​BRMEMC Names Brinke Interim General Manager

Erik Brinke

The Board of Directors of Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation (BRMEMC) names Erik C. Brinke as Interim General Manager. Brinke will succeed Outgoing General Manager Jeremy Nelms, who has accepted a position as CEO of Flint Energies in Warner Robbins, Ga. Nelms’ last day with BRMEMC is Friday, Sept. 25. Brinke will serve in this interim position while the Board develops a plan for naming a permanent replacement. 
 
An 18-year employee of BRMEMC, Brinke was hired by the Co-op to establish its first formal economic development department, and to support broadband deployment across the region. More recently, he has served as Director of Administrative Services and External Relations, managing the Co-op’s fleet, garage, facilities and maintenance, information systems/IT, communications and economic development efforts.
 
BRMEMC Board President Ray Cook said, “I am encouraged that we have been able to call on one of our own to continue the Co-op’s important work while the Board develops a plan for hiring a new General Manager. We are confident that Mr. Brinke’s extensive co-op experience will afford us the time we need to make the best choice for our Co-op’s future leader.”
 
“I feel blessed that the Board has placed its confidence in me for this interim role, and my hope is that I lead the Co-op well in its critically important work, while allowing the Board the time needed to ensure a smooth and efficient transition to our next permanent Manager,” said Interim General Manager Brinke.
 
A graduate of Murphy High School, Brinke holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is an NRECA Certified Key Account Executive (CKAE), and serves his community on numerous Boards and Commissions.
 
Brinke resides in Murphy with his wife, Paige, and their two children, Asher and Anna.
 
About Blue Ridge Mountain EMC
Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation is a member-owned electric cooperative headquartered in Young Harris, Georgia, serving nearly 47,000 members in Cherokee and Clay Counties in Western North Carolina, and Towns, Union and Fannin Counties in Northeast Georgia.  Organized locally in 1937, BRMEMC has invested well over $280 million in physical infrastructure in its mission to provide reliable electric and broadband services to its members where those services would not otherwise have been available. Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

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