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Free Trip to Washington D.C.
Salem
Electric is looking for an outstanding high school junior or senior to serve as
Salem Electric’s delegate at the National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association’s (NRECA) 2000 Energy Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. The tour, held
June 16-22, 2000, brings approximately 1,000 high school students together from
throughout the U.S. to tour historic sites, meet with members of Congress, and
learn about cooperatives and the role they’ve played in
"electrifying" areas in the United States.
Salem Electric will cover the cost of the travel, lodging, and meals during the
event. To qualify, students must attend high school and live in Salem
Electric’s service area. Completed applications must be submitted prior
to Thursday, March 9.
For
more information, or to obtain an application, contact Salem Electric at
503-362-3601 or by
e-mail: se@salemelectric.com.
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Saving
Energy At Work
For
those of you who are interested in conserving electricity and saving money at
work, we offer our Energy Smart Design (ESD) program.
Through ESD we can perform a free
energy audit on your business. After a brief interview and an inventory of
equipment and usage patterns, we will provide an audit summary that lists
several energy saving opportunities.
Salem Electric will pay 50% of the
project cost for lighting upgrades, plus payments for adding insulation and
window improvements.
The ESD program has helped 158 of our
business customers save over 7.6 million kwhs since 1993. The average payback
for each customer is 2.2 years.
We also have a list of energy saving tips that
we would be happy to send you. Call our Member Services Department at 362-3601
for details.
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New Payment Option
For
the convenience of our customers, you can now pay your electric bill with your
Visa or Mastercard.
Not
only will we take your card at our office to make payment, but you may also pay
over the phone or use an electronic payment option.
Don’t forget about our Average Pay Program that allows you to pay equal amounts
each month, and Autopay, where your payment is deducted automatically from your
checking account. Call one of our Customer Service Representatives at 362-3601
for details.
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