Northland Connection: May 2025

Co-op Continues Tradition of Supporting Youth Programs

First off, I would like to remind our members that this month is your opportunity to vote in the co-op’s annual election. Online voting takes place from May 1-27 at www.pcec.coop/vote. Our annual Business Meeting will take place May 29 at 5:30 p.m. The results of the election will be announced at this time, and this will be live-streamed on our Facebook page. The recording of the meeting will be shared on Facebook if you can’t watch it live.

This month, we are also issuing capital credits to members. Current members will receive their credits on their May billing statement. Capital credits are a special part of our cooperative model. As a co-op member, you are an owner and share in the profits of your cooperative. The longer you have been a PCEC member, the more monetary equity you accumulate.

I’d like to congratulate the winners of our annual Youth Tour contest and scholarship awards. These programs are an important part of our commitment to serving youth in our service area. Concern for community is one of the seven cooperative principles at the foundation of all cooperatives. It’s yet another way electric cooperatives operate differently from other utilities and put the needs of their members first.

PCEC Foreman Mike Bigus helps a Platte-City Middle School student try on linemen safety equipment at a recent career fair.

Four high school juniors will represent our cooperative at leadership conferences in Washington, D.C. and in Jefferson City this summer. Youth Tour and CYCLE (Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience) are really wonderful experiences that we are proud to support for area students. They will have the opportunity to learn more about electric cooperatives and state and national government, as well as develop leadership skills and meet other students from around the state and country.

These programs are led by our statewide electric cooperative called Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC). They help support all 47 electric co-ops in the state with a variety of services including representing our interests at the state capitol and offering our employees valuable trainings. They also produce the Rural Missouri magazine all members receive as a benefit of membership.

Our co-op supports youth in many ways beyond scholarships and Youth Tour. Nearly every month throughout the year, members of our team can be found in area schools at career fairs, putting on electric safety demonstrations and volunteering at school events. One of the most popular requests is for our linemen to visit schools with their trucks to educate students about their work and equipment. It’s always rewarding to see the smiles and curiosity on kids’ faces.

We are fortunate to have so many great schools and educators in our service area. The next generation of leaders are growing up fast, and it takes the whole community to help provide positive opportunities to prepare them for the future.

As another school year comes to an end, thank you to all the people in our community that help support our youth to grow and thrive.

Local High School Juniors to Represent PCEC at Youth Leadership Conferences

Youth Tour finalists from left to right: Katelyn Wright who is homeschooled from Kearney, Dominic Santulli from Smithville High School, Logan Throm from Smithville High School, and Alex Walter from Kearney High School. Katelyn and Dominic were the winners of the 2025 Youth Tour essay contest and will represent PCEC at Youth Tour this summer in Washington, D.C. Finalists Logan and Alex will represent PCEC at the Youth CYCLE leadership conference in Jefferson City.

Four local high school juniors were selected as finalists in this year’s Youth Tour competition with the chance to represent PCEC at leadership conferences in Washington, D.C. and Jefferson City, Mo.

Katelyn Wright, from Kearney, and Smithville High School junior Dominic Santulli were selected as Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative’s delegates to the 2025 Youth Tour conference in Washington, D.C. this summer.

Youth Tour is an annual youth event sponsored by rural electrical cooperatives around the country. More than 100 students from Missouri and over 2,000 students nationwide will have the opportunity to tour museums, visit America’s historic monuments and even meet with their elected officials.

Youth Tour representatives from electric cooperatives across the country meet in Washington, D.C. each year for a unique leadership conference where high school juniors come together to learn more about electric cooperatives, tour historical sites and meet with elected officials.

Logan Throm from Smithville High School and Alex Walter from Kearney High School were selected to serve as delegates to Youth CYCLE (Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience) in Jefferson City.

The competition finalists prepared essays and presentations for judges on the 2025 contest question: “What makes cooperatives unique, and how would you explain membership to someone in your community?”

You can learn more about Youth Tour and Youth CYCLE by visiting www.moyouthtour.com.

PCEC Linemen Help Missouri Co-ops After Tornado Outbreak

A devastating tornado outbreak struck across southern Missouri on March 14 and led to at least a dozen deaths and widespread power outages for tens of thousands of rural electric cooperative members.

Around 130 Missouri electric cooperative linemen were mobilized around the state to come to the aid of the hardest hit areas. PCEC sent a four-man crew to two cooperatives in need. The crew first traveled to Licking, Mo., to assist Intercounty Electric Cooperative Association in power restoration efforts. The crew then traveled on to West Plains, Mo. to help Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative.

Members of the PCEC crew included Foreman Tom Hale, Apprentice Lineman Collin Gandy, Journeyman Lineman Joseph Roach, and Journeyman Lineman Chris Smith. In total, the crew offered over 400 hours in disaster assistance in the aftermath of the storms. Over 1,300 broken poles had to be replaced across the state with the help of 25 mutual aid crews.

“Every time we encounter hard hit and devastated areas at first we think, ‘Wow, how horrible for these members to go without power for days and weeks,’” said Hale. “The one thing that is similar at all mutual co-op aided storms is the extreme gratitude that is given to us by the members and co-op employees. This gratitude is very much appreciated, and fuels us all to the finish line. We believe helping other co-ops, when in need, is just like taking care of your own family members in times of trouble. Also, as always, a special thanks to our families and wives for sharing us with others for extended times.”

Cooperation among cooperatives is one of the seven cooperative principles. PCEC was called upon to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene last fall in Georgia, and is always available to assist electric cooperatives in the state and around the country in times of need. In turn, other cooperatives would help PCEC members during a major outage event.

Capital Credits Returned to Members in May

Platte-Clay Electric will return $3.5 million of capital credits to consumer-members this year. Capital credits are applied to members’ bills using the autoapply system in May. Members will be notified of the amount they are being refunded on their bills as well as in a separate letter from the co-op in the mail.

Automatically applying the capital credits to members’ bills allows for credits to be accessed quicker and reduces the possibility of check fraud from stolen mail.

Capital credits are one of the many benefits of cooperative membership. As a co-op consumer-member, you share in the profits of the cooperative. The longer you use the service, the more monetary equity you accumulate.

The actual credit amount each consumer-member receives is determined by the cooperative Board of Directors and is usually a percentage of your total allocation amount from a previous year of service. By refunding only a portion at a time, the co-op is able to maintain a stable financial structure.

If you are a consumer-member and have plans to move out of the co-op’s service area, make sure our office has your forwarding address. This will allow us to send you the prior year allocation statement notifying you of your entitled amount and a check when the allocation comes due.

If you have questions please contact us at (816) 628-3121 or by email at memberservice@pcec.coop.

PCEC Announces Scholarship Awards for Area Students

Each spring, PCEC awards three $1,000 scholarships to deserving local students.

The scholarship program focuses on students accepted or enrolled in a two or four year accredited college or trade school, and pursuing a career that could be used in the electric industry.

The 2025 scholarships were presented to Audrey Davis, from the North District, Zachary Olson, from the West District, and Van McNutt, from the South District.

Congratulations to the winners. Look for more details on next year’s scholarship awards in the fall.

Platte-Clay Membership Election 2025

All members who vote in the election will automatically be entered to win free energy bill credits. Two winners will receive $750 and the grand prize is $1500! In order to access the ballot, you will need to know:

1) YOUR LAST NAME / BUSINESS NAME
2) YOUR MEMBER NUMBER
3) YOUR LOCATION NUMBER

The information listed above can be found on your PCEC bills or through your online billing portal. Once you have the required information, visit www.PCEC.coop/Vote to vote online or call (816) 343-4847 to request a mail-in ballot on or before May 9.

Mobile Mammography Coming To PCEC

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11 • 9 A.M.- 5 P.M.
Platte-Clay Electric Kearney Headquarters: 1000 W 92 HWY, Kearney, MO

• When scheduling your mammogram, tell the scheduler that the appointment is on the mobile coach for the date listed above.
• Women 35-39 years of age are eligible for a screening baseline mammogram. They should check with their insurance provider prior to the screening for plan eligibility and coverage.
• Your most recent screening mammogram should be 12 months or more prior to the current mammogram for insurance coverage reasons. Please check with your insurance provider for coverage if you are earlier than 12 months.
• Women 40 years or older do not need an order.
• Please complete the Breast Imaging Form and the Medical Records Release Form, then provide them at the time of your appointment. You will also need a photo id, your insurance card, and the name of your primary care physician.
• On the day of your mammogram, please refrain from wearing deodorant, lotion, or perfume from the waist up. Also wear a two-piece outfit so you don’t have to fully disrobe.

Testing provided by Diagnostic Imaging Centers, P.A.

CALL (913) 344-9989 TO SCHEDULE • WALK-INS WELCOME