Affordable and reliable electricity strengthens cooperative communities and enhances the lives of members wherever they are — on farms, in homes or schools, at their small businesses or large retail establishments, or even in industrial and manufacturing facilities. While it’s essential to meet our obligations to current cooperative members, we must also work to support economic development activities that help attract new people and enterprises to cooperative territories, with the aim of further benefiting these communities.
The value of service
One area where co-ops typically excel is member service. Members of Ohio’s electric cooperatives can rely on someone answering the phone (or timely calling them back) when they have questions or need assistance, and that responsiveness shows up as part of what goes into co-ops’ consistently high member satisfaction scores. But it’s not just current co-op members who benefit from the high level of service. We also hear from developers who appreciate the willingness of our employees to help them get work done, whether that means assisting in developing new neighborhoods, constructing new businesses, or expanding existing facilities.
Driving economic development
Affordable and reliable electricity and excellent member service are critical factors in attracting new businesses, homes, and neighborhoods to cooperative areas. But it’s also important that Ohio’s electric cooperatives actively engage with economic development agencies across the state and the rest of the country so developers and companies looking to establish operations understand all the benefits co-ops have to offer.
For the good of our communities
Whether it’s providing a grant to help certify a cooperative site to make it more attractive to developers, or meeting with economic development groups to educate them on the cooperative business model and all its advantages, our co-ops play an important role in helping our communities grow stronger. Of course, it starts with our ability to provide affordable and reliable power, but it’s our cooperative work ethic and willingness to engage with interested parties in support of economic development that go even further to attract new members and grow our communities.
