The heart of our cooperative isn’t found in substations, power lines, or other equipment. While these things matter, they don’t give it life or purpose. The real heart of our organization lives in our people.

It’s the linemen who brave the cold, the rain and the dark to restore power. It’s the dispatchers who answer calls and bring calm to stressful situations. It’s the member service representatives who listen and address concerns with care. And it’s the engineers, accountants, communicators, warehouse staff and support teams who ensure everything behind the scenes runs smoothly.

What I appreciate most is that our employees don’t just show up to do a job–they care. They care about doing things the right way, about safety and about one another. Most importantly, they care deeply about the members we serve. That spirit of care gives me great optimism for the future of our cooperative.

Adding to that optimism are exciting new projects on the horizon. At our last annual meeting, I shared that we were awarded two significant grants to strengthen our system and improve reliability. Through the ERA program, we received nearly $5 million to upgrade transmission poles. We also received $11 million through the GRIP program to invest in self-healing circuit ties, smart fault indicators, and enhanced system monitoring.

Although these grants were initially put on hold by the current administration, I’m proud to share that the first one has now been released, and staff will work through each milestone to complete this project. We still await release of the second grant, and remain optimistic that, through actions of our local and federal legislators, it too will be approved to benefit our members.

These grants allow us to make improvements and modernize our system without placing the financial burden on our members. Such opportunities don’t happen by accident; they are the result of careful planning, strong financial stewardship and a team that understands both the technical and financial responsibility of running a cooperative. When federal funding opportunities became available, our team went to work to ensure those dollars came here to your cooperative.

While these projects add to my optimism for the road ahead, economics and upgrades are not at its core. The true source of it comes from witnessing, each day, a team that takes its responsibility seriously, and a board of directors dedicated to making thoughtful decisions that balance reliability, affordability, and the long-term strength of your cooperative.

I’m grateful for the dedication our employees pour into serving our members, and for the trust our members place in us. At the end of the day, the heart of our cooperative isn’t found in just what we do, it’s who we are.

Cooperatively yours,
Dennis Mabe, CEO