Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative

Our crew is back from providing mutual aid in Pickens, SC. Happy to be home but happy to have helped. They received great messages of appreciation from @Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, Inc. and their members in Pickens, SC. Thank you, Bill, Bruce, Chad, and Kevin for volunteering and sharing your lineman skills with an electric cooperative in need.

October is National Co-op Month, and at MVEC, we proudly serve members, not just customers! That's why, instead of Customer Service Week, we're celebrating Member Service Week—a tribute to our exceptional commitment to our co-op family. Our Member Services team goes above and beyond every day, handling everything from accounts and energy programs to communications and billing. A heartfelt thank you to our Member Services Department. We appreciate everything you do! #NationalCoopMonth #MemberServiceWeek

In case you missed it! On this morning's KCHK interview, MVEC CEO Marvin Denzer shared insights on the power of Cooperation Among Cooperatives. In response to Hurricane Helene, MVEC stepped up by sending four linemen and two trucks to support Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative in South Carolina. Safety Director Chad Briese highlighted the critical role of safety during mutual aid efforts, while Member Services Rep. Jodi Doerr explained how MSRs assist co-op members during National Cooperative Month and Member Service Week. You can take a listen to the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/g3xm3HYt

Broken poles and fire ant hills. As they can travel further into their service area, Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, Inc. reported on Saturday there are now 800 broken poles. It takes two to four hours to replace a pole - that's a lot of manpower hours for that one South Carolina cooperative alone. Bruce shared a couple of poles the MVEC crew worked on this weekend, and Kevin uncovered a fire ant hill. The terrain may be rough, but lineworkers are tougher!

Our guys arrived late this morning at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative in Pickens, SC. After becoming acclimated to their housing (looks like they joined the army - a trailer for showers and cots in a big room) for the next couple of weeks, they were off to an orientation and safety meeting. They will be assigned to members of the Blue Ridge crew who will show them the ropes of replacing poles and rebuilding lines for cooperative members in one of the most difficult terrains in South Carolina. Thank you again, Bill, Bruce, Chad, and Kevin! Stay safe.

Allison Janovsky is #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested?

Thank you to everyone who has posted messages of admiration and support to our four linemen on their way to Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, Inc. in South Carolina to assist with hurricane repairs. After stopping for the night in Indianapolis, they are again on the road for Day Two and are currently in Kentucky. Lineman Kevin said they will need to detour through Atlanta because the straight route has road closures due to hurricane damage. Below is the convoy of MVEC, @Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association, and @McLeod Cooperative Power Association linemen leaving yesterday morning with bucket trucks, digger trucks, and pole trailers - not the easiest vehicles and equipment to maneuver through 1,300+miles of traffic!

Yesterday around 8 a.m. an electric co-op in South Carolina put out a call for mutual aid. This morning at 7:30 a.m., four MVEC linemen - Chad, Bill, Bruce and Kevin - along with linemen from Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association and @McLeod Cooperative Power Association were on the road to assist @Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, Inc. The guys expect two days on the road and then off to work on Friday, replacing 300 broken poles and rebuilding power line. At the height of the storm, Blue Ridge had 64,000 of its 73,000 members out of power. Why do we do this? It's the 6th Cooperative Principle" Cooperation Among Cooperatives. And it's the right thing to do. In all, the Minnesota Rural Electric Association reports 11 Minnesota electric cooperatives are sending 50+ line workers to assist the devastated areas down south for at least a week. Godspeed to these volunteers who have the skills to help!

Happy National Cooperative Month! We love October because it’s a time to celebrate YOU, the members of MVEC, where we are proudly 100% member-owned. Co-ops are different from traditional businesses, and this month is all about highlighting those unique aspects that set us apart. #CoopMonth Want to learn more? Discover what being part of a cooperative means on our website: https://lnkd.in/gY_3_Mi5

We'd like to send a shoutout to our very own Daniel T. for being honored as a Member Spotlight Award winner at the 2024 #NISCMIC Daniel (the tall one) is a Distribution Design Supervisor at MVEC and we couldn't be more proud of this great achievement. Thank you to the Member Advisory Committee for recognizing his hard work and dedication. Congrats Daniel!