A message from Steve Hamlin, President & General Manager
It’s not just about what you do, it’s also why you do it.
What we do is deliver reliable, affordable power. We do this because we are committed to the well-being of our members.
Please understand that we do things differently at the co-op because we are focused on seven core principles.
- Voluntary and open membership
- Democratic member control
- Members’ economic participation
- Autonomy and independence
- Education, training and information
- Cooperation among cooperatives
- Concern for community
The co-op is not just another business. We belong to the community and are steered by these principles that drive us to serve you every day. We’re a part of the landscape. Our power lines are woven throughout the fabric of the rolling hills and along the winding rivers.
We’ve grown alongside our community and adapted to fit our members’ ever-changing needs because we were built by this community. We’re unlike most other businesses because we were created by those members who call this area home.
When the co-op is led by members just like you, who understand and listen to the community, you can be sure you are always on our minds. Everything we do has our members’ best interests at heart.
Whether it’s helping a member who needs a couple extra days to pay the light bill or listening to life stories from members who yearn for a kind ear. Truly caring. That’s what happens when an organization’s core principles are so wholeheartedly member-focused.
These principles are what keep us innovating and developing new energy-saving programs for you. They encourage us to explore ways to make renewables more available and create member opportunities like cooperative solar.
These values are what drive us to give back to the community through our Helping Hand Foundation, to care for the communities we serve. Concern for community is indeed one of the seven cooperative principles that makes us more than just a utility.
At the end of the day, the value of the seven cooperative principles is that they guarantee that you are what we always value most.
Published Sept. 2018. Updated July 2021.