Chassell High School was the setting for the 2017 Ontonagon County Rural Electrification Association’s (OCREA’s) Annual Meeting held on Saturday, June 17. Approximately 150 members from the co-op’s five county service area attended the event which featured food, prize drawings, reports from the co-op manager and the board of directors and seating of new directors. According to General Manager Debbie Miles, “This is [...]
Louis Wenzlaff, president of the board of directors, opened the 80th Annual Meeting of Thumb Electric Cooperative (Thumb) members on June 10 at the Thumb Octagon Barn- a brand new venue for the annual meeting. "The Octagon Barn is a very fitting venue for our event," explained Brad Essemacher, member services manager at Thumb. Built in 1924, the historic Thumb Octagon Barn stands today [...]
A beautiful, sunny Upper Peninsula day provided the perfect backdrop to Alger Delta’s 79th Annual Meeting held on Saturday, June 10, at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. More than 400 members attended the event which featured a picnic-style cookout, games and activities for the whole family and many prize drawings. “This event gives us a chance to show our members how much we appreciate [...]
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op board of directors has appointed Tom Sobeck as chief executive officer. Sobeck succeeds CEO Brian Burns, who retired on May 5, 2017. “We are delighted to have Tom in his new role and leading PIE&G forward into the next chapter of the co-op’s history,” said John Brown, board chairman. “We’re pleased to have successfully completed the CEO [...]
On Veterans Day, Midwest Energy Cooperative donated more than $2000 to two programs that provide services and supports for local veterans. The member-owned cooperative encouraged the community to recognize veterans by lighting up homes and neighborhoods with energy efficient green LED bulbs. Midwest purchased bulbs and made them available for a minimum $5 donation. All proceeds, plus an additional $250 Midwest donation, went to [...]
Wolverine Power Cooperative (Wolverine) announced on Sept. 27 that one of its member-owners, Spartan Renewable Energy, Inc. (Spartan) will commence construction this fall on a 1.2 megawatt solar array in Cadillac (SpartanSolar - Wolverine), across from Wolverine’s headquarters facility. Wolverine will purchase 100% of the output from the project – the largest in Northern Michigan, for the benefit of its member-owners. “SpartanSolar represents our [...]
Lawmakers are working to update Michigan’s 8-year-old energy law to account for aging coal plants, new environmental standards and ever-changing technology. Over the course of the last year, both the Senate and the House released energy reform bills that were passed by their respective committees. These packages are the product of hundreds of hours of dialog and testimony from environmental groups, business owners, utilities [...]
The Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) and Great Lakes Energy Cooperative have launched a special project to explore options for the future of the Great Lakes Energy Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program. “Great Lakes Energy has been providing quality instruction and leadership in our apprenticeship lineman program for more than two decades,” said Craig Borr, MECA CEO. “However, because of the resources necessary to [...]
The Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE) is a political action committee for electric cooperative member-consumers who support safe, reliable, affordable energy. Together, we advocate for responsible energy policies in Washington, D.C. and Lansing. “I don’t need to explain the legislative challenges our program faces in the future,” says Tony Anderson, Cherryland Electric Cooperative CEO and Michigan’s NRECA Director. “We have a history of [...]
The Cloverland Board of Directors met Oct. 15 and unanimously voted to depart from membership in the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association effective Jan. 1, 2016. In light of this decision, the services MECA provides to Cloverland will change. Starting Jan. 1, MECA will no longer provide Cloverland with legislative or regulatory support. Additionally, Cloverland will no longer be eligible to produce and distribute Michigan [...]
