October 1st, 2019 by Allie Bennett, Marketing and Communications Manager
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 celebrate who we are and, more importantly, the members we serve.
Cooperatives are different than other types of businesses. Similar to how Macon Electric Cooperative was built by members who came together to bring electricity to our community, cooperatives care about 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 the co-op’s mission to strengthen our rural communities.
As a co-op, we are well-suited to meet the needs of the community because we are locally governed. MEC’s leadership team and employees live right here in the community. Our board of directors live locally on co-op lines. These board members have been elected to the position by neighbors like you.
Our close connection to the community ensures we get a first-hand perspective on local priorities, which enables us to make informed decisions on long-term investments, such as technology upgrades and energy efficiency 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 local schools and community organizations with projects designed to better our communities, whether it be through promoting electrical safety, or focusing on economic development.
At MEC, we also enjoy giving back to our youth. We participate in the Youth Tour and the Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience (CYCLE), where we take our community’s brightest young people to Washington, D.C. and Jefferson City to experience democracy in action.
Ultimately, the larger community benefits from these programs are because of you and your neighbors. You empower the co-op through your membership and through your participation in and support of these programs.
We hope you will think of MEC as more than your energy provider, but instead as a local business that supports this community and powers development and prosperity for the people.
We will continue to learn from our members about their priorities so that we can better serve you – because your electric co-op was built by the community, for the community.
Finally, to celebrate Co-op Month, we are asking our members why they love being a co-op member! Answer this question and be entered to win a $50 energy credit!