Rural Missouri - October 2017 - 4

| C O O P E R AT I O N

photo by Jim McCarty

Laclede Electric's Larry Taylor and David Admire help repair damage caused at Georgia's Flint Energies by Hurricane Irma. Cooperation among cooperatives is one of the Cooperative Principles.

A month for cooperatives

October is the month to celebrate the cooperative way of life

very day, you count on your local electric cooperative to deliver the safe,
reliable and affordable power you need to live your life and get things
done. As a co-op member, you already know the benefits of doing business with a not-for-profit, locally controlled company that shares your
values and gives back to your community.
But you might not realize that your electric cooperative is just one of the
cooperative enterprises around the world that collectively employ an estimated
250 million people and each year generate $2.2 trillion in economic activity.
Each year in October, America's electric cooperatives join forces with more
than 40,000 other cooperatively owned enterprises across the United States to
observe Co-op Month. The event is a chance to celebrate a business model that
puts people ahead of profits, and recognize the countless ways the cooperative
economy touches our lives every day.
Beyond the energy industry, cooperatives can be found serving members
and delivering essential goods and services in just about every segment of our
nation's economy. Some of the food on your table was likely fertilized, brought
to market, processed and delivered to your neighborhood store using the products and services of several cooperatives.
The diversity of America's cooperative economy is remarkable. And all cooperatives share a commitment to serving their members and solving problems
too complex for one person or business to effectively address on their own.
One way your local electric cooperative brings that commitment to life is
through its memberships in the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives
and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
These groups allow your local cooperative to complement its own skills,
experience and resources with those of more than 75,000 employees working
at 900 sister electric cooperatives in 47 states.

This arrangement is especially helpful as America's electric cooperatives
work to meet the evolving needs of our members and the communities we serve.
We live in a complex world where rapid advances in technology are changing
the way we live, communicate and use energy.
Cooperatives in Missouri and all across the nation are experimenting with
these technologies to determine which ones make sense for their members.
Each lesson we learn as we make this transition adds to the collective wisdom of the cooperative network. Co-ops can draw upon this knowledge when
deciding which technologies and services are right for their members.
This cooperation among cooperatives is leading our nation toward a brighter
energy future. It's also helping us recover from significant challenges.
As Hurricanes Harvey and Irma tore through the Gulf Coast in late August,
America's electric cooperative network was working together to help the region
get back on its feet.
Hundreds of mutual aid crews rushed to the scene to help local co-op
employees get the lights back on. And as those crews worked long hours in the
field, representatives from state and national co-op associations were in constant contact with senior officials from key government agencies coordinating
the response and ensuring that our crews had all they needed.
Every time you flip a switch, remember that your membership connects you
to millions of other rural energy consumers served by co-ops just like yours.
But don't let all the big numbers distract you from the most important fact of
all: Co-ops are people-centered enterprises, and everything we do is made possible because of individual members like you.
- Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association,
Arlington, Virginia.

EDITORIAL STAFF: Jim McCarty, editor, jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Paul Newton, managing editor, pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop | Heather Berry, associate editor, hberry@ruralmissouri.coop
Megan Backes, creative director, mbackes@ruralmissouri.coop | Zach Smith, field editor; zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
Angie Jones-Wheeler, co-op page designer | Dusty Weter, co-op page designer
ADVERTISING: Mary Davis, production manager, mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop

"Devoted to the rural way of life"
Rural Missouri is published monthly by the Association of
Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Barry Hart, CEO/executive vice
president. Individual subscription rate: $10 per year or $22 for
three years, taxes and postage included. Group rate for members
of participating RECs $2.22, plus taxes and postage. Delivery
as specified by subscriber. If not specified, delivery will be by
periodical class mail at subscriber's expense. Periodical Class
postage paid at Jefferson City, MO, and additional mailing offices.
Copyright 2017, Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Call for reprint rights.

RURAL MISSOURI | OCTOBER 2017

Postmasters: Send address changes to Rural Missouri, P.O. Box 1645, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
Subscribers: Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to Rural Missouri.
Advertising standards: Advertising published in Rural Missouri is accepted on the premise that the merchandise and services offered are
accurately described and sold to customers at the advertised price. Rural Missouri and Missouri's electric cooperatives do not endorse
any products or services advertised herein. Advertising that does not conform to these standards or that is deceptive or misleading is
never knowingly accepted by this publication.

Editorial: Rural Missouri, P.O. Box 1645, Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-659-3423 | info@ruralmissouri.coop | www.ruralmissouri.coop
Advertising: mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop | 573-659-3400
National Advertising Representative: National Country Market;
611 S. Congress St., Suite 504; Austin, TX 78704 | 573-659-3400

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - October 2017