When a letter arrived from Midwest Energy Cooperative seeking a member to represent district 8 on its board of directors, Arell Chapman (pictured above with his wife Kellie and children) knew he’d found a great way to use his background and commitment to volunteering in his Lenawee County community. “The board agreed!” says Midwest communications director, Patty Nowlin. “At their September 2015 meeting, they [...]
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 [...]
Testimony on Senate Bill (SB) 437, 438, and other energy policy issues affecting electric co-ops was recently presented to the Senate Energy & Technology Committee in Lansing. “MECA supports many of the energy policy changes proposed in SB 437 and 438, however, there are areas that can be addressed to make this legislation even stronger,” Craig Borr, CEO of the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association [...]
Fred Turk (above left), of Decatur, and Daniel Sovinski, of Big Rapids, were seated and welcomed to the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association Board of Directors at their Oct. 7 meeting in Lansing. Turk will represent Midwest Energy, and was voted-in to finish out the term of Ken Swope, who retired after 20+ years of service to MECA. Turk brings 38 years of experience as [...]
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op members continue to generously assist their community, nonprofit organizations and individuals by voluntarily rounding up their electric and natural gas billings. Member contributions to the PIE&G Communities First Fund also provide funds for grants and scholarships in communities within the co-op’s area. At their September meeting, the Communities First board awarded a combined $11,115 in grants to: Lewiston [...]
Ken Swope (Left) and Bob Hance (Right) Jerry Akers (Wolverine Power Marketing Cooperative) and Ken Swope (Midwest Energy Cooperative) have both retired from their positions on the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) Board of Directors. Swope was a MECA Board member for over 20 years, providing particular guidance on legislative issues, including visiting with Michigan members of Congress during the annual NRECA [...]
A record crowd, including 184 registered delegates, attended HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative’s 78th Annual Meeting recently in Mt. Pleasant. “During the meeting our members voted to support renewal of the electric franchise ordinances in each of the 99 townships served,” said HomeWorks general manager, Mark Kappler. Guest speakers included the co-op’s 2015 Youth Tour participants, Bryce Thelen, of Westphalia, and Jordyn Rademacher, of Fowler, [...]
Rich Drews has been a Team Midwest fixture for 38 years, most recently in the role of line layout technician. But on Sept. 14 he started wearing a new hat as the safety and loss control director. “We added this new role in recognition of the increasing need for coordinated safety training for our employees, safety oversight of the many contract crews working for [...]
Matt Soderquist (left in photo above), a director on Great Lakes Energy’s (GLE) People Fund Board, tackled the very first “Mighty Mac” swim across the Straits of Mackinac on Labor Day this year to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. “The effort was a success,” GLE reports in its September Envision newsletter. Collectively, the elite group of over 80 swimmers raised $320,454 for the [...]
Help the cause, and look good doing it! In November, several Michigan co-op employees will travel to Guatemala to bring electricity to remote villages. The work being done to electrify Guatemala is supported solely through voluntary donations of time, skills, money and materials. Show your support by purchasing Partners for Power clothing through our wearables campaign. All proceeds benefit the trip. Shirts are available in four styles [...]
