Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 284 HTCinc.net | Fall 2016 A Word From Mike Hagg, HTC CEO Dear reader and fellow Cooperative member, Welcome back to Life Connections! We are thrilled that our first-ever edition was so well received among community members. The positive feedback we’ve received has been overwhelming — and for that, we thank you. We are proud to publish a magazine that connects our neighbors to local businesses and attractions, technology tips and — most importantly — each other. Keep the comments coming — we love hearing from our readers. Did you especially love a certain story? Do you have an idea for a unique article? Let us know! Send your thoughts, opinions and ideas to us at htcinc.net/life-connections. Who knows? You might even see your ideas in full color next quarter. In this issue, we dive into the most wonderful time of the year by reviewing best practices for online shopping, scoping the art scene, checking out a local restaurant, learning a few tips on managing holiday stress and exploring the benefits of locally grown foods. At the time of this printing, we are in the midst of cleanup from Hurricane Matthew. Different parts of our service areas suffered various levels of damage. From flooding and trees down to homes and businesses being without services, each person has their own hurricane story, but we are grateful that the wrath of this storm was not worse. One thing Matthew certainly didn’t destroy is South Carolina’s tenacious spirit — the people of this state rallied together to help one another, proving once again that the worst times bring out the best in our community. That certainly is true of our friends at Horry Electric Cooperative and Santee Cooper. While over 834,000 people lost power in South Carolina — nearly 200,000 right here in Horry and Georgetown counties — our local utility companies worked tirelessly alongside HTC team members to regain connections and recover power. I really want to give an extra shoutout to our HTC employees for going the extra mile to get us all reconnected. These brave individuals made significant personal sacrifices in our state’s time of need, often leaving their families in order to reconnect ours. But that’s what we do at HTC — these are our neighbors, these are our friends, and HTC technicians will continue working to restore these communities in order to connect people where it counts. Best regards, Michael Hagg, Chief Executive Officer Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc. View the survey for this edition at lifeconnectionsfall2016.questionpro.com to tell us all about your Life Connections experience. And by completing this survey, you'll be entered to win a brand-new YETI Tumbler! WE CAN’T WAIT TO CONNECT WITH YOU! TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! Previous Winner, Mary Robert of Conway, with Lisa Martin of HTC.