The system meeting featured two educational presentations by Gary Ambach, Director of Energy Programs at Michaels Energy. The section “Retrocommissioning: How Can It Save Some Members Lots of Money” presented an innovative approach to identify and achieve energy savings in business facilities using a holistic systems approach. “Energy Efficiency - Turning Energy Waste into Operating Income” demonstrated how energy efficiency investments provide financial gains from a business perspective. Other sessions focused on the CIPCO energy efficiency programs and a preview of the 2012 Be Bright lighting campaign.
 

For More Information Call: Abbey Sprague at Midland Power, 800-833-8876; or Jo Ann Neppl at Humboldt County REC, 800-994-3532

Members of Midland Power Cooperative and Humboldt County REC overwhelmingly approved a plan to merge the two electric cooperatives. Ninety-three percent of Midland Power members who voted and 89 percent of Humboldt County REC members who voted approved the measure.

Both cooperatives held special meetings to close the balloting and count votes on March 22. Midland Power’s 93 percent approval represents 4,339 “yes” votes out of 4,623 ballots cast. Of the 861 Humboldt County REC members who voted, 769 or 89 percent approved the measure. For the merger to have passed, Iowa law stipulates that at least 50 percent of the membership of each cooperative must vote and two-thirds of those who voted from each cooperative must favor the proposal.

“This successful merger vote is the result of two years of hard work and dedication put forth by the directors and employees of both cooperatives. We are very excited about the opportunities this merger will have to offer,” says Steve Long, manager, Humboldt County REC.

The merger will be effective January 1, 2013, and the name of the REC will be Midland Power Cooperative. The headquarters will be in Jefferson, Iowa, and the office in Humboldt will remain open. The current Midland Power Cooperative general manager, Bill McKim, will manage the merged cooperative. This will coincide with the retirement of Humboldt County REC’s long-time manager, Steve Long.

Electric cooperative mergers are not new. Nearly 115 electric cooperatives across the country have consolidated or merged over the years. In Iowa, there have been about 26 consolidations or mergers, leaving 36 REC’s in the State.

Projections by Midland Power Cooperative and Humboldt County REC show that the merger will save approximately $5.5 million over 10 years. With the plan approved by the memberships, the staff and boards at both cooperatives will now forge ahead on details to combine the systems. There should be no interruption of service due to the merger, and the most noticeable change will likely be the new name of the office in Humboldt.
 

Midland Power Cooperative is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative that serves approximately 7,300 members in 13 counties in central Iowa from its headquarters in Jefferson, Iowa, and service centers near Boone and Iowa Falls.
 

Humboldt County REC is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative that serves approximately 1,500 members in 5 counties from its headquarters in Humboldt, Iowa.
 

Introductions were given of current board members, special guests and employees at which time board member Raynold Johnson was recognized with a commemorative watch for his 25 years of service to the cooperative. In addition, several employees were recognized for their years of service including: Brian Marso (5 years); Jalen Spack (10 years); and Curt Knapp (20 years).

A presentation was made by Kayla Chalfant, daughter of staff member, Marlene Chalfant, of her experiences when she traveled to Washington, D.C. and spent 6 days with 33 other students from Iowa on the 2011 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. Kayla was selected by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives Managers Group.

Keith Peterson, Secretary of the board presented the Secretary-Treasurer’s report followed by a General Manager’s report from Cozy Nelsen. It was an informational presentation with an overview of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis performed at a recent cooperative strategic planning session.

Other business included the election of directors. The result of this year’s director election is: District 7 – Marcel Fett (incumbent); District 8 – Joni Rees (incumbent); and District 9 – Paul Hess (incumbent).

The Annual Meeting concluded with a prize drawing. The grand prize winner of a MECO electric cart grill was Windsor Wenz from Perry, Iowa.
 

The day included two guest speakers; Drew McLellan of McLellan Marketing Group addressing the significant differences of how a brand is not logo, and Steven French, Communications Coordinator of the Iowa Speedway, explaining how their organization has been successful in “Marketing Our Way”.

The brand camp focused and emphasized the importance of using the Touchstone Energy® brand to its fullest potential. The amount of resources available to TSE cooperatives is abundant and can be an overwhelming task in determining how to utilize all the possibilities to best communicate a cooperative’s message to its member owners. The goal of the camp was to further familiarize the staff of the TSE cooperatives in making the most of the resources available to them as well as brainstorming with colleagues to further enhance the use of the TSE brand in potentially new and exciting areas.
 

The official business meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by Gary Schropp, Board President. Schropp recognized some special guests in the audience, who included Cindy Golding, a Linn County REC member and candidate for State Senate District 18 in the upcoming special election. After dispensing with reading of the meeting notice and minutes, attention turned to the report from the nominating committee and closing of ballots for the board election.

Next on the agenda was a joint report from President Schropp and CEO & General Manager Kim Colberg. Their report centered on the solid standing of Linn County REC and highlighted the fact that members had not experienced a rate increase since 2002. Colberg also reported that the Board and management team are monitoring the cooperative’s margins very closely to determine if a slight rate increase may be necessary in the coming months. He indicated the membership would be notified if the decision is made to increase rates.

The guest speaker for this year’s annual meeting was Craig Fricke, COO and Vice President of Business Operations for Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), Linn County REC’s wholesale power provider. Fricke’s presentation included a preview for power supply options down the road and made a case for why nuclear energy must be a part of the long-term solution to meeting our nation’s energy needs. He also stressed that electricity suppliers like CIPCO work through very long-term planning, with power supply decisions being made today that will last for the next 40 to 60 years.

The final piece of business for the cooperative membership before the prize drawings was announcement of the election results. Districts 2, 3, and 7 all had positions up for election, and the membership returned incumbent directors to all three positions. The following director candidates were re-elected to the board:

District 2: Kirk Hiland
District 3: Roger Krug
District 7: Elmer Vanorny

The meeting closed with drawings for prizes and an expression of gratitude for all who chose a beautiful fall afternoon to attend their cooperative’s annual meeting.
 

Members were welcomed by Board President Dan Westphal to the 72nd Annual Business Meeting of the cooperative at 6:30 p.m. Chairman Westphal invited Pastor Keith Schweitzer to the podium to give the Invocation. The meeting was officially called to order by President Westphal followed by an introduction of guests present.

Vice President/General Manager Clarence Moshier addressed the membership during the business meeting to give an update on the cooperative’s business activity for the past year. 2010 key highlights included:

• The acquiring of property for the site of the new office building with the goal of having both operations and office staff housed in one facility. This marks the first time in co-op history everyone is under one roof.
• An update on the 2010 ice storm that wreaked havoc on the cooperative’s electric distribution system and left members without power for 7 days. FEMA funding will assist with the rebuild of 205 miles which is scheduled to take approximately the next two years and be completed by contractors. According to Vice President/General Manager Moshier, it would normally take his cooperative staff 10 years to complete this amount of work.
• A review of the cooperative’s financial position was given and highlighted the need for additional revenue as the cost of doing business continues to increase. The cooperative is in the process of completing a rate study with the outcome being implemented in 2012.
• A request was made for members wishing to share stories about their co-op to contact the office. These stories will be used to create a publication to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Farmers Electric Cooperative in 2013.

The final piece of business was the announcement of the election for three seats on the Board of Directors. The Central District director, Randy Christoffersen, made the decision to retire from the board, which left an open seat. Leon Schwartz, the only candidate running to fill the open seat won in the Central District. Two incumbents, Robert Newton in the Eastern District, and Betty Lents in the Western District, were re-elected to serve another 3-year term each.

The 2011 Annual Business Meeting of Farmers Electric Cooperative concluded with a prize drawing and an attendance prize giveaway.
 

Members of the cooperative were welcomed by Carroll Baker, Board President, who presided over the meeting. The Invocation was lead by Pastor Rick Hawkins from the United Methodist Church of Beaconsfield and Kellerton. Chairman Baker recognized and thanked the board-appointed Nominated Committee members for their service. The members of this year’s committee included: John A. Overholtzer, Ramon Dick, Doug Calkins and Doug England.

General Manager Phil Kinser addressed the membership during the business meeting with an update of the cooperative’s business activity for the past year and asked members to get engaged in advocating on behalf of Southwest Iowa REC. Members present were encouraged to visit the booth hosted by Grassroots Coordinator Ben Tiernan, of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, to join the statewide grassroots effort. Staff members were recognized for their hard work and dedication to the cooperative, totaling 562 years of service in entirety.

The final piece of business was the announcement of the election. Three members of the cooperative were up for re-election this year, and all three were re-elected to their positions. Marilyn Werner, Rich Fast, and Carroll Baker all received the majority of votes to serve for another three-year term on the Board of Directors.

The 2011 Annual Business Meeting of Southwest Iowa REC concluded with a prize drawing and entertainment by gospel group, Ceaseless Praise, from near Lamoni.
 

The business meeting kicked-off at 7:00 p.m. with a welcome by Board President Frank Riley and introduction of each of the directors on the cooperative’s board. General Manager Bill Freeman addressed the membership with a summary of the cooperative’s activities over the past year including an update on Clarke’s recent initiative to install automated digital meters. Freeman also provided an assessment of the cooperative’s financial standing and gave a glimpse of the future in terms of new regulation and the impact on electric generation down the road.

Meeting attendees also heard from Rachel Brownlee, an I-35 High School student who attended this year’s annual Youth Tour trip to Washington DC. Her trip was sponsored by Clarke Electric Cooperative as an educational opportunity to meet the members of Congress from Iowa and learn about our nation’s capital. Brownlee shared stories about her trip and showed a slideshow of photos she took along the way. She thanked the cooperative for the experience and said it was one she would never forget.

The Rumley Brothers, a local country rock band from southern Iowa, entertained the audience with a mix of original songs written by the band and some old familiar favorites. Two of the band’s original songs spoke to growing up on a farm with a “Back 40” and never being too old to be one of “Grandpa’s Outlaws.”

The official business wrapped-up with President Riley announcing the results of the election to the board of directors. With three seats up for election, the membership voted to return all three incumbents, including Randy Gaumer of Murray, Larry Jackson of Clio, and Bill Willis of New Virginia for another three-year term to the board of directors.

To cap off the evening, Freeman recognized the dedicated employees of Clarke Electric Cooperative and then drew for cash prizes among the members who took time to attend their Annual Meeting.
 

Board President Jeff Edler presided over the business meeting, which included reports from Board Treasurer Pat Von Ahnen, Interim General Manager Jim Kidd, and President Edler. Treasurer Von Ahnen reviewed the cooperative’s financials and concluded Consumers Energy remained in strong financial standing. Kidd spent time assessing future options for new electric generation. He reported that the cost of electricity is going to increase for a number of reasons including additional government regulation, more expensive fuel, and more expensive infrastructure materials.

During the President’s Report, Jeff Edler reviewed some recent changes made by the cooperative as they undergo a transition in leadership and strategic direction. He also gave a call to action for members of Consumers Energy to become engaged in activities of the cooperative by lobbying elected officials on behalf of the cooperative. He asked members to sign-up at the meeting to receive periodic updates on legislative and regulatory issues impacting the cooperative and requests to contact elected officials. He urged every member to become engaged in the new advocacy initiative.

Edler and Kidd then fielded questions from the membership about topics pertaining to the cooperative’s financials, renewable energy systems, and natural gas business.

The final piece of business was announcing the results of the election. Three members of the Consumers Energy Board were up for re-election this year, and all three were re-elected to their positions. Pat Von Ahnen, Allan Armbrecht, and Terry Benskin all received a majority of votes to serve another three-year term on the Board of Directors.

The 2011 annual meeting of Consumers Energy wrapped up with an offering of frozen custard sundaes from Culver’s for all who attended.
 

It was a beautiful day for a cooperative celebration with great food, lively entertainment provided by the Girlfriends, and featured speaker and comedic performer, Sean Emery. The festivities of the day began at 9 a.m. with registration and exhibits, one of which was the Power2Conserve Energy Efficiency trailer. Lunch was provided by the Clinton County Cattlemen.

President Tom Hotz called the business meeting to order shortly after key cooperative legislators were introduced and thanked for all their support. Reports were then given from board officers and cooperative CEO, Kirk Trede.

Key highlights from Eastern Iowa Light & Power’s Annual Meeting included:

• A financial update showing the organization remains in sound condition.
• A review of the cooperative’s renewable energy programs, net metering and low-interest loan program for small renewable energy projects.
• An update on the cooperative’s renewable project, a Skystream 3.7 residential wind turbine and 18-panel solar array, located at the co-op’s DeWitt service center.
• Progress report on the near completion of the cooperative’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system installation with three-phase services remaining.
• A look at the importance of legislative action to the membership, both at the state and federal level, to ensure energy policy for Iowans allows for the expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Balancing the need for growth, rate stabilization, and energy for the future being key factors.

The outcome of director elections held during district meetings this summer was:
District 1: Incumbent Director, Joel Carstensen, of Charlotte
District 2: Incumbent Director, Larry Quinn, of Lowden
District 3: Incumbent Director, Mike Shuger, of Wilton
District 4: Incumbent Director, Larry Rice, of Riverside
District 5: Incumbent Director, Robert “Skip” Crew, of Mediapolis

Directly following the Annual Business meeting, a Board Re-organizational meeting was held with the following board of directors elected as officers:
President: Jim Roling Vice President: Mike Shugar Treasurer: Joel Carstensen
Secretary: Larry Rice Asst. Secretary: Nancy Varner
 

T.I.P. REC serves over 6,200 residential, commercial and industrial consumers in the counties of Benton, Iowa, Jefferson, Johnson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Poweshiek, Tama, Wapello and Washington. To learn more about the services of T.I.P. REC visit their website at www.tiprec.com.
 

The meeting included an operations report by Maquoketa Valley CEO Jim Lauzon with his message centered on “Keeping Your Future Bright” and balancing the needs of reliable and affordable power; two areas voted “most important” by cooperative members in a recent study.

 Key highlights from Maquoketa Valley’s Annual Meeting included:

• In 2010, Maquoketa Valley received an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score of 84, which was noted to be significantly higher than the utility industry average, the national benchmark group, and Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives nationwide.
• Reliability index reflects Maquoketa Valley has one of the highest industry reliability levels in the nation. MVEC achieved this high level of reliability while maintaining its electric rates in a competitive position versus Alliant. Members on average are paying a lower price for more reliable service than their neighbors served by Alliant.
• CIPCO closes on purchased power agreement with Elk Wind for an additional 41 MW wind farm located in Maquoketa Valley’s service territory.
• Cooperative sold First Call business.
• Purchased new Peosta facility to meet cooperative’s growing service requirements.
• MVEC has been approved for $14M FEMA mitigations funds to rebuild 165 miles of line over the next 36 months.
• After only 1 year of rolling out the Co-op Connections® Card Program, MVEC members have saved $13,000 in prescription drug discounts.
• Time of Use rate structure being analyzed by Board of Directors as a tool for members to lower their costs.

The outcome of the director elections for the three open seats was as follows:

Jones, Cedar and Linn Counties, Gene A. Manternach
At-Large, Judy A. Gotto
Jackson and Clinton Counties, Eldon R. Busch

Board President Jack Runge presided over the business meeting, which included reports from Board Treasurer Paul Heineman, General Manager Bill McKim, and President Runge. Treasurer Heineman reviewed the cooperative’s financials and concluded it was another strong year financially for Midland Cooperative. McKim spent time reviewing the highlights from 2010 as well as assessing the road ahead in terms of more limited options for new electric generation. He reported that any future power plants will be more expensive. McKim also indicated that the Board and Management are monitoring the financial situation very closely to determine if a slight rate adjustment will be needed later this year.

During the President’s Report, Jack Runge provided additional details about a proposed merger with Humboldt County REC that the Board had voted to approve earlier in August. He discussed an extensive study that was conducted to analyze all aspects of both cooperatives, including a 10-year financial forecast. The result showed substantial savings by merging the two cooperatives. The projected merger date is January 1, 2013, which requires approval by the membership of both cooperatives before the consolidation can be completed. He urged all members of Midland to vote in favor of merging with Humboldt County REC.

Midland sponsored two high school students for this year’s annual Youth Tour trip to Washington DC. Mary Phipps of Pilot Mound and Mariah Keech of Story City both addressed the membership telling stories about who they met, places they saw, and what they learned. Both students thanked the cooperative for the experience and said it was one they would never forget.

The final piece of business was announcing the results of the election. Three members of the Midland Board of Directors were up for re-election this year, and all three were re-elected to their positions. Jack Runge, Thomas Ross, and Paul Heineman all received a majority of votes for their district to serve another three-year term.

The 2011 annual meeting of Midland Power Cooperative was both enjoyable and educational for the over 300 members that attended.
 

The outcome of the four board of director positions that were up for election were as follows: Jeff Elliott, District 11, Bill Frazier, District 15, and Steve Rau, District 26 were re-elected to serve a three-year term; Chris Sackett was elected to a three-year term representing Board District 12.

The 2010 Youth Tour winners, Connor Roth and Nicole Thompson attended this year’s annual meeting and shared some of their experiences while in Washington, D.C. Both expressed words of appreciation for the opportunity to be a part of the 2010 Youth Tour.

East-Central Iowa REC is located between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids serving more than 8,000 residential, commercial and industrial consumers in the counties of Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Clayton, Delaware, Fayette, Iowa, Johnson, Linn and Tama. To find out more information on ECI REC please visit their website at www.ecirec.coop.
 

Pella Cooperative Electric Association is located southeast of Des Moines serving over 2,700 residential, commercial and industrial consumers in the counties of Jasper, Mahaska, Marion, Poweshiek and Warren. The cooperative is dedicated to setting the standard for reliable and competitively priced energy solutions for their customers. For more information please visit their website at www.pella-cea.org/.