The 69th Annual Meeting of Members will be held on Friday, October 2, at 2:00 p.m. in the Public Assembly Room at the FOCUS Broadband headquarters in Shallotte, located at 640 Whiteville Road NW. Seating is limited, and members do not have to be present to win prizes. Parking will be available in the lot in front of the main building.

A recording of the meeting will also be made available on the Annual Meeting webpage on the corporate website following the end of the meeting. 

A successfully submitted ballot serves as your registration for the meeting.

Member registration and voting will be conducted online and by email starting September 10 at 12:00 A.M. ET and will close on September 30 at 11:59 P.M. The process is administered by a third-party vendor, Survey and Ballot Systems (SBS). There will be no in-person registration or voting.

Members who receive their monthly FOCUS Broadband billing statement online will receive their Annual Meeting notice via email along with the registration materials and voting instructions. Incoming emails will appear from the address: FOCUS Broadband Election Coordinator or noreply@directvote.net. Please ensure that this email address is added as an approved sender so you can continue to receive information and instructions about the voting process.

Members who receive their monthly FOCUS Broadband billing statement by mail will receive their Annual Meeting notice, registration information and a mail-in ballot by mail.

Voting materials will be sent to members via mail beginning September 8 and via email on or around September 10.

Voting will open on Thursday, September 10, at 12:00 A.M. ET and will close on Wednesday, September 30, at 11:59 P.M.

Voting materials will be sent to members via mail beginning September 8 and via email on or around September 10. Incoming emails will appear from the address: FOCUS Broadband Election Coordinator or noreply@directvote.net. Please ensure that this email address is added as an approved sender so you can continue to receive information and instructions about the voting process.

The following Board of Directors seats are up for election this year: District 1, District 3 and District 6.

The candidates listed on this year's ballot were reviewed and approved by the Committee on Nominations in accordance with the cooperative's bylaws. During the nomination period, the incumbent board members whose seats were up for election chose to seek re-election. One additional candidate also qualified through the petition process for District 3. As a result, Districts 1 and 6 each have one candidate on the ballot, while District 3 has two candidates.

More information about the candidates will be provided soon.

District 1 Candidate(s)

Whitney E. King
Whitney King has represented District 1 on the FOCUS Broadband Board of Directors since 2015 and has served as board president since 2022. A UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and lifelong farmer with King Farming Enterprises, LLC, he has held leadership roles with the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina and Brunswick County Hospital Authority, serving as chairman, and the Carolina-Virginias Broadband Membership Association, where he served as president. 

District 3 Candidate(s)

Janice Gore
Janice Gore has served as a FOCUS Broadband Director for nearly 20 years and previously served as board secretary/treasurer. During her tenure, she has developed extensive knowledge of the rural telecommunications industry, having earned the NTCA's Director Core Curriculum Certificate by completing education in policy, technology, business and governance of cooperatives. A retired educator and NC State graduate, Mrs. Gore is a Columbus County native and longtime Brunswick County resident.  

Alan C. Lewis
Alan C. Lewis is a graduate of NC State University with a BS in Civil Engineering. As President of East Coast Engineering, he has 45 years of experience in Planning, Design, Project Management, Permitting & Construction Management. His past service includes the Town of Shallotte Planning Board, Town Alderman & Mayor, County Planning Board & Board of Adjustment, Camp Methodist Church & Village Point Methodist Church Board of Trustees and the NC School of Science and Mathematics Trustee.

District 6 Candidate(s)

Michelle Ingram
Michelle Ingram has served on the FOCUS Broadband Board of Directors since 2020. A UNC Pembroke graduate and longtime Brunswick County resident, she has worked in the North Carolina judicial system for more than two decades. Mrs. Ingram is a founding member of the Brunswick County Opioid Task Force and has served on the Sunset Harbor Fire Board, UNC Pembroke Board of Visitors and as co-chair of the Brunswick County Sheriff's Charitable Foundation. 

Each membership is assigned a unique set of voting credentials that allows each member to securely access and submit a ballot. These credentials are generated by the independent company administering the election and help ensure that only one vote is counted per membership. Members may only vote once per membership. 

To Vote Online:

On or around September 10, members who receive their FOCUS Broadband billing statements electronically will receive an email containing their unique voting credentials and instructions for accessing their online ballot. Please read the email in its entirety before beginning the voting process. Incoming emails will appear from the address: FOCUS Broadband Election Coordinator or noreply@directvote.net. Please ensure that this email address is added as an approved sender so you can continue to receive information and instructions about the voting process.

Members who receive a paper ballot may choose to vote online instead of returning their mail-in ballot. A QR code printed on the ballot can be scanned to access the online voting portal. Members will need both the unique identification number and election passcode located at the top left of the paper ballot to log in and cast their vote.

Once an online ballot is submitted, the voter will not be able to log in again to change or resubmit a vote. Any attempt to log in after a ballot has been submitted will result in a message indicating that the ballot has already been cast.

To Vote by Mail:

Members who do not receive electronic billing statements will receive their voting materials, including a paper ballot, by mail. Voting and registration materials will be mailed beginning September 8.

All registration and ballot materials should not be mailed to or delivered to any FOCUS Broadband location. Any registration or ballot materials received at a FOCUS Broadband location will be considered void and will not be counted. Please use the enclosed postage-paid return envelope included in your voting materials. All materials must be received by SBS by the closing date of the voting period to count. Only original paper ballots will be accepted.

If a member submits both an online ballot and a paper ballot, the paper ballot will be the vote that is counted.

The voting process will be managed by Survey & Ballot Systems, a third-party vendor who specializes in elections for cooperatives. Survey & Ballot Systems will collect and validate all votes that are filled out correctly and turned in on time. Incoming emails will appear from the address: FOCUS Broadband Election Coordinator or noreply@directvote.net.

If you are an active, eligible member and did not receive your voting materials by email or mail, or require a replacement ballot, before voting closes, please email CapitalCredits@focusbroadband.com or call (910) 755-1609. You will need your Account Number, Member Name, Member Mailing Address, and Membership Number.

Incoming emails about voting will appear from the address: FOCUS Broadband Election Coordinator or noreply@directvote.net. Please ensure that this email address is added as an approved sender so you can continue to receive information and instructions about the voting process.

For technical support (available Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), please call 866-909-3549 or email support@directvote.net. For any other questions, please call FOCUS Broadband Customer Care at 888-367-2862.

There will be no in-person voting or registration at the Annual Meeting. Registration and voting will be conducted online and by mail-in ballot only and will take place during the designated voting period. 

All results will be announced during the Annual Meeting on Friday, October 2. A recording of the meeting will be made available on the Annual Meeting webpage following the end of the meeting.

No, there will not be a gift for registering in this year's meeting. However, all registered members will be automatically entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of three prizes. 

FOCUS Broadband will also host a drive-thru Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 10, from 11:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. We invite you to stop by and enjoy a complimentary BBQ lunch, including a sandwich, chips, slaw and a drink, along with some goodies, as a thank you for your continued support. 

Yes, FOCUS Broadband will award three prizes as part of this year's Annual Meeting, including a grand prize of a Toro MyRide zero-turn lawnmower, a Samsung 65" Frame Pro Smart TV and a Traeger Woodridge Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker.

Only members who register for and vote in this year's Annual Meeting will be eligible to win one of the three prizes. Members do not need to be present at the Annual Meeting to win.

Winners will be announced on the FOCUS Broadband website and Facebook page following the meeting. Winners will not be announced during the Annual Meeting. 

Please view the Prizes Terms and Conditions.

FOCUS Broadband will begin contacting winners on Monday, October 5, with instructions for claiming their prize. Winners may pick up their prize at the FOCUS Broadband Shallotte headquarters beginning October 5, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please view the Prizes Terms and Conditions. 

Winners must claim their prize by October 30.