When the request for hurricane support came to the energy team, Jude Wolf, energy district manager, didn’t hesitate. “At the end of the day, that’s what I do. I help people out” said Wolf. With a fuel truck and a natural tendency toward lack of sleep, he headed to South Georgia where tropical storm Irma was about to wreak havoc on homes, businesses and lives. Wolf, also a volunteer firefighter of 20 years, most recently with the Cottage Grove Fire Department, was drawn to help in the refueling efforts for the many utility companies that were restoring power to affected areas. His truck provided the sole fueling support for 500 bucket and pick-up trucks as part of an around-the-clock system to ensure the vehicles restoring power and clearing roads would have fuel to do their job.
Wolf worked through the night filling each vehicle from his fuel truck so the workers would be fueled for the next day. A bulk fuel tanker and driver, Gus, would make trips to Atlanta to support the Landmark Services Cooperative truck used by Wolf. “The coordination of the recovery efforts was impressive,” said Wolf. “Georgia Power and Light had been preparing for a week before the storm, and all the staging was in place by Saturday, the day before the storm hit the area. They did a really nice job.” He was able to help with the recovery efforts for seven days before he was released and the power utility crews were sent to Florida to help with efforts there. When asked, he said “You want to help out in a situation like this, and the opportunity came up. I would do it again.” Wolf was part of a greater cooperative effort coordinated with 1st Choice Energy Services, a division of Heritage Cooperative in Ohio.
“One of the seven guiding principles of cooperatives is cooperation between cooperatives, so when this opportunity came up, we saw this was a great example of the cooperative system working together. We were able to help those in need in our own small way. We just needed someone on our team to step up and volunteer, and Jude was quick to commit. Many others contributed to cover the truck route and Jude’s responsibilities. It was a great team effort. I am proud to be part of a team that looks out for the needs of others. It says a lot about who Landmark Services is and the cooperative network as a whole.” said Adam DeLawyer, Landmark Services’ energy and retail executive vice-president.
