Incumbents Ric Evans, of Ellsworth; Dale Farrier, of Kalkaska; and Larry Monshor, of Gaylord, were recently re-elected by Great Lakes Energy members to three-year terms on the electric cooperative’s board of directors. Each incumbent defeated challengers (see summary below) in their district to earn another term on the board. Evans is from District 3 (Antrim County) and is an energy-efficiency consultant, instructor and owner [...]
Laverne Hansen, a 27-year member of the HomeWorks Tri-County Electric board of directors, is retiring, but there will still be a Hansen serving on the Co-op’s board. Kimber Hansen will be replacing his father, Laverne, as the new District 4 director. Kimber is a farmer, responsible for the daily running of the family farm near Edmore, and has been a HomeWorks member since 1993. [...]
Michigan electric cooperative employees recently took the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” to promote awareness of the disease and encourage donations for research. Midwest Energy Forty one Midwest Energy Cooperative employees gathered in the co-op’s Cassopolis parking lot for a company ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The co-op and many employees donated to the ALS Association in honor of co-op members who have experienced [...]
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 [...]
