March 2020 | Volume 82 | Issue 3
PCEC Visits Leaders in State Capitol
In February, Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative Board President Debi Koechner, CEO and General Manager Dave Deihl, Marketing and Communications Manager Jennifer Grossl and Communications Director Garrett Poorman attended the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) Legislative Conference in Jefferson City.
Platte-Clay used the conference as an opportunity to visit with local legislators and state leaders about a variety of issues facing the co-op and update them on the organization’s successes in 2019.
Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe spoke to the conference attendees, and meetings were held with a number of state legislators who represent the area that PCEC provides service to.
Platte-Clay is proud to participate in AMEC’s Legislative Conference. The cooperative strives to represent the best interest of its members when interacting with elected leaders at all levels – from local offi ceholders to statewide elected officials.
One of the most relevant topics discussed this year at the conference was a proposed to a law that would give cooperatives a fairer chance to continue serving existing consumer-members and protect consumers from unfair business practices in annexation.
Educating the Next Generation About the Importance of Cooperatives
Dave Deihl, General Manager
From the General Manager
In our fast-paced world it’s easy for businesses that are only looking out for their bottom-line to lose sight of the importance of those who make their profit possible in the first place – the consumers. What sets us apart as a cooperative is the fact that we are community led and community focused in everything we do.
Consumer-members get to select our Board of Directors and vote on bylaw changes every year at our annual meeting. Additionally, our excess revenue is returned to members annually through capital credits or refunds, which are typically applied automatically as a credit on your bill. This is a unique way of doing business that ensures our priorities are always in the right place and our focus stays on doing what’s best for those who utilize our services.
We’re proud of our rich history in the Northland, where we’ve been serving consumer-members since 1938, but the truth is that founding was 82 years ago and those memories have somewhat faded. Nonetheless, it’s important to keep the spirit of our co-op alive and for the next generation of leaders in our communities to understand the distinct advantages of the cooperative model.
That’s one reason why we support educational initiatives in the communities we serve. Our Youth Tour program, for example, sends six students to leadership conferences every summer to learn about our system of democracy and the importance of cooperatives. This program is an essay contest where the top two winners attend the Youth Tour national conference in Washington, D.C. and the third through sixth place winners attend the Youth CYCLE conference in Jefferson City.
At both conferences, students learn extensively about the cooperative model and get the opportunity to hear firsthand from leaders in the electric cooperative industry. They also learn about a wide variety of careers and opportunities in the co-op system.
Programs like Youth Tour are important for helping the next generation understand cooperatives, but it’s also important to inform educators about what we do. To accomplish this, Platte-Clay sponsors high school science teachers from our service territory to attend the annual Energy in the Classroom seminar hosted by the University of Missouri.
Energy in the Classroom is a way for teachers to get hands-on experience related to the science behind the electrical grid. The course gives educators new tools and teaching methods for introducing students to concepts related to electricity.
We can teach the next generation the distinct advantages of cooperatives by equipping them with the tools to understand how the co-op model works and differs from a profit-oriented approach. Investing in this kind of education is good for the community and benefits the co-op by creating an informed membership.
Platte-Clay Electric Linemen Lend a Helping Hand in Guatemalan Village
Brad Mick and Seth Henry, two linemen from Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, helped deliver the miracle of electricity to a remote village in Guatemala during two separate trips this winter. They each left behind family and friends for two weeks in order to build power lines to bring electricity to the village of Trapichitos and ultimately wire the village’s buildings for lights and outlets.
The linemen had to stretch power lines across many deep ravines in order to connect the village to a small hydroelectric dam nearby. Villagers helped navigate the steep terrain and assisted with the labor of wiring 120 community buildings and homes.
Board President’s Corner: We Hope to See You at This Year’s Annual Meeting
Debi Koechner
Board President
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative exists to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to its consumer-members across the Northland. Equally important is our mission to enrich the lives of all members and to serve the long-term interests of our local communities. This is where you can help.
As a member of the community, you have a perspective that is valuable––and we invite you to share it with the co-op. At the annual meeting, co-op leaders will discuss priorities, challenges, and finances for the coming years.
This event is a great opportunity for your cooperative’s leaders to share with you exciting news about what we’ve been working on and our plans for the future. There are many exciting developments to discuss such as PCEC’s reliability improvement plan, our electric vehicle program, the co-op’s continued growth and much more.
Annual meeting is also the time to vote for board members who will represent you, the members of the co-op. Since PCEC is a communityled organization, all board members are local consumer-members just like you.
Platte-Clay members enjoy the kids’ carnival at last year’s annual meeting.
Platte-Clay is one of the few local organizations that is uniquely positioned to bring together all members of the community. It is worth noting that the health of the co-op and the well-being of the community are closely intertwined.
Your Board of Directors look forward every year to the feedback that we receive at this event. Whether at our community fair booth or the town hall following the business meeting, we love having the opportunity to hear your opinions about the co-op and your ideas for the future.
Board members have a great deal of combined experience helping ensure good governance of the cooperative. We are constantly learning about and analyzing the future of the industry and we are always excited to share what we’ve learned with members.
While PCEC provides convenient electronic options for bill-paying and communication, there are times when there is no substitute for in-person engagement. When members of our community come together for a common purpose, we improve the quality of life for all in our corner of the world. We encourage all PCEC members to stop by our annual meeting. Our co-op family looks forward to visiting with you! We’ll have food, fun and great entertainment, so mark your calendar for the evening of May 7, 2020.
We look forward to seeing you and, as always, it is an honor to serve you.
Platte-Clay Moments
Platte-Clay Electric Coopertative employees proudly display their Kansas City Chiefs gear ahead of the Superbowl in February.
Left: Marketing and Communications Coordinator Linda Richardson retired from PCEC in February after 33 years of service. Right: Platte-Clay lineman Brad Mick discusses his recent trip to Gautemala to help build electric service to a remote village.
Casi Joy to Perform at Annual Meeting
Kansas City superstar Casi Joy will perform at PCEC’s 2020 Annual Meeting on May 7 starting at 5:00 PM. A seasoned performer, her impressive social media presence eventually led to a run on NBC’s The Voice, where she instantly turned all four chairs and was singled out by Rolling Stone as having one of the top 10 blind auditions of all time.
The Northland Connection is published monthly by Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., 1000 W. 92 Highway, Kearney, MO 64060. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Northland Connection, PO Box 100, Kearney, MO 64060 or mail@pcec.coop.
Platte-Clay is an equal opportunity employer.