After 26 years of service to the members of Paulding Putnam Electric, Member Services Representative Mary Arend is ready for retirement. Members who call PPEC have most likely been greeted by the friendly “hello, this is Mary” and can feel the warm smile on the other end of the line. Mary joined PPEC in 1996 with the billing department. Previously she worked for The State Bank in Paulding for 20 years.
We had a chance to sit down and ask Mary to reflect on her time at PPEC and the changes she has experienced over a quarter-century of service.
Tell us about your background and family.
I have been married to Rick Arend for 42 years living in Paulding County, and have two sons, Ryan and John. Ryan is married to Amy and has a daughter, Malayna, in Dayton, Ohio Area. John lives in Philadelphia, PA, with our Grandson, Vihaan.
What are you most proud of?
My biggest accomplishments were the birth of our sons, Ryan and John, and being married to my husband, Rick.
What will you remember fondly?
I have many memories of how the members of the co-op, in times of outages, were so willing to help the employees in times of crisis such as the Christmas 2007 ice outage and the November tornado of 2012. It was nice to see the cooperative and the community come together to get power back on. Members brought in food and thank you cards for the crews. All the fun times and the employees I have had a chance to get to know.
How do you plan on spending time during retirement?
I’d like to spend more time with my two grandchildren, my family, and do some traveling with Rick around the country. Our first stop will be Philadelphia to visit my son’s house.
What will you miss most about PPEC?
Spending time with my co-workers and the cooperative members I have gotten to know and had the pleasure of speaking with over the years. I will miss everyone!