Northland Connection: November 2026

Thankful for the People Behind Your Power

Our employees recently won an award called the Golden Can. It’s a fun name, and there was some friendly competition involved, but the reason they received it says a lot about the people who work at your co-op.

They chose to join together to participate in Second Harvest Community Food Bank’s “food fight” corporate fundraising challenge. Together, they donated more than $2,300 to help neighbors facing food insecurity.

This was our employees’ second year participating in the event and their second straight division win. Businesses competed in groups of similar size, and PCEC also finished fifth overall among more than 60 participating businesses across the region.

But I was proud of them long before we knew where we finished.

These are people I work with every day. Many have devoted much of their careers to Platte-Clay, and I know how committed they are to serving you. Seeing them reach into their own pockets to help others is one more reason I’m thankful to have them here.

With Thanksgiving approaching, it seems like a good time to share a few things our employees have accomplished recently and give them some credit they certainly deserve.

The food bank challenge is a good place to start because it came from our employees themselves. “Concern for Community” is one of the principles that guide electric cooperatives. Our team clearly takes that to heart. Their concern for the people around them carries over into their personal lives, and our communities are better for it.

Another recent recognition belongs to our entire staff, too.

On Sept. 30, Platte-Clay was among 35 Missouri electric cooperatives recognized for workplace safety at the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ (AMEC) annual meeting. Our employees have worked more than 1,589,800 hours without a lost-time accident. That represents more than 12 consecutive years.

Twelve years is a long time to keep that kind of record going. It takes attention every day, from every employee, whether they are working on a line, in the shop or in an office.

I’m incredibly proud of that commitment. We ask our employees to look out for themselves and one another, and this accomplishment reflects how seriously they take that responsibility. Our board of directors deserves credit as well for supporting the equipment, training and time needed to do the work safely.

We also have some changes in our safety program to share.

After four years as safety director, Jeff McCullough has decided to return to linework. An open journeyman lineman position gave him that opportunity, and we’re happy to have him back in the field doing what he loves. I appreciate the leadership he provided to our safety program and everything he did to help his coworkers work safely.

Aaron Wood, a PCEC lineman and foreman with more than 21 years here, has stepped into the safety director role. He brings years of experience doing the work himself and a strong understanding of our safety expectations. Aaron knows firsthand the work Jeff has put into this program, and I’m excited to see him build on it.

Our communications and marketing team also received some welldeserved recognition Oct. 15. AMEC presented them with a High Voltage Award for Best Video for our annual meeting member message.

This team has a strong record of producing some of the best member communications among Missouri’s electric cooperatives, and this award adds to it. As a member, you should know what is happening at PCEC and understand the decisions that affect your service. Our communications team helps us explain those things clearly and keeps information coming to you consistently throughout the year.

Each of these recognitions gives me an opportunity to talk about work you might otherwise never hear much about. There is plenty more that happens quietly every day, from helping a member sort through a billing question to getting a job done safely in difficult conditions.

I’ve been here long enough to know how much those everyday efforts matter. I’m grateful for the longtime employees who share what they know, the newer employees learning alongside them and the care they all bring to serving you.

As we gather with family and friends this month, I’ll be especially grateful for the people who make Platte-Clay what it is, including the members we serve. To our employees, thank you for all you do. To our members, thank you for trusting us with a service you count on every day. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

ANSWERING THE CALL

PCEC sends linemen to Alabama to help recover from hurricane

Towering pine trees lay uprooted across the Alabama countryside, with root balls measuring up to 18 feet. For the Platte-Clay linemen helping repair Hurricane Isaias damage, the days were long and the heat relentless.

Working 16-hour shifts in temperatures in the upper 90s, the crew helped restore service a section at a time. Each small group of homes reconnected marked another step forward for a community recovering from the storm.

Platte-Clay sent six linemen to Brewton, Alabama, to help Southern Pine Electric Cooperative restore service after the storm left more than 19,000 meters without power. The co-op serves around 21,000 member accounts.

When the call for help came, the linemen had little time to prepare. They put personal plans aside and left their families to help people they had never met.

The crew departed Saturday, Oct. 10, and arrived Sunday after an 18-hour trip. The crew included Foremen Dan Smithson and Jason Green, Journeymen Linemen Heath Buckler, Zach Key and Mitch Harding, and Apprentice Lineman Keaton Koechner. They returned to Kearney Monday, Oct. 19.

Their schedules revolved around restoration work, with 16-hour shifts followed by eight hours of rest.

Buckler, a Platte-Clay employee for more than 10 years, described widespread damage caused by enormous pine trees. Some stood about 120 feet tall before the storm toppled them. The fallen trees were everywhere, he recalled, and caused much of the damage crews encountered.

The heat added another challenge. Buckler said the area was experiencing record heat during the deployment. Conditions finally cooled toward week’s end, bringing some relief.

Platte-Clay’s crew was part of a larger cooperative response. Across Missouri, 184 lineworkers and support personnel from 30 electric cooperatives deployed Oct. 10 to help three Alabama cooperatives. In addition to Southern Pine, Missouri crews assisted Covington Electric Cooperative in Andalusia and Wiregrass Electric Cooperative in Hartford.

Working alongside local employees, contractors and other mutual aid crews, Missouri personnel helped restore electricity to thousands of homes and businesses.

The response was coordinated by Missouri Electric Cooperatives, the Jefferson City based association representing all 47 electric cooperatives in the state. These co-op partnerships bring additional people and equipment to communities in need.

For Buckler, the reward was seeing the difference their work made for people who had spent days without electricity.

“The best part about it is once you flip a switch or put a cutout in and it lights that thing up, you just drive down the road and there are people waving and honking and saying thank you and God bless you,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to see those kind of gestures. It makes the 90-degree days worth it.”

Pole Inspections Help Keep Service Reliable

A utility pole can show signs of wear below ground that aren’t visible from the road. That’s why Platte-Clay’s routine maintenance includes regular inspections to check pole condition and identify needed repairs before problems lead to outages or safety hazards.

Crews with Keystone Energy Group are inspecting more than 2,000 poles in PCEC’s service area this year. The cooperative inspects and documents a portion of its poles annually as part of a 10-year inspection cycle.

This year’s inspections will take place on the western side of our service territory near Weston, Iatan, Camden Point and Dearborn. Members may see Keystone Energy Group crews in marked vehicles in your area. Inspectors may need to enter fields or yards to evaluate poles.

PCEC maintains and operates over 40,000 utility poles and over 3,100 total miles of energized line. This includes over 1,700 miles of overhead line and over 1,400 miles of underground line.

If you notice a damaged pole, please report it to PCEC at (816) 628-3121. Members can report concerns at any time, regardless of the inspection schedule.

Used poles are also available to members free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis for pickup.

Availability varies at PCEC office locations and job sites throughout the service area. Members interested in poles can call the office during regular business hours to ask about pole availability.

PCEC Hosts Community Blood Drive in Celebration of National Co-op Month

Platte-Clay members and employees rolled up their sleeves Oct. 21 to help neighbors in need during the cooperative’s annual blood drive with Community Blood Center.

Donations collected during the drive help support the blood supply for local hospitals across the Kansas City metro area. Each donation has the potential to save up to three lives. By taking time out of their day to give, donors can make a lasting difference for patients and their families.

Held during National Co-op Month, the drive offered another way to put the cooperative principle of “Concern for Community” into action. That commitment extends beyond providing electricity to helping care for the people who call this area home.

We’re grateful to everyone who donated, volunteered or helped spread the word. Whether you gave blood for the first time or returned as a regular donor, thank you for making this annual effort possible.

Friday, Dec. 4 • 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Chili Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Join us on Friday, Dec. 4 at the PCEC offices in Kearney or Platte City for our annual Holiday Open House. We will serve a free chili lunch between 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and have holiday treats available all day.

To assist those in need in our community, please bring a donation of gently used or new coats and nonperishable foods. We will continue to collect these throughout the month of December.

PCEC Kearney Headquarters:
1000 W. 92 Highway, Kearney, MO

PCEC Platte City District Office:
15055 Bethel Road, Platte City, MO 64079

Brighten your holiday season with energy-efficient lighting options. If you’re decorating with holiday lights, choose ENERGY STAR® certified LED light strings. LEDs use less electricity and last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. They also produce less heat, helping keep nearby decorations cooler. Before decorating, check light strings for frayed wires or damaged sockets, and use lights rated for outdoor use when decorating outside. For an even simpler savings strategy, put your holiday lights on a timer so they are not using energy when everyone is asleep.

Source: energy.gov