Celebrate National Co-op Month
When you think of October, pumpkins, Halloween, and beautiful fall foliage naturally come to mind. But October is notable for another reason—it’s National Co-op Month. This is the time of year when cooperatives across the country, including United Electric, celebrate who we are and more importantly, the members we serve.
Cooperatives are different than other types of businesses. When the market declines to offer a product or service, or does so at a high price, co-ops intervene to fill the need. Similar to how United Electric was built by members who came together to bring electricity to our community, cooperatives are conveners for the common good. Your electric co-op exists to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to you, the members of the co-op. Equally important is our mission to enrich the lives of the members we serve.
As a co-op, we are well-suited to meet the needs of the community because we are locally governed. United Electric’s leadership team and employees live in the community. The directors who serve on our board, which helps set long-term priorities for the co-op, live on co-op lines. These board members have been elected to their positions by neighbors like you.
We know our members have a valuable perspective. Your input is important to us. Whether through community events, our social media channels, or the annual meeting, we want to hear from you.
Our close connection to the community ensures we get a 1st-hand perspective on local priorities, which allows us to make informed decisions on long-term investments, such as equipment and technology upgrades and programs.
Another feature that sets our co-op apart from a traditional utility is one of our core principles, Concern for Community. We partner with schools and local organizations. We participate in events such as the Electric Cooperative Youth Rally. You empower the co-op through your membership and through your participation in and support of local community programs.
We hope you will think of United Electric as more than your energy provider—we are a local business that supports this community and powers economic development and prosperity for the people.
We continue to listen to and learn from our members so we can better serve you— because your electric co-op was built by the community, for the community.
Sincerely,
Michael Darrington