Inaugural Quad States Safety Leadership Conference Is a Hit
In late April, nearly 70 up-and-coming lineworkers from around the country participated in the first ever Lineworker, Safety, Training & Leadership Conference in Omaha, Nebraska. Unlike other training conferences, these individuals were selected through a nomination process that was meant to identify people who actively influence the safety culture at their utility. The goal [...]
2023 Symposium Reflects on Collaboration & Our Collective Power
Collaboration was an overarching theme at the 2023 Michigan Electric Cooperative Symposium. Guest speakers offered insights into their areas of expertise, including finance, cyber security, government relations, and of course, the challenges and opportunities cooperatives continue to face. Wolverine CEO Eric Baker offered a rallying cry for continued and unabashed collaboration between all the [...]
Joe McElroy Presented Leroy M. Vanderpool Award
MECA Safety Director, Joe McElroy, was recently presented the Leroy M. Vanderpool Recognition Award at the January Quad State Instructors Winter Conference. “I am beyond humbled to receive this award,” McElroy said, “there are multiple people within the Quad States group who are more deserving to be chosen.” Leroy Vanderpool was a pioneer in [...]
TEC Linemen Respond to House Fire
Two Thumb Electric Cooperative (TEC) journeyman linemen recently put their safety training into action when they responded to a house fire on Atwater Road, between Ubly and Parisville. On the afternoon of October 3, Jim Vogel and Shane Maurer were returning from a jobsite when they noticed what appeared to be flames coming from [...]
MECA Introduces New “Co-op Foundations” Workshop
MECA celebrated National Co-op Month with a series of "Cooperative Foundations" workshops in October, which focused on co-op history, principles, and purpose. "We used to offer a similar half-day workshop in partnership with NRECA," says Doug Snitgen, Executive Vice President at MECA. "But, when we discovered that NRECA no longer offers their course, Great [...]
Mutual Aid Teams Restore Power After Devastating Windstorms
More than 864,000 Michigan households were left without power last week after multiple rounds of severe windstorms rolled through the state. Gusts of up to 104 mph leveled hundreds of trees and launched trampolines and other debris into the branches of those left standing. MECA Safety Director, Joe McElroy, was stranded at a Safety [...]