Long-time director Carl Morton (pictured above, right) has retired from the HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative board, as of Sept. 1. Morton has represented District 3 (most of Clinton County) since 1978, when he was first elected by neighbors as part of the “Eagle Uprising,” at a time when the co-op’s electric reliability was poor and its rates comparatively high. He then led board-driven efforts [...]
Tony Anderson, CEO of Cherryland Electric Co-op (Grawn), sat down with other local utility leaders in early August to do a Podcast discussion on renewable energy. “It is a wide-ranging discussion that is simply that - a discussion,” Anderson says about the event’s purpose. “We recognize that it is all from the utility perspective and there are other sides to all these issues. In [...]
Leaders in Michigan’s food and ag industry remain optimistic about their businesses and the ability of our economy to continue climbing. Their optimism comes from results of the Michigan Agriculture and Food Index (MAFI), shared during MSU’s annual Ag Expo. The July MAFI is the third of its kind. It gauges the current business climate of the food and ag system by surveying 100 [...]
The FCC has plans, and funding, for experiments that explore how broadband can be expanded at a lower cost in rural America. The experiments are designed to discover if nontraditional broadband providers, such as electric co-ops, will apply for available funds to build the networks needed to provide it in unserved and underserved areas. Co-op directors and employees can learn FCC plan details in [...]
Last year, Midwest Energy Cooperative hooked up its electric ops field staff with mobile technology that allows them to access a program called iVue®. After a training and support period, the co-op collected input from them on how the technology could be more efficient and effective in their daily work, and then submitted requests for changes to the program provider – the National Information [...]
As part of their new Safety Awareness Program, Great Lakes Energy (GLE) employees are encouraged to submit safety suggestions to their loss control department. Anything determined to require immediate action is addressed appropriately, while items of less urgency are reviewed by the co-op’s safety committee each quarter, with recommendations following. Valid safety tips can earn employees 20 bonus points toward their safety point totals, [...]
A Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op (PIE&G) director who was known for his ready smile, willingness to help others, and enjoyment of life, passed away on July 25, surrounded by his family. Allen Barr, 63, served on the PIE&G board for nearly 29 years. He was elected chairman for two years, with many more as vice-chair, and served four years as the Co-op’s [...]
Join Cherryland Electric Cooperative and Wolverine Power Cooperative as they support the 3rd running of the Big Little Trail Races on Aug. 23 in Buckley, MI (southern Grand Traverse County). All proceeds go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Michigan and help serve about 300 kids in need of adult mentorship each year. There is both a 5k and 15k course, and the [...]
Bob Hance, CEO of Midwest Energy Cooperative, testified before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development and Credit on July 29 in Washington, D.C., about the Co-op’s efforts to bring high speed internet service to rural areas. His testimony is intended to open up funding and policy change for broadband solutions. Midwest Energy has been a strong electric co-op voice and leader in [...]
DTE Energy and Thumb Electric Cooperative (TEC) will soon break ground on a 665-kilowatt solar energy system on the co-op’s property in Caro. The $2.5 million system, with over 2,600 photovoltaic modules, will cover over three acres and connect directly with DTE's grid. It will have the capacity to power about 100 homes when it’s completed in October. The array is part of DTE's [...]
