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Your Co-op Strives to Be Your Local Trusted Energy Services Provider…and More // CEO Column June 2023

CEO Column, News

At LREC, we have always strived to provide our members with safe, reliable, and affordable electricity. We have taken actions to be your local trusted energy services provider by offering a community solar opportunity for our members, installing GoWest Solar units, implementing our generator program, and promoting our many demand response programs. However, we don’t want to stop there, and we won’t stop there.  We want to be the co-op that listens to and engages with its members. We believe you also deserve your co-op to be your local trusted source for good and factual energy information. I hope you feel our actions and our engagement efforts reflect that we are here for you when you need such information. All of you inspire us to put together events like the recent Energy Forum we hosted at Thumper Pond on May 18th.  The presenters and topics discussed at the Energy Forum are mentioned in the Energy Forum press release included in this newsletter.  However, I want to share with you some of the things not included in the press release, such as:

  • The passion and engagement of our members who attended the event that I experienced firsthand when meeting with many of them
  • The eagerness and desire of our LREC staff to coordinate efforts planning the event and arrange for presenters coming into our service territory from National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA), Great River Energy (GRE), and Mining Minnesota.
  • The positive feedback we received from LREC members who attended the event
  • Knowing our members have different opinions on policies, laws, and other actions that impact the energy industry, but regardless of such opinions, having members who are open and willing to engage with each other in a positive manner at events like the Energy Forum—members had great conversations with each other, even if some of those conversations included things that aren’t always agreed upon
  • The energy our membership brings to the LREC employees who serve you
  • The new relationships created at events like these, and the strengthening of relationships that were created many years ago
  • Recognizing we, as a co-op, are part of a large co-op family that includes NRECA, MREA, and GRE, and knowing all the members of the co-op family share the same mission of serving our members—this was showcased when NRECA, MREA, and GRE were excited to come to our community on May 18th to participate in the Energy Forum

We are a co-op. You, the member-owners, are the reason LREC exists. You deserve your co-op to provide safe, reliable, and affordable electricity. You also deserve your co-op to remain active and engaged with you so we are well positioned to listen to each other, learn from each other, and move forward together to create the best quality of life we can for our community.