Ushering in a New Year with a Celebration of 2022

Exactly one year ago, I shared with you that 2022 was shaping up to be an exciting year for Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Inc.

At that time,?we had just completed another record-breaking Cram the Van food drive, distributed $1 million in capital credits to our membership, introduced new member initiatives such as our generator purchasing program and electrician services, and sold our broadband division to enhance our mission?to DELIVER ENERGY FOR LIFE and position our organization for future financial success.

And that was just at the start?of the year!

As we look back on 2022, I’m excited to tell our story by the numbers: 2022 was a year filled with new ideas, new opportunities, new initiatives and renewed sense of commitment to the membership we serve.

I encourage you to take a look at our year in review starting on Page 12F of this month's Kansas Country Living. I’m proud to share that these numbers — both large and small — powered us through the year and paint a comprehensive picture of the many things we’ve been able to accomplish in a single year. They’re also proof positive that we have a lot to celebrate at WEC!

Cram the Van

Speaking of things to celebrate, for the ninth year in a row, we’ve once again smashed every record we’ve ever set with our annual Cram the Van food drive campaign.

Thanks to our generous members, sponsors, schools and other community partners across our southwest and central Kansas territory, we were able to collect a record-breaking 54,599 pounds of food for a dozen local food banks.

That total — just over 27 tons — was an 22% increase over our 2021 collection of 44,576 pounds, and it brings our combined nine-year total to 226,908 pounds of food, just over 113 tons!

“WE Think BIG!” was our latest rallying cry, and members like you helped us deliver on that premise. I encourage you to check out how we brought our big energy to life last?fall starting on Page 12B and join us in thanking the community players who helped us make our vision a reality.

This year’s cash and can deliveries were completed right around Thanksgiving to the 12 local food banks that our communities rely on, and, as always, all donations were delivered to the communities in which they were collected.

As we head into our 10th year for Cram the Van, we know we’ve set?the bar incredibly high for this year’s upcoming collection.

But as the leader of this incredible organization, I’m very proud of our efforts and exceedingly optimistic about what we can accomplish?when we put our heads and our hearts together.

Celebrating Milestones

This year — 2023 — is going to be a special year for WEC, not only because it will mark a decade of our food drive but also 75 years since our inception.

In 1948, nine visionary western Kansas residents took matters into their own hands and formed an electric cooperative because they were tired of being left behind by big for-profit power companies who didn’t want?to spend the dollars it would take to connect rural America to the national electric grid.

In 1950, after learning about?the electric utility business, taking out loans, setting up offices, and laying hundreds of miles of lines,?they welcomed an additional 2,246 cooperative members to WEC.

That grit and determination in our earliest years has lived on through three-quarters of a century and made us the organization that we are today.

As the leader of WEC, I often take a holistic view of what we do and why we do what we do. And as we ring in 2023, I feel energized about carrying out our mission and empowering the communities we serve.

Thank you for allowing us to serve you, our members, and let’s make this year one for the history books — our boldest and brightest year yet.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, TAKE CARE.

Bruce W. Mueller, CEO/General Manager

(Editor's Note:?This column was first published in the?January 2023 edition?of?Kansas Country Living.)