CDE Lightband and National Corvette Museum Receive Awards at Seven States 2023 Annual Meeting
November 20, 2023

Innovation is essential if the Valley is to keep up with evolving consumer demand. Fortunately, our region is filled with leaders actively adopting new technology by partnering with Seven States Power Corporation.

At the recent Seven States Annual Meeting, the 2023 Spark Award was awarded to the General Manager of CDE Lightband, Brian Taylor, and the Innovation Award was presented to the National Corvette Museum.

CDE Lightband has proven itself to be an innovation leader of the Valley by installing four ChargePoint DC fast chargers, developing two utility-scale solar projects for a combined 6.75 MW of solar capacity, and participating in the Seven States Middle Mile Network (SSMMN).

Brian is also a Seven States Valley Innovation Ambassador ( read his VIA interview here ). While Brian could not receive the award himself, Seven States was honored to have CDE Lightband Chief Human Resources Officer Privott Stroman at the Annual Meeting to receive the award on Brain’s behalf.

The 2023 Innovation Champion Award was presented to the National Corvette Museum and accepted by its President and CEO Sharon Brawner. In addition to serving as the gracious host to the 2023 Seven States Annual Meeting, the Museum worked with Seven States to install three solar charging stations on its campus. These stations will allow tens of thousands of visitors annually to recharge cell phones or other personal devices through solar power.

Seven States also recognized the Museum’s impactful work to showcase and celebrate the iconic Corvette. The National Corvette Museum was purposefully chosen as the location of the 2023 Annual Meeting because the Corvette is a tangible example of continuous innovation. Every Corvette in its day was considered best in class: it was the most beautiful and powerful American vehicle that embraced new technology.

The mindset of continuous innovation built the Corvette of today just as it will build the grid of tomorrow.

Congratulations to Brian Taylor and CDE Lightband, as well as Sharon Brawner and the National Corvette Museum, for earning these outstanding awards!

A woman is standing at a podium giving a speech.

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Valley Update: Tennessee Valley Corridor & USDA

By Jessica Bradshaw • April 7, 2026
Seven States Power Corporation President and CEO, Betsey Kirk McCall, attended the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors meeting in Washington, DC on March 4, 2026, joining regional leaders to discuss economic development, infrastructure investment, and the TVC’s upcoming National Summit. The TVC brings together stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to strengthen the region’s competitiveness and support long-term growth. McCall’s participation reinforced Seven States’ commitment to collaborating with regional partners to ensure the Valley’s energy systems continue to support economic expansion and community prosperity. During this visit, McCall also met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service staff to discuss additional federal financing opportunities that could support energy development across the Tennessee Valley. The conversation focused on Seven States’ request for nearly $6 billion in funding to acquire natural gas generation resources across the Valley. An additional $320 million could support distribution-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), helping utilities strengthen grid reliability and modernization of the region’s power infrastructure. By strengthening relationships with federal leaders and advocating for policies that support growing energy demands in the Valley, McCall reinforced Seven States’ commitment to reliable, affordable and abundant power supply. McCall plans to attend the TVC's National Summit on May 28-29, 2026 in Chattanooga, TN to highlight the region's growth for economic prosperity.

State Update: Advocacy at the Tennessee State Capitol

By Jessica Bradshaw • April 7, 2026
Seven States President & CEO, Betsey Kirk McCall, spent time at the Tennessee State Capitol on February 4, 2026, meeting with legislators including members of the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and the House Commerce Committee. A central focus of the meetings was providing an update on Seven States’ Energy Express project, an initiative designed to support growth in the Tennessee Valley with 220MW of battery storage. This project will be funded with a $439 million award by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (USDA RUS) New ERA program. McCall shared how Seven States will leverage federal financing opportunities, such as their USDA award of $439 million along with access to additional federal funds, to build or acquire generation and capacity to meet energy demand across the region, particularly as TVA navigates its debt constraints. She updated the legislators on how funding available to Seven States complements and amplifies TVA’s efforts to maintain a reliable energy system. By pairing federal financing with regional expertise in project deployment, Seven States can help utilities of all sizes move energy projects forward. The Seven States team also successfully engaged in state-level advocacy efforts to help stop proposed legislation that would have imposed an additional tax on electric vehicle (EV) charging. Working alongside partners and stakeholders, Seven States communicated to lawmakers how the proposed tax could create unnecessary barriers to EV infrastructure development and slow innovation within Tennessee’s evolving energy and transportation sectors. These advocacy efforts serve to refine and advance initiatives that impact a rapidly changing energy landscape. Together with partner LPCs, Seven States is building and energizing the grid of the future.

Federal Update: APPA Legislative Rally

By Jessica Bradshaw • April 7, 2026
Seven States Power Leadership traveled to Washington, D.C., February 23–25 to meet with members of the Tennessee Valley congressional delegation while attending the American Public Power Association (APPA) Legislative Rally with the nation’s public power electric utilities. Seven States Board Chair, Jeff Dykes, (CEO, BrightRidge) and President & CEO, Betsey Kirk McCall engaged with federal leaders to advocate for more power supply, educate on the flexible financing available to Seven States as a generation and transmission cooperative, and build relationships with federal representatives on key energy issues. A central focus of the meetings was providing an update on Seven States’ Energy Express project, an initiative designed to support growth in the Tennessee Valley with 220MW of additional capacity. This project will be funded with a $439 million award by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service. McCall and Dykes also led discussions highlighting how Seven States serves as an in-Valley solution to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s current debt constraint challenges. Through its financing capabilities, Seven States can own utility-scale power plants and double the impact of TVA’s capital investments, thereby expanding production and modernizing grid infrastructure. McCall and Dykes worked to educate policymakers about how aligning objectives and encouraging the use of Seven States as a mechanism for short- and mid-term financing solutions can unleash American energy faster. McCall plans to attend the NRECA Legislative Conference April 26 – 28 in Washington D.C. to continue these efforts with the nation’s electric cooperatives.
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