By Rick Lemonds, president & CEO
In October, cooperatives across the country come together to celebrate National Co-op Month. With more than 30,000 cooperatives across the United States, there’s a lot to celebrate. But this month I will briefly focus on your cooperative — South Central Power Company — and what makes us different from other utilities you might do business with.
The essence of community
To me, one of the major points that makes cooperatives special is the focus we put on serving our communities. We are owned by members of the community, and our employees live and work in the communities we serve. Our employees and trustees are invested in our local communities because we live here too. This investment manifests in our support for local economic development projects, youth programs and scholarships, charitable initiatives, and other programs that enhance our community.
The cooperative difference
Our mission has always been to provide you with dependable service at a fair price, but our purpose extends far beyond that. We care deeply about your quality of life. Because we are locally operated, we are uniquely suited to meet our members’ evolving needs. For example, though we’ve been in the electric business for more than 88 years, this year we launched a fiber internet subsidiary, connectSCP, to meet an unserved need in many of our communities — access to high-speed internet. Although we know we have a long way to go before we realize our goal of 100% of our members having access to high-speed internet, we are working to build our own network as well as working with other providers to eventually get there.
Guided by principles
South Central Power Company, like other cooperatives, is guided by the Seven Cooperative Principles. These principles embody the values and spirit of the cooperative movement and provide a framework to help us navigate challenges and opportunities while remaining true to our purpose:
Open and Voluntary Membership — Membership is open to anyone who can use the co-op’s services.
Democratic Member Control — Members make decisions that shape the cooperative because co-ops are created by the members, for the members. Over the next few pages, you can read about how members elected five directors and passed code of regulation changes during our August annual meeting.
Members’ Economic Participation — Members contribute money to the co-op to ensure it runs smoothly now and in the future.
Autonomy and Independence — Co-ops are independent entities that operate autonomously, benefiting their members.
Education, Training, and Information — Continuous focus on education ensures employees have the training and information they need to make the co-op successful.
Cooperation among Cooperatives — Co-ops share with and learn from other cooperatives. We support each other in times of need to ensure mutual thriving.
Concern for Community — All cooperatives work for the greater good of the local communities they serve, giving back to help them thrive and grow.
Our commitment to you
This October, as we celebrate National Co-op Month and the power of membership, we hope you recognize the many aspects that set electric cooperatives apart. Our mission is dependable service. Our purpose is people — the local communities we’re proud to serve.
Thank you for being a valued member of South Central Power Company. Together, we are stronger, and together, we will continue to build a brighter future.
From the October 2024 issue of Ohio Cooperative Living.