Craig Grooms

I think we all can relate to the amazing feeling of those sunny, 70-degree days that start coming regularly in April, giving us hope that winter is finally over.  We also know that crushing feeling of 30 degrees and snow the next day — bringing us back to the reality that winter isn’t quite finished with us yet. 

My still-new role leading Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, as you might expect, requires a good bit of trying to see into the future in order to make the best decisions about our path ahead. Part of knowing where you’re going, however, also means understanding the past.

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.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead two remarkable organizations, Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc., and Buckeye Power, Inc. (together known as Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives). Our primary goals — providing affordable, reliable power and partnering with electric cooperatives across Ohio to enhance the lives of their members and communities — have never been more important, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly.