I truly believe we’re working in the most exciting industry in America right now. The decisions we’re making aren’t small. They will shape the future of electric co-ops in rural America for generations.
This once-in-a-lifetime moment of change is driven by technology, shaped by politics, and influenced by markets. But the real story is about people — the human energy. … It’s in our co-ops. In our leadership. On our boards. Out in the field. Throughout our communities.
That’s our edge. We’re working for the best people — families, farmers, small business owners, neighbors, friends. Because of them, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. We don’t just show up. We stand out.
We seldom stop to connect those two words: “electric” and “co-ops.” Combine them, and you find yourself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with people who are called to a higher purpose.
We use the cooperative model to deliver the highest quality service to people at the end of the longest line. If it wasn’t for the co-op, farmhouses would still be in the dark. Phones would still be attached to the wall. All labor would be manual. Progress would remain a distant dream.
The cooperative model instructs us to operate with concern for community, but it also challenges us to be enthusiastic and optimistic. To learn, to participate, to share experiences. To give back, even as we keep moving forward.
Today’s electric industry is offering us challenges … to meet growing demand, to adapt to new technology, to build more resilient systems and more reliable service.
That doesn’t bother us. We’re rising to these challenges, listening to our members, working together and finding solutions. We keep improving. We keep getting better. It’s what we were created to do.
The co-op brought electricity. But electricity is also a way to bring the cooperative business model to people. … We shouldn’t take the cooperative model for granted. It’s every bit as important as the electric power it provides.
In the beginning, the cooperative model brought people in the community together to do a job no one else would do. That same responsibility rests with us. Your co-op is not just another business.
The bar is higher. The lights are brighter. More is expected of us — more transparency, more member control, more value. We go the extra mile. We listen. We lead. We care. That’s the human energy that sets us apart.
Our cooperative business model is uniquely selfless. It’s about service to others. We’re trusted to make good on the century-old promise of the first people in the community who said — if we commit to this, if we all pitch in, we can turn the lights on here, and we can keep them on.
We have this privilege, written in law, to provide electricity for ourselves — to provide governance for ourselves — to make decisions about the direction we will take … the best path for our co-ops and communities.
